Sunday, June 30, 2019

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.
.

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. :)

22 comments:

  1. I'm glad that you're happy with the execution of this doll. Talking about prices, the Becky doll has also been extremely expensive on the secondary market, from what I hear, so collectors are happy to have a new doll in a wheelchair at a good price.

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    1. I'm so pleased with this one, it's brilliant. :)
      I looked into picking up the racing version of Becky a few years ago, but I just couldn't convince myself that those prices were worth it.

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  2. She's been getting a lot of buzz lately through online articles. I am glad you have her and are pleased.

    dbg

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    1. I'm glad she's getting media attention, this doll deserves it! :)

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  3. Great review JS! It's nice to see this type of doll being released and as you say at a reasonable price. I'm also glad to see Barbie's which have reasonable articulation now, it's about time. I wonder if we will see any of them in the stores here in Oz?
    Hugs,
    X

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    1. I hope they end up being available locally for you! :)

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  4. This is one of the new Fashionistas that I want to get my hands on, as well as the one with the prosthetic leg. I'm really happy that Mattel is making Barbie more inclusive, and I really hope they are succesful and we end up getting more of this dolls.
    Enjoy your holidays!

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    1. Thank you! I'm also hoping these dolls sell well so that we see more in the future. :)

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  5. What a great Barbie, she's very pretty, has a lovely skin tone and hair style. The wheelchair looks very realistic, it's good that they've reintroduced dolls with disabilities too.
    x

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    1. I was worried about how this release would go, but I'm so pleased with the results! :)

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  6. Congratulations on getting her and thanks for sharing how she differs from the basic Fashionistas and how her chair differs from Barbies' friend Becky.

    Something I find interesting is that Mattel articulated a doll in a wheelchair. The articulation allows her to be posed properly in the chair - I can see why they made that decision. Just seems curious.

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    1. I would guess that it was probably cheaper for them to use a pre-existing articulated body than to create a new 5-point body with bent knees. But it's hard to know.
      The doll with the prosthetic is on the 5-point body though.

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  7. Makes sense ;-)

    I'm glad that they used an articulated body. Those are always nice to have.

    Thanks for specifying that the doll with the prosthetic is on the basic 5-point body. Makes sense that they wouldn't make the doll more elaborate than necessary.

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  8. Sadly, this doll is not available where I am. Which is a shame as I've been wanting a wheelchair for one of my Momoko girls (the music teacher) for a while now as her character actually has a disability. I really like the design of this chair too.

    Thank you for your review.

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    1. That's a shame that she's not available where you are. This feels like a doll that deserves a wider release.

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  9. Well, I am positively surprised!! I didn't know that Barbie made dolls like this, and it is a great surprise. Diversity and inclusion should also be part of toys. And she looks adorable! I love her hair btw.

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    1. I love her hairstyle too! I'm thrilled that the commitment to adding so many body types for the Fashionista line went beyond just height and weight. :)

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  10. I am so happy to see this doll and I can't wait to her as well as I am also really big on inclusion in the doll world. Now they need to make a power-wheelchair version!

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    1. That would be brilliant to see as well! :)

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  11. It is great that different dolls like this come out on the market. Have not seen this one here, but hopefully soon. Many toy stores are closing and that is a bit sad. I am glad you like her!

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