Barbie holds a certain fascination with both of my girls right now. When Lara first started showing an interest in Barbie, a few years ago, I was worried that it would become an overly girly obsession but actually I find that when Lara and Holly are in a Barbie phase, they are their most mature, considered and thoughtful when playing.
The Barbie Colour Me Cute puppy playset has been one of the most popular additions to our playroom for many many months. Barbie and her colourful dress and pup have been the topic of conversation at school, and the very first thing to be shown off by Lara and Holly when we have visitors. They're obviously both very taken with this Barbie doll.
Barbie Colour Me Cute features a little puppy pamper table with a pillow and the space for a puppy bath-tub. When the white puppy is washed with icy cold water it changes colour into a combination of garish pinks, blues and purples. Using Barbie's handy little grooming tool you can selectively turn part of the puppy brightly coloured to make silly styles and designs! Having watched the TV advert and followed the instructions Lara and I were a bit stumped - our puppy came coloured and we didn't know how to make it white! I tried rubbing it with ice cubes... I even tried putting it in the freezer! In a moment of inspiration while making myself a cup of tea I decided to try dipping the puppy into hot water and hey-presto, it turned white! Phew.
So now I know how to reset the puppy to white so that Lara and Holly can start doodling little designed on the poor dog with the soft pamper tool! As it is a water toy, things do tend to get a bit messy when Holly is around!
Barbie herself comes dressed in a fashionable, yet understated dress and shoes. At first glance, the dress is fairly plain but when you apply the cool water to the bodice of the dress it reveals colourful patterns. You can draw onto the top with water to make different designs each time - a little bit like an Aquadoodle mat! It doesn't take very long for the top to dry so within a few minutes the girls can be creating a totally different design of outfit.
I like the simplicity of Barbie Colour Me Cute - such a small addition to a doll seems to make it stand out from the other dolls that the girls have. The puppy grooming table looks great alongside our other Barbie playsets and it fits right in. My only worry is how long it will be before one of the girls mislays the grooming tool - it does come with a loop to attach it to Barbie's hand but it is a very small piece - perhaps a drawer in the table would have been a good place to store it?
The Barbie Colour Me Cute puppy playset costs around £23.99 and is suitable for ages 3 upwards.
