I've never actually owned a Barbie (I was a Sindy fan as a child) but my daughter had several, and from what I can remember, these new ones seem to be just as well made as those from 40 years ago. And even better is that like her predecessors, 2025's Barbie still has a wealth of non-gender-specific careers to choose from. In this case, her careers are music-related, and the dolls look suitably glam. I really like that Tour Manager Barbie looks very serious and career-minded on top, then you get to her trousers, and wow, there's a lot of sparkle there! I can't help but imagine TMB on Zoom calls during lockdown, dressed like this (because no one can see your bottom half), ha ha! Music Star Barbie, on the other hand, is head-to-toe glam, and looks a-mazing! I particularly love her hair, which is nothing short of stunning! I also love that both dolls have realistic body shapes - a far cry from the original Barbies of 1959, with their impossibly tiny feet! The clothing for both dolls is fantastic, with lots of detail. And of course, it's all removable, so that you can change their outfits. The accessories are nice, too but I will admit to finding them a bit disappointing, and quite ugly. I feel they could have had more detail, and certainly, the walkie-talkie, guitar, and mic could've been painted or had decals on them. As it is, they look like unfinished prototypes, which is why I'm only giving four, not five, stars. Overall, though, I think this is a very nice set of dolls, and as ever, Mattel is to be congratulated on its promotion of gender equality. The current price for this is £34.99, which. to me, is pretty good value. Happy to recommend!
