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Barbie® and Flying Thumbelina

The new movie Barbie® Presents: Thumbelina is coming out in a couple of weeks. I talked about some of the dolls from the movie here, but I just found a picture of another one: Barbie and Flying Thumbelina. I haven't seen it mentioned in any Toy Fair reports.

It looks like a variation of a zip-cord flying wheel toy, with a Thumbelina figurine on the flying wheel.

This doll is interesting because it uses the same pieces as the Barbie as Mariposa® dolls from the Mariposa line - the smaller 2007-dated body with very long legs and "dainty" hands paired with the 1991 closed-mouth "Mackie" head.

I'm not sure what to say. On one hand, I think all Barbie dolls should have the same body shape so they're compatible with each other. (People should be able to assume any new "Barbie" doll they buy will work with the clothes and accessories their child already has.)

On the other hand, I really like this body, and I'm glad it isn't being discarded. I got a bunch of cheap simplified muse dolls from Barbie and the Diamond Castle at Walmart after Thanksgiving that I was hoping to use to make new characters. The feet are a problem, though - they're pointed and larger than Barbie's, so it's hard to find shoes that fit them. I never thought to try these snap-up gogo boots - which are one of my favorite pairs of shoes - and they actually do fit, plus they camouflage the pointy feet! It would be nice if this doll had new normal-size high heel feet so future dolls with this body could wear regular shoes, though.

This doll is really cute. Unfortunately, there's one caveat: Instead of using a zip cord, you "pull a lever" on Barbie's back to launch the flying wheel - which means the big flower may be permanently attached to her body. (If that's the case, the "lever" might be a zip cord running through the arm.) I intensely dislike non-removable components that limit a doll's use outside of its "intended" play pattern. The flying wheel thing could just as easily have been a totally separate, removable piece.... (Hopefully it is! )

(Of course, it probably doesn't matter if the doll is difficult to re-dress since there aren't any other outfits for her to wear... Which is why all Barbie dolls should have the same body. )