Barbie I Can Be... President B Party Doll - Nia

Today's entry features the BARBIE® I CAN BE...™ President B PARTY™ Doll Nia. This doll was unveiled about one year ago and is currently still at Toys R Us, where I purchased her on Easter Sunday.

The President Barbie comes in 4 flavors: Barbie, Nikki, Theresa, and Nia, respectively.

Tea & Backstory... This last Sunday was Easter. My best friend and I were planning on going to an arts & crafts store, but when we got there we discovered that it was closed for the holiday. Most of the stores in that immediate area were also closed, but as we drove on, I saw that there was a Toys R Us, and it was open. We decided to go there.

I haven't been to Toys R Us in years. I accompanied a friend's friend about ten years ago to Babies R Us, and the last time I stepped into a Toys R Us was as a child in the mid-1990's, in Midland, Texas while I was visiting family. I have nothing against the store, but I forget that it is there and I just haven't gone. I'm glad we passed this one, and glad that we went inside. I of course made a beeline to the Barbie aisle. I saw a few items on clearance, and the I Can Be... President dolls were part of the clearance. I decided to get the President Nia version. Her box top was damaged, which I didn't mind (I suppose I could have dug around for another Nia with an undamaged box, but I don't keep my dolls boxed, so like I said, I didn't mind). As I said, she was on clearance, for 8.98, and I signed up for the (free) rewards card, which gave me an extra 20% off on top of that, making Nia's price just over 7 dollars. I love the little details.

The Doll: The I Can Be... President outfit was designed by designer Chris Benz.

(Here's a short interview with him, via Talkingwithtami.com)

I like the cloth's pattern. I like this better than just a plain fabric.

I love the cardboard backing that is part of the packaging. The podium can be seperated from the backing, as well as the "Barbie 2012" sign. Nia looks great in front of and behind the podium.

Ready for your questions!

There's a small printed dog as her security, ready to bark at anyone trying to get too close:

Here's the background:

Barbie's official I Can Be... President's website has lots of goodies, such as games, videos, and these printable stickers: (and more!)

Madame President Barbie stands on her own without a seperate stand. Her shoes are part of her legs, and are what enables her to stand. And they're super cute, too!

It turns out that Barbie lost the presidential race to President Obama, but there's always next election!

HOMEWORK: Has Barbie ever inspired you to do anything? If so, what?

Disney's Cinderella's Fairy Godmother Doll and The Cinderella Classic Doll Collection Accessories (The Pink Dress)

This entry couples with the Cinderella Holiday doll post. In this entry, I feature the Fairy Godmother doll, as well as the Cinderella Classic Doll Collection Accessories pack.

T&B: A couple of weeks ago, I recieved a promotional email from the Disney Store. The dolls and doll accessories were on sale!

My jaw dropped when I discovered that the Fairy Godmother doll was on sale for 3.99!

And I was even more surpised when I saw that the Cinderella dress set that has Cindy's 2 other dresses was also on sale for 3.99. I placed my order right away, and yesterday they arrived.

Since I recently featured the Cinderella Holiday doll, I thought that this blog would be a wonderful addition.

Here you are!

The Fairy Godmother:

In the film, we first see Cinderella's Fairy Godmother after Cindy's stepsisters trash her pink dress.

It's unfortunate that the Fairy Godmother was only featured in this one scene... It would have been fun for her to pop up in the background, unseen by the characters (except, perhaps, Bruno the dog?). She's a very fun, funny character.

Here she is in the box...

The back of the box:

And out of the box. I love that the cape has been lined. They probably could have gotten away without it, so I appreciate the extra effort.

And where is that wand... I know I put it somewhere...

Ah, here it is.

The Fairy Godmother will be lovely next to Cinderella.

The dress pack...

The dress pack comes with the other 2 dresses worn by Cinderella in the film. The first, of course, is her working dress...

The pack does not come with shoes. The work dress worn in the film comes with dark brown/black flats:

(Cinderella also wore a blue bow in her hair to keep her hair back.)

The Pink Dress:

The pink dress that comes in the dress pack varies from the pink dress in the film, but it is still cute.

Here is the dress in the film:

As I said, the dress pack didn't come with shoes. In the film, the pink dress was worn with dark pink/red heels:

Cinderella also wore the turquoise/aqua colored bead necklace, as well as a headband with a bow:

I think that perhaps some rainy day I will alter the dress to look more like the dress in the film. Hopefully the outcome will be better than the alterations the stepsisters did...

The pink dress is the dress that the mice fixed up for Cinderella. It was originally a dress that belonged to Cinderella's mother. I love her up-cycle spirit!

Back to the dress accessory pack.

The pack comes with the 2 dresses, a brush, and the 3 main mice from the film. Jacques, wearing red and sitting on a stack of buttons. Gus (short for Octavius), wearing his yellow shirt and green cap, sitting on a thimble. And the main female mouse, whose name wasn't given in the film, wearing her blue dress and cap, apron, and blue bow on her tail. They are adorable, and I'm very glad that Disney made them and included them in this set.

I think that I will paint on a few extra touches to them some day, such as different colored buttons, thicker eyebrows, etc. For a mass-produced item, though, they are much more detailed than what the company could get away with. Like I said, they are just adorable, or, as my grandmother would have said, 'precious'.

The only thing I wish I had was Lucifer, the wicked cat. He was an interesting character.

I would love one of Bruno, the dog, as well. He was cute.

But I digress. I'd be happy if I could have all the characters :)

Back to the dresses... The pink dress opens up more after you take it out of the box. They both have the typical velcro fastener.

The set comes with a jeweled brush as well, and it's cute.

Since this post comes on a Saturday, there is no homework! Enjoy!
(For extra credit, though, you could comment with your favorite film version of the Cinderella story. Mine is Ever After.)