Description

With Barbie, you can be anything

Barbie dolls have been inspiring fun and imagination for decades, captivating the hearts of children and collectors alike. With their wide range of dolls, toys, and accessories, Barbie offers endless opportunities for exciting adventures and storytelling.

Barbie herself has evolved over the years to reflect different careers, interests, and diverse backgrounds. From astronauts to veterinarians, fashionistas to princesses, Barbie dolls represent a world of possibilities. Children can choose dolls that resonate with their own dreams and aspirations or use them as characters to create unique narratives and stories.

In addition to the dolls, Barbie offers a vast array of accessories and playsets that enhance the play experience. These accessories can include everything from clothing and shoes to vehicles, houses, and even pets. With these accessories, children can create their own imaginative worlds, complete with fashionable outfits, dream houses, and exciting vehicles for Barbie and her friends.

What our testers said

“Barbie is going to the shops in her car now” – Girl aged 5

“I want to be like Barbie and have lot’s of cool jobs” – Girl aged 7

What our experts think

Barbies are instantly recognisable and the children were keen to start playing. They began by exploring the Barbies’ clothes, accessories, hair etc; taking clothes off, putting them back on, brushing their hair – all great for developing fine motor skills and strengthening hand muscles, which are important for children in many ways, from helping them button clothes and use zips, to holding a pen in the correct way. As they played the children excitedly spoke to each other about what they were doing and began to make up imaginative stories and role-played different scenarios with the Barbies, and discussed how their dolls were feeling and why.

Playing with dolls helps children to develop social skills and encourages them to talk about their emotions and encourages them to consider how others are feeling. This kind of play also gives children the chance re-enact what they have seen in real life and ‘rehearse’ for different scenarios they may encounter in the future. The addition of more relatable and inspiring dolls to the Barbie range, such as a fire fighter, footballer, and astronaut, encourage and inspire children to think and talk about their futures, jobs and aspirations.