Barbie Fashionista 133 & her blue wheelchair

Earlier this year I saw the announcement that the Barbie Fashionista line would be adding three dolls featuring visible disabilities: Two in wheelchairs (both in the same outfit, but one white with her blonde hair down and one black with her shorter hair up) and one with a prosthetic leg (in a medium skin tone and a different outfit). As someone who specifically looks for disability representation in children's/playline toys, I knew I'd be bringing at least a couple of these home. Today I'm opening up #133, one of the wheelchair-using dolls.

This doll is currently retailing for just under $15CDN online and locally. And while that is higher than the average price for most dolls in the Fashionista line (which usually retail for $10-$12CDN), considering the size and detail of the wheelchair and the fact that this doll comes on a much more elaborately articulated body, I was impressed that she isn't being sold at double the price.  Considering the additional cost of Monster High's wheelchair-included doll, and the extra cost of wheelchair accessories for American Girl type dolls, I was pleased to see that this doll will be affordable for a wide range of families.

Now let's take a closer look!

The front of the box.

Given the extra bulk of the wheelchair, this Barbie comes in a box that's easily 2.5 times the size of the standard dolls in the line.

The back of the box, showing off the other dolls in this round of releases.

The inside packaging.  A pink ramp is also included for kids
(or collectors) who want to make a doll house accessible.

Free from the box, with the ramp.

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Front view.

Aside from the chair itself, one thing that distinguishes this doll from most of the Fashionista line is the wonderfully articulated body. Most Fashionista dolls have a simple body with five point articulation, but this doll has the flexibility of the made-to-move line.

Quarter-side view.

Aside from the wheelchair and ramp, this doll also comes with a flair-sleeved shirt, jeans, sunglasses, and a watch. There is also a doll-stand-type holder attached to the chair which keeps her in place.

Compared to the wheelchair given to the last "wheelchair Barbie" (actually called Share-a-Smile Becky), this one is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of design. I appreciated that they skipped the armrests this time around and kept the backrest low, given the action positions this doll can take.
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Closer view of one wheel.

The brakes do move and can be placed over the wheel, but they're not actually strong enough to stop the chair from rolling if it's on a hill (ETA: I was wrong about that - they just need to be clipped over the wheels). While I think this chair is overall much nicer than that of Monster High's Finn, unlike that chair, the casters on this one don't pivot (they do roll).

A parting glance.

Overall, I have to say that I'm very impressed with both the amount of detail and realism on the chair (especially at this price point), and with the packaging overall.  I think this is a lovely addition to both a child's collection and a collector's shelf, and I just hope that Mattel keeps wheelchair-using dolls in their line for longer this time around!

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend (and a wonderful holiday weekend if you're in Canada)! If you've picked up any of the dolls in this line, I'd love to hear what you think of them.  I'll be back with a post on the Fashionista with the prosthesis in a week. :)