LIBERATIONS 23-26: HALLOWEEN FUN LI’L FRIENDS OF KELLY

So far, Target appears to be the only store who has picked up on the amazing popularity of Barbie’s adorable little sister Kelly and her friends. The only previous exclusives featuring Kelly are also Target exclusives- two Easter sets and a 1997 Halloween set. This Halloween, however, they raise the bar for store exclusives by putting out a total of THREE sets- a Barbie and Kelly set (available in both a white and ethnic version) plus this week’s adorable set of four of Kelly’s friends dressed for Trick or Treating. If you love the Kelly line as much as I do, you might not be able to walk away without picking up all three sets.

The Dolls

Have you ever realized that Kelly and all her little friends have the exact same face? Admittedly, you can do a lot with face paint and skin tone, but after a while they all start to look the same. This set does a nice job of making all the dolls look distinctive despite the limited options available to them.

The Kelly body is not very poseable. They can only move at the neck, shoulders, and hips. The model is a great representative of a toddler body. My only qualm here is that a child this young is unlikely to have hair this long- they certainly haven’t had much time to grow it! Also, Jenny’s hair could have used a trim.

Doll Scorecard
Faces: A-
Body: B
Hair: B-
Overall: B+

The Outfits

Who can resist a set like this, which plays so shamelessly on childhood memories? We have the classic feminine fantasy dolls (Princess and Butterfly) and the classic ‘scary’ costumes (Witch and Skeleton). The ‘witch’ costume is especially creative- instead of a plain black dress, Mattel has given us black pants and a cheerfully fringed purple tunic with a shiny Jack O’Lantern on the front. Now if only the skeleton costume glowed in the dark!

Outfit Scorecard
Fabric: A
Style: A+
Execution: B (one letter grade lost to velcro)
Overall: A

The Accessories

There are a lot of cardboard accessories here: four all different trick or treat bags, a skull mask for Tommy, and a broom for Jenny. There is also a soft black witch’s hat and a cool multicolored butterfly hat.

Accessories Scorecard
Concept: A
Style: A
Playability: C
Overall: B+