Barbie Rainbow Lights Mermaid Doll Review

We've been super lucky to review some of the fabulous Barbie range and with each new doll they give my daughter something more magical to help feed her imagination through role play.

The Barbie Rainbow Lights Mermaid Doll encapsulates everything my daughter loves in life, a Barbie, some lights and a rainbow. Best of all, this one reacts to being in the water. With a pink streak in her hair and a tiara making her look every bit the mermaid princess.

You activate her by pressing the button and then you dip her body into the water, her tail twinkles in a magical sequence of coloured lights, being able to put her in water makes her the perfect bath time companion, my daughter stayed in there until the bath water was almost cold because she was having so much fun.

Her lights work out of the water too, meaning she can be friends with all of the other Barbies we have, flashing her lights in a disco style.

This Barbie is part of the new Barbie Dreamtopia, an all-new magical, make-believe world imagined by Chelsea, the youngest sister of Barbie. Join Barbie, Chelsea, and her puppy Honey as they swim through rainbow rivers with beautiful mermaids and fly through cotton candy clouds with fairies. All you have to do is dream!

I love this Barbie and the fact that she isn't just limited to water play, however one thing that frustrates me sometimes is the inability to dress these Barbies with actual clothes, she is a mermaid and thats it. My daughter loves her however and I can see why, she is bright, colourful and brings plenty of light into your day.

Barbie Rainbow Lights Mermaid has an RRP of £20.99.

NB: We were sent this Barbie to review, all words and opinions are my own.

The Evolution of Barbie - Barbie Fashionistas

Barbie has always been a part of my life and with each doll Mattel release they seem to evolve, the release of the new Fashionistas dolls has been another interesting development. With dolls of all shapes, sizes, skin colour, eye colour and hair now available, it has been interesting to see some of these dolls up close.

When my daughter examined them as we took them from the box she only saw the different clothes, she didn’t see the different skin colour or sizes, although she did comment on the slighty wider legs of Chambray chic, but it was more of a passing comment than criticism. It certainly makes you look at yourself and think about how the comments we make have an effect on how they see the world.

These dolls are a great addition to our collection and for me epitomise what Barbie has always been about, clothing and fashion. Yes I would have liked to have seen more practical clothing and styles but the new flatter feet mean new shoes that I would have loved for my Barbie as a young girl. I remember my mum making dresses and trousers out of old scraps of material and being able to dress my dolls up in the clothes of the time, these offer just that.

My daughter took to playing with them as she would any doll, making them talk to each other about random stuff from clothes to what they'd done that day. The clothes themselves are almost interchangeable with the slimmer fitting ones struggling to be done up at the back of Chambray Chic, but that didn't really matter as most of the time my daughter doesn't manage to do the clothes up properly anyway, the shoes on the tall and petit dolls don't interchange either but that is fine, you just need to remember whose shoes are who's.

The dolls stick with the signature facial style of the original Barbie so are recognisable, but all have their own look. I really love the curly hair on Crazy for Coral, it reminds me of a perm I had back in the day and I loved it then and even now, I would love curly hair, it is this imagination that Barbie sparks.

Barbie creating these dolls means that children get a chance to see from within their imaginations that everyone is different, that it is normal and there is nothing to be ashamed of. Playing with dolls that are different shapes, sizes and colours helps them to understand that in the real world people are all different and that this is normal.

My daughters favourite doll is Crazy for Coral, she loves the dress "because it's shiny and she likes the pattern". With such a huge selection to chose from I can't wait to see the rest, their are some more wonderful hair colours and clothes and my daughter has already chosen the ones she'd like next.

The new 2016 Barbie Fashionistas doll line includes four body types (the original, petite, curvy and tall) seven skin tones, 22 eye colours, 24 hairstyles and countless on trend fashions and accessories. The RRP is just £9.99 and they are available to order now from Amazon. Mattel have also released a great video all about The Evolution of Barbie, it is a great insight into the changes.

NB We were sent these dolls for the purpose of the review, all words an opinions are my own.

Barbie Spy Squad Review

It is with great pleasure that we get to review yet another of the awesome and inspiring Barbie dolls that have been bought out for 2016. Barbie Spy Squad is a great new addition to the Barbie team and this time she comes with a kick ass attitude, just don't tell my daughter I said kick ass, she'll only repeat it!

