Barbie Townhouse: Lights, Sounds & Screwups



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It was really bugging me that the TV in my Townhouse wouldn't go back down properly so I tried to "fix it." ^_^

No narration in this video because my throat is sore and I didn't type out the captions in the blog post because too many things only reference what can be seen in the video.

New and Notables at Walmart

I haven't been to Walmart in about 30 days so while this was my first time viewing all of these items in person, I know others have already found and blogged them so I'm basically showing stuff I thought was cool or notable.

Rainy Day, Cowgirl and Camping $8.97

I like these themed sets a lot. For the cost, I'm impressed with their efforts and details. Though, of course, not as well made quality wise, as say a Moxie themed set, they still offer you playability and decent fashions. The Rainy Day one is my favorite and it gives me such a Parisian vibe.

Fairy Tale Collection $22.88

I am not a "Princess" person, so these do nothing for me, but I think a kid under 4 might like them. However, a kid older than that is probably more brand name aware and might turn their nose up at a Disney-ish clone.

Princess with Horse $16.97

There were 4 different versions of the doll, but the horse is the same in each pack. $16.97 seems a tad hefty to me, but you are getting a horse, a doll and a pretty cute dress. If you ever wanted to build yourself a carousel, then a bunch of these horses is the way to go.

A Pack of Trouble - Wolf Family $45.97

$46?! Oh my goodness. I know that only equates to $11.50 per doll, but dang. I dunno, I'm just not feeling it and Clawd having one hand posed in a rad sign looks a little awkward to me.

Day/Night Dreamhouse Fashions $11.97

Hmm. I like some pieces as separates but overall, my fashion tastes lean more toward the simplistic wear that Sparkle Girlz produce. I would like the cat shirt if it didn't have "Barbie" on it. I like the black and white stripped pants and I like the metallic silver and purple dress. That "Fab!" pack looks like something the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Nicki Minaj would wear on a date in 1990.

Style Fashion with Doll $8.88

I'm not gonna lie, I do like the dress with the hot pink top and black bottom. However, I still dislike the direction Mattel took the Fashionista's and then they turned them into these non articulated mannequins. Barf.

Ken Gift Set - Walmart Exclusive $19.97

Wow, I could not believe this was only $20. At best you can find individual Ken clothing packs for $5.97. So if you buy this, you'll be getting a doll and an extra jacket for only $2 more. That's a darn good bargain, especially if you compare it to the girl's pack also available.

Barbie Gift Set - Walmart Exclusive $29.97

Granted the Barbie set comes with stickers, but whoop-dee-do. I guess she's more expensive because she's "Barbie" and has actual hair.

Barbie Glam Camper $89.97 versus Kid Connection Camper $19.97

$90 mother freaking bucks. I mean, it's got a lot of stuff in it, so don't get me wrong, but you can buy the Monster High High School for $70! If you've got the funds, more power to ya, but if you're a broke bee like me, the Kid Connection Camper might be more your speed.

True, it's a little sedate and rather plain, but it will get you where you are going and probably with reasonable gas mileage.

It does not have a pool though, lol!

But if you insist on being fancy, the Glam Camper is the way to go.

I was feeling good about finding all this cool stuff and then I get to checkout and had this conversation:

A-hole Clerk mutters: "I didn't know people still bought Barbie stuff."
Surprised Muff says:  "Excuse me?"
A-hole Clerk repeats: "I didn't know people still bought Barbie stuff."
Ticked off Muff says: "Well, they still make it so why wouldn't people buy it?!"
A-hole Clerk just shrugs.

I wanted to snatch that trick's twists off her head. Why cant clerks keep their negativity to themselves? Ugh!

4 Days in a Row at the Thrift Store

Last week I came into a little bit of unexpected cash (legally!) and instead of saving it wisely, I decided I was going to the Thrift Store every single day until I spent it. It didn't take long.

MONDAY

Barbie 3 Story Dream Townhouse $14.95

At 3.5 feet high, this thing is a freakin' beast and I am in awe of it. It's missing a lot, the tv sticks and it's yellowed from the sun, but who cares?! It was 15 dollars! No clue what to do with it, but hey, it's mine.

This stuff was taped to it in a bag and the only things that actually go with the house are the juice and milk and maybe the bowl of fruit.

This was inside it too, but I know it doesn't go with the set and it's missing a keyboard. Still love it though.

Compared to my $4.95 Victorian house, it's much taller, but has less depth. Unlike the Victorian, its elevator works and once I replaced the batteries, so did all the sound components. The timer dings, door bell rings, fire place lights up and crackles, toilet flushes and Barbie "sings" in the shower.

They both are missing their front doors, but once inside the Townhouse, there seems to be about a half or three quarter inch more headroom.

Since I really don't have anyplace I can hide this monster, I'm situating both houses under my breakfast bar as I don't eat here anyway. I taped up some Bulletin Board paper behind them to make it more dioramic instead of looking like I just have crap sitting in the living room for no reason.

TUESDAY

Liv Nutmeg $2.95

The horse is missing its blanket and one hind leg has a crack in it. Other than that, absolutely awesome!

