Review: Super Sparkle Barbie

We got a first look at the brand new Barbie doll from Mattel, set to be released in March 2015.  Meet Super Sparkle (or Princess Kara when she’s not in disguise) in Barbie’s new movie.

Barbie™ in Princess Power is the first Barbie film released at the movies (read the synopsis at the end of this post for more details).  In this superhero role, Barbie seeks to inspire girls to be super themselves in a different way than the typical good vs bad hero stories.  Super Sparkle Barbie focuses on friendship and teamwork to overcome challenges.  

“You don’t have to be a superhero to do something extraordinary. By celebrating the everyday moments, we can all realise the superhero inside of us,” said Lori Pantel, Vice President, Global Brand Marketing for Barbie.  This new character is playful, has extraordinary abilities and uses powers of forgiveness and friendship to defeat the enemy.

Acknowledging and honouring the amazing things girls (and boys) can do is always a positive move in my book.  Moving away from the good vs evil focus and honing in on a lasting resolution is an interesting take on the superhero phenomena that consumes pop culture, and I’m curious to see how that plays out in the film.

Key Features: Super Sparkle Doll

My 9 year old daughter spent many delightful hours playing with the doll. Below are some great things about it:

• Encourages imaginative play
• Skirt opens up to a sparkly cape
• Utility belt, skirt, top and necklace: attached
• Tall pink boots, arm cuffs and tiara/mask: removable
• Tiara doubles as a mask
• Three different looks in one: Cape, Dress, Skirt/Top
• Cape is removable
• Cool pink streak in the hair
• Fun princess to superhero change (check the video below to see how quick and cool the change is)
• Permanent set of clothes: The skirt, top, belt and necklace are fixed on the doll, which means it’s always ready to play with
• Empowering message
• Bendable knees for flexibility

Considerations

• Limited dress options. The Barbie has a little handle at the back which is great for holding her in play and aids in converting the doll into different modes, however this does restrict dressing this particular doll in different Barbie clothes. 
• Cape was a little challenging for my 9-year-old to clip on and use for the first few times.
• Bendable knees can be a plus, for sure, however personally I prefer Barbies with fixed click bend legs for durability.

3-in-1 Looks

Necklace attached

Tiara doubles as a mask

How it Works

Below is a quick video showing how the Barbie doll works.

Fun Play Ideas

• It’s easy to make your own mini movie (which my kids LOVE to do).  All you need is a smart phone or iPad (my kids borrow mine). Then shoot a variety of sequence videos and use an app (I recommend iMovie) and slot them into a trailer. The kids and I had fun putting together the mini movie below.
• Make a superhero hide-out station out of empty boxes.
• Kids can also make their own mini movies using scenes from Barbie movies over on the BeSuper website.

Barbie in Princess Power Movie

The movie is out now in selected cinemas, and will be available to own on DVD and Blu-ray in March 2015. I haven’t seen it so I can’t give do a review yet, however you can read the synopsis below:

Barbie stars as Kara, a modern-day princess with an everyday life. One day, after being kissed by a magical butterfly, Kara soon discovers she has amazing super powers allowing her to transform into Super Sparkle, her secret, crime-fighting alter ego . But her jealous cousin also catches the butterfly and transforms into Kara’s superhero nemesis, Dark Sparkle. When they discover the kingdom’s true enemy, can they put aside their differences to form one super team?

There will also be various comic books and other merchandise available. Love that cover!

Have you seen the movie yet? What do you think about this direction by Barbie?

Note: I was given the Barbie to review. I was not paid for this blog post. All views are my own.

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