This super action spy Barbie has her own pink spy glasses, pink streak in her hair and is rocking a pink glittery jacket worthy of any super spy, rather lucky my daughters favourite colour is pink then, underneath she is rocking her sleek spy suit in my daughters other favourite colour, purple.

But this Barbie has her own super spy actions and can do forward and backwards flips as well as cartwheel across the room. Using the special handle that is clipped onto her back, you can roll her across the floor and get her to loop and spin into action. My daughter found both putting the handle on and moving her across the floor a little hard to do, she is only tiny for her age though and couldn't quite hold her up in order to run the wheels across the floor, she could however spin her around in the air and thoroughly enjoyed doing this.

We even got a few of her other Barbies out for some Barbie spy squad fun, with our super spy squad Barbie finding out what is happening in The Mummy Diary house, with some funky star glasses on, my daughter was working hard to find out the goings on. Turns out someone had stolen the recipe for my world famous brownies, it has now been recovered...phew

She comes with full moveable arms, hands and legs and has flat shoes so unlike a lot of Barbies she can stand on her own.

Barbie keep coming up with these wonderfully inspiring dolls, my daughter hasn't stopped being a super hero since she got the Barbie Princess Power doll and now with her super secret spy pal she is sure to go and have even more fun.

I personally love her, the pink streak in her hair, oober cool glasses and sparkly coat are definitely my spy goals. Where will your Barbie take you?

Barbie Spy Squad will available on DVD from 15/2/16, in the brand-new film Barbie: Spy Squad, Barbie and her best friends Teresa and Renee transform from hard-working gymnasts to undercover secret agents in this exciting, action-packed adventure. We certainly can't wait to watch the DVD and see what Barbie and her friends get up to.

NB: We were sent the doll to write the review, all pictures and opinions are my own.

A Barbie Christmas Wish List

We have been lucky enough to review some wonderful Barbies this year, from a mermaid to a superhero and a rockstar to a ballerina, there have been many to keep us occupied, and so that you can see them all in one place, here is our Christmas Barbie wish list.

We loved dressing up as superheros earlier this year, we had a party to celebrate the release of this wonderful and thought inspiring doll. My daughter has loved dressing up and believing in herself since the day we had our party, dressing up as superhero Barbie for Children in Need, it has inspired her to believe she can be anything and it proves that just because she loves pink doesn't mean she can't be super.

For the mermaid in you, why not chose the Bubble-tastic Mermaid Barbie, this doll is great for in the bath or outside in summer. Whichever you choose, you can be sure of some bubble fun, She does come out when play with the other barbies so she isn't just a one trick pony.

For those that love to sing and be a rock star then how about the Rock n Royal selection, this superstar Barbie is great for those who love to rock out, whether to be a princess or a rockstar this doll has it all, with a super spinning dress and catchy song we've had hours of fun with this one, especially my daughter dancing and twirling to the tune.

And finally, we've had the pleasure of getting to know Ballerina Barbie and Saddle N Ride Barbie, two wonderful dolls that are great for anyone who loves ballet or horse riding.  With these you can imitate your favourite hobby and enjoy it with the doll that has been so loved for decades.

There is a doll for every occasion with Barbie and whilst not everyone agrees with the level of pink that Barbie comes with, it really is just another colour. This is about playing at being something and everything whilst you are young.

My daughter aspires to be a doctor when she is older but she loves pink and princesses and right now thats ok, there is only a short window of time where you can be literally anything you want. I spent many nights wanting to wake up to find princess dresses in my wardrobe, heck if that happened now I'd be a happy bunny. But I have gone on to work in male dominated IT environments and it hasn't stopped me from owning a business and being a strong woman.

Barbie Dance & Spin Ballerina Review

We were recently sent the Dance & Spin Ballerina Barbie to review, this colourful and eye-catching doll jumps, spins and pliés with ease.The wand clips easily on to her waist and and as you push her leg down she leaps into the air and spins, her leg spinning round like a real ballerina, her dress spinning out out in all it's glittery glory.