Barbie Cali Girl Chevy with CD Player $7.95

OMG, either a cat or a family of hamsters was living in this thing because it took me forever to clean the fur and glitter out of it. It was killing my sinuses, but it's all clean now. The audio cord/speaker works so I can hook my phone up to it and it will play out of the speaker at the bottom of the car.

WEDNESDAY

It's senior day on Wednesdays and they get everything 50% off. Do not go that day if you are in a rush because the line is looooooong.

As I was in checkout I saw someone had purchased this so I just missed out on it. Oh well, not like I need two Victorians... but I know I would have bought it if I saw it first, lol, just because its balcony is larger than mine. Anyway, here is what I did get:

90210 Brenda $7.95

Even though I was in my mid 20's when 90210 came out, I never missed an episode, so of course I had to get this. I also like Shannen Doherty and never missed Charmed when she was on it either. The doll kinda, sorta, but barely resembles her.

Barbie Jam 'n Glam Tour Bus $9.95

This thing too is a beast and it's dang heavy! It was completely taped up when I saw it so I couldn't open it. I could see the disco ball and light grid through the window and decided to get it just on that alone. It's missing a small speaker set and all the furniture that came with it, but it's cool regardless. I don't have the right audio cord to get it to work properly, but I know that the large speaker's light array will pulse as music is played.

This side of it is a little weird to me, but I've never been on a tour bus, so what do I know? The mirrors light up, but it's not worth 3 C batteries.

I keep my other cars underneath my craft table, but there is no way this behemoth is getting under there.

For now it's sitting on top of my accessories towers. I will probably have it do double duty by storing any music related accessories inside of it.

THURSDAY

Uh... an old Skipper(?), Stacey Dash and a BFC Ink(?)

These were in two different bags but each bag was $3.95. They are face molds I don't have so I snapped them up.

Janay Doll! (In same bag with Stacey Dash)

She's so photogenic! I cant believe it. My first and only Integrity doll and I found her at the Thrift Store. *twirl*

I'm sure rich people aren't trolling the Thrift Store, but if I had an unlimited supply of money, I would go every day!

Deboxing Moxie Girlz Camping Kellan

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Actual video dialog and some pics below:

 

 

"This is the area of my office where I keep boxed dolls, clothing accessories and some crafts. I like to keep dolls in their boxes as long as possible but since my space is limited I've devised a plan.

For each new boxed doll that I buy, I either have to open it immediately or open one already on the shelf. So far, I'm just opening boxes of dolls whose bodies I know I'm not going to keep. This brings us to Moxie Girlz Camping Adventurez which are at Walmart from $15 to $20 bucks.

You can get Sophina who has a light up camp fire and yummy treats. Or Avery with her working bow & arrow and archery gear. I'm going to be deboxing Kellan.

She has light up fireflies and scavenger hunt gear. I probably picked her over the others because I like her accessories better. The box design is interesting, but it's also very awkward to store which is why I'm opening it. The back of the box has a double fold and all the ties and fasteners are sandwiched in between. That means it's going to be annoying to open. I'll speed up the video, but it still took awhile to get through all that glue. The accessories are just rubber banded to the place card so it's easy to remove those.

Let's check out the small stuff first. The lantern is quite sturdy and seems like it could take some rough play. However, it can't stay on unless you press the button. Also, it lights up green, not yellow, like it shows on the graphic. To get your apparently radio active fireflies to blink constantly, you have to keep pressing the button down. The leaves are your basic molded plastic and nothing to get too excited about.

[Shows Nature Scavenger Hunt card] I'm not a fan of "nature" but I assume these are real things you can find outside if you were so inclined. Perhaps these are pictures she took with her neat little camera. I like birds and butterflies... sometimes. Okay, not really. The glow stick does glow in the dark and has a very long string so she can hang it from a tree, I guess. My favorite item is the camera. LOVE IT! For a simple little mold, it has some nice details and shapes to it.

We finally get to the doll who still has stuff fastened to her, so I'll fast forward through that. Okay. What a cute outfit! I like the whoot owl top, the striped ruffle skirt and the teal colored boots. The boots are very detailed in every aspect, from the strings, to the stitching, to the soles. The back of the outfit has your typical Velcro and there are little undies sewn into the skirt.

The knitted scarf has a multi colored diamond pattern. The nylon bag is a little basic, but still kinda cute and roomy enough for her stuff. I like it.

For the price I paid, $15, I think the accessories and outfit are worth it. However, unless you collect Moxie Girlz bodies, which I don't, $20 is way too much... for me. Anyway, here's how her outfit looks on different body types.

Monster High. She wears the skirt well, but the top only looks fitted because of the stiff Velcro in the back.

Fashionista. Chesty McGee here is about to burst out of the top and it barely fastens in the back. She can wear the skirt, but again, it barely closes.

Liv. The Liv body probably has the best fit overall, but it's not perfect. She too is a little busty, but not as much as the Fashionista.

Bratz. Older articulated Bratz are thinner than Moxie Girls, so this is very loose on her. The top is okay, but the skirt barely hangs onto her hips. She still looks cute in it though!

That's it! Hope you enjoyed."