Barbie & Tanner - Holy Cr@p - she just fed her dog his poop!
Written: Dec 29 '06
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Pros: dog is force fed his own poop, releases it and the vicious cycle starts again
Cons: shoes don't stay on feet, pants hard to get off
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line? Heck Barbie feeds her dog the bottom line - you can't beat that - one of the best dolls in a long time.
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I hate to admit it, but I had just about lost faith in my all time favorite product – Barbie. After a long season of so-so/bland dolls I was beginning to think Mattel had given up and was actually putting out somewhat normal dolls – how boring for me. I mean I know they had set the bar pretty high – Earring Magic Ken, the gay dance club doll complete with enhancement accessories, Talking Barbie who on a daily basis reminds me that shopping is the mainstay of my existence and that math class is hard, and the crown jewel in their collection – Happy Family Midge, the pregnant teen who snaps back to a size zero moments after birth, and teaches girls that a spouse/life partner is an accessory you can purchase at some point in the future (if you choose to save your money for one).
It isn’t for lack of trying that I couldn’t find any really good Barbie dolls. Every time the tiny tot and I go out we always stop in the Barbie aisle to look for new victims for Epinions and my collection. Then one day late in the summer I got the call that began to restore my faith in Barbie and Mattel. My boyfriend’s daughter called me and said, “Miss Nancy can we come over, I have the greatest Barbie ever!” (and isn’t it nice when you can lure other people into your deep seeded obsessions). I said sure come one over. I wasn’t given specifics as to what this new Barbie was all about, but I kept the faith until they got to the house.
Let me tell you, it was like Christmas in August, there shown to me was Forever Barbie with Tanner the Dog and all was right with the world. As they demonstrated to me what Barbie and her canine companion could do, I was speechless – I almost wanted to send Mattel a Candygram thanking them for what has to be one of the most bizarre and outrageous Barbie dolls yet. And the best part, they have a companion set - Forever Barbie Theresa Doll & Mika - so the hours of fun, merriment and realistic play can last and last.
It took me a few minutes to process exactly what that dog was doing, and even longer to compose myself and stop laughing. I would have loved to have been in on the pitch meeting for the product – some executive saying, “Well we all know dogs love to eat their own cr@p, it’s a fact of life we can’t ignore and every girl should know about. Why not box it up in pink and purple and sell it to the masses.” Then some other exec brought out the big pink rubber stamp and said, “Done!”
So yes, you heard me correctly the premise of this doll is that Barbie’s dog eats it’s own poop and then poops it out – which is a wonderful life lesson to teach every girl. The best part has to be that not only does the dog eat its poop, but Barbie scoops it up, drops it in the trash can, pushes the button and it moves from the trash side of the container to the food side. You know I need to thank Mattel, because as a certified slacker mom who never quite makes it to the market when she needs to, this toy did give me an idea, next time I am out of Alpo for Colonel Mustard, I’ll just out to the back yard, scoop up poop and breakfast is served – yum yum!
This set is so hysterical that my own daughter begged for one for Christmas, and of course Santa did oblige. This isn’t one of the fly by night Epinions, reviewing a toy days after it was opened, we have been playing with this doll for months, it’s just that I now I have access to one 24/7. I can tell you this doll is a favorite, played with constantly and one of the most amusing Barbie dolls we have ever owned. At a price around 15 bucks, you will get your monies worth and then some. I have yet to stop being amused by it, and it’s always good for a laugh – all I need to hear is the girls say, “Does Tanner want a treat?” and I am rolling.
So right now you may be asking – just what do you get and how exactly does Forever Barbie with Tanner the Dog work – let me cover that.
Of course you get a standard Barbie doll – almost sensibly dressed for a day of dog care. The one issue she has is that she has the “athletic foot” - for those unfamiliar with the molding of Barbie, it’s a flat foot instead of her standard “high-heel” foot. So for girls the downside she can’t wear all those cute hooker shoes that come standard with every other doll. It also makes undressing her a bit harder, as it is difficult to maneuver the pant leg around the flat foot, which is why Barbie usually has the pointed toe.
Now, one might think that the cute little white and blue sneakers she is wearing might stay on a flat foot better, because they have more area to grasp on to. Wrong, if you remove the tiny rubber bands that are holding the shoes to the foot you will quickly find out how easily the shoes come off, which can be very frustrating.
Barbie comes dressed in a pair of khaki colored capris, with a little belt to hold them up, or possibly reprimand the dog with when he has finally had enough and demands real food. She is wearing a belly shirt (of course) and cute little sleeveless jacket – because goodness knows the point of owning a dog and taking it for a walk is to strut your stuff and pick up guys.
She does have sensible makeup and her long blonde hair is straight and she has a braid in front to keep it out of her eyes. Unlike other Barbie dolls, this one is not Everflex or minimal flex, she has jointed knees and arms – which serve a