I am not sure who loves this more, myself or my daughter well obviously its my daughter...just! For any little person that loves ballerinas, this Barbie is perfect, her pirouettes and pliés are very close to the real deal and even simple for little hands to operate.


With a pretty two tone dress and bodice this doll has everything you could want in a Barbie friend, putting on their own swirly, twirly dress they can dance and spin around together like ballerinas.

My only slight issue with this doll and possibly the frustration of my daughter is that both legs don't straighten and so for when she wants to play with her as a normal doll, she can't. I completely understand why it doesn't but I do feel that if this could be different it would make it more useable with her other Barbies.

This doll would make such a wonderful present for any ballerina loving Barbie fan this Christmas, with an RRP of £19.99 this fabulous doll is a toy that will get played with time and time again.

NB: We were sent this doll for the purpose of this review, all words and opinions are my own.

Barbie Saddle ‘N Ride Horse Review

Growing up, I would have given anything for a Barbie with her own horse and for one that walked, I'm sure my little heart would have burst!

My daughter has now got to live my dream, with her own Barbie Saddle 'N Ride Horse. Not only does this horse move but even better, Barbie jumps onto the horses back and off it goes. You simply pop Barbies gloved hand into the side of the horse and then pull her round until she clicks and stands up, you press the button which is the horses mane on the front of the head.

The horse is more steady on a flat surface, it falls over on our carpet, so this is something to bear in mind if you are thinking about getting one.

The excitement when we finally popped the batteries in and got her moving was just brilliant, my daughter was giggling and laughing and to be honest I was too. The way she flips round onto the horse is just amazing and you can tell lots of thought went into it. The horse has a brushable tail and comes with it's own little brush which attaches to the gloved hand.

My daughter loves brushing her hair and we even played with our other Barbies, they shouted from the sidelines as the Barbie and Tawny raced through the dining room.

We both love the Saddle 'N Ride horse, the horse itself is really cute and we love Barbies outfit, the cute little floral top and denim jacket combo is great and the fact she has hat for safety is also really helpful when trying to get my daughter to wear hers on the her scooter.

This would make the perfect Christmas present for any Barbie or horse loving child and for me this is something that will get played with over and over.

And finally if you haven't seen this wonderful new video from Barbie then I can highly recommend a watch, it certainly put a smile on my face.

NB: We were sent this doll to form a review, all words opinions and pictures are my own.

Win a Barbie Princess Power Doll

A few months back we were sent the fabulous Barbie Princess Power Doll to have a play with, we had a party to celebrate the release of the doll and DVD and it was great to see my daughter become a little superhero.

Well, I have one Princess Power Barbie doll for one of my readers to win, all you need to do is enter via the Rafflecopter form below, great for any little superhero and dare I say great to put away for a certain C word thats happening in a few months time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Barbie in Rock N Royals Doll Review

My daughter is growing up rather quickly and part of that means finding new toys that excite and engage her. She has an unbelievable imagination and can often be found playing the most wonderful games and telling stories.

Since she found my old Barbies at my mum and dads house she has loved dressing them up and using them as her play friends. So when we were sent the new Barbie in Rock N Royals doll I knew it would be a hit but I didn't know how much. From the moment we took her out of the box she was full of excitement and spent hours singing with her, it took only a few plays of the song for her to know the words to sing along to.

The Rock N Royals doll is a princess on one side but move her arm up and she turns into a rock star, complete with different outfit courtesy of some clever outfit trickery.

She has really enjoyed the song that Barbie sings and has loved playing and twirling round, we even dressed up for our own rockstar singing session in the garden whilst it was sunny.

The stand out feature is that this doll is 2 in 1, the fact that it sings a rather catchy song is an added bonus. My only issue with this type of doll is that you can't change their outfit, although because of the way the dress flips round and the music-playing part of the body, it means they need to stay in that outfit. But to be honest, she doesn't need more, the two that she has are so very different and so very funky and my daughter hasn't mentioned anything about changing her clothes, probably because "she is Courtney the Rock N Royals doll and thats what she does".

My daughter and I both love the pink hair on this doll along with the funky accessories and I think she is the perfect Barbie that someone who loves singing as thats certainly what she gets my daughter doing.

