Charles's Pages about Doll Stuff - www.dollstuff.net

Here's a surprise - Entertainment Earth put up listings for the Barbie® beach assortment for 2010! There are a couple of interesting things about them.

First, they're listed under the name of the next direct-to-DVD Barbie movie, Barbie in a Mermaid Tale™. So, does the beach line somehow tie into the movie? And if so, does that mean the other characters will appear in it, too? (Possibly including Ken® and Steven® for the first time? )

The second and even more interesting thing is, the listings include a Grace® doll where you'd expect there to be a Nikki®. The backstory of the So In Style® line (read about it here) is that Grace no longer lives in the same city as Barbie. Maybe she's back for a visit? Or, maybe maybe the movie was "made" before she moved? Or, maybe it's some kind of mistake and the doll is actually Nikki, not Grace?

(Incidentally, the So In Style dolls are using the original smaller "collector" head size, not the enlarged head size currently used in the playline. If Grace really is included in the swimsuit line, maybe we'll finally get to see an enlarged version of the 2001 Mbili® head sculpt? Or - horrors - maybe the other dolls will get smaller heads to match hers? )

The listings also include two blond Barbie dolls and no Summer®. Maybe the one with the blue swimsuit is actually going to be Summer, not Barbie?

(Keep in mind things are always subject to change, so any of this information could be incorrect.)