We've watched some of the clips for the new Barbie in Rock N Royals movie and we can't wait to finally see it, in this brand-new musical adventure two very different worlds collide, when a mix-up sends a princess and a rock star to the wrong camps where they must then face an epic sing-off, it looks and sounds great and I am pretty certain there will be lots of singing along and dancing.

NB: We were sent the Barbie Rock N Royals Doll for the purpose of this review, all words and opinions are my own.

Celebrating National Superhero Day with Barbie

Today is National Superhero Day and to celebrate this, we held our very own superhero party with a different star at the centre of it.

Barbie in Princess Power is the latest addition to the Barbie collection and one that we couldn't get enough of.

In a world that is dominated by male superheroes, Mattel decided that it was time for a female one. With many children aspiring to be a superhero why not create one who can be strong and powerful whilst wearing something sparkly?

We were sent some of the new toys to test out during our own Barbie Princess Power party where we got to know the new toys and talked about 'what makes you super?'

We set our table, donned superhero capes and masks and set out trying to be superheroes in our own special ways.

Once our guests arrived we ate some party food for lunch, then decorated some cakes with sprinkles and superhero stars!

We then watched the Barbie in Princess Power DVD, a great addition to the range which tells the story of Kara, a modern day princess who gets kissed by a magical butterfly and soon discovers her amazing superpowers. But when her jealous cousin catches the magical butterfly and transforms into Dark Sparkle, her nemesis, their rivalry takes to the skies. But when they meet their true enemy, can they work as a team to save the kingdom?

Superpowers don't have to be about fighting or who is the strongest, we talked about how superhero's can be anything from a firefighter to policeman or lifeguard. My daughter is the kindest person I know, and my son has the ability to amaze me with his generosity, pretty super if you ask me.

The dolls themselves are fantastic, the way that Barbie's dress pops out to make the cape is genius, she is sturdy and has stood the test of time with a three year old and four year old playing with her. Along with Corinne (aka Dark Sparkle) and Chelsea my daughter has enjoyed playing her own version of a superhero tea party with them.

So what's your super power?

NB: We were sent a selection of dolls and goodies to host our party, all words and opinions are my own.

Barbie Bubble-tastic Mermaid Giveaway

A few weeks back we reviewed the fantastic Barbie Bubble-Tastic Mermaid, the perfect summer toy and great for bubble and Barbie lovers alike.

So you’ll be excited to hear that I have one to giveaway to one of my lucky readers, your little one can spin and twirl with Barbie creating bubbles as they go.

A great way to get your little ones out in the garden as well as the perfect companion for bath time.

All you need to do is enter via the Rafflecopter form below, T&Cs apply and can be found on each entry criteria.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Barbie Bubble-tastic Mermaid Review

Summer is the perfect time for some bubble fun, young or old, bubbles are most entertaining. 

Nothing keeps a child mesmerised more than colourful rainbow bubbles bouncing along on a summer breeze. So, mixing two classics, like bubble mixture and Barbie gives you a winning combination.

The Barbie Bubble-tastic  Mermaid is an easy to use and fun bubble making Barbie doll, great for the outdoors and the bath.

It comes with everything you need to get started including some bubble mixture, I think it could do with a bit more bubble mixture in the pack, as it doesn’t go that far but we always have loads from party bags lying round the house so it’s not a major problem.

The doll itself has a pull string at the back which makes the tail spin around with the bubble mixture on it, making bubbles as you go.

My daughter found this relative easy to master although did struggle a little at first, my only gripe is that a lot of the bubble mixture gets splatted about rather than creating bubbles, meaning you get covered in the stuff. Getting messy is completely me being an adult though, my daughter couldn't care less.  

My daughter was instantly in awe of the Barbie Bubble-tastic Mermaid and has been playing with her, both outside and in the bath, in my opinion the perfect places for her as it can be as messy as you like.

With the sun shining now, it is the perfect time to get out and fly with Barbie and the bubbles. The RRP for the doll is £20.99, with other Barbie dolls costing anywhere between £10-£25 I think this is about the right price. To bring hours of fun and to make bath time exciting this would be a great gift for any Barbie loving child.

NB: We were sent the doll for the purpose of this review, all words, opinions and pictures are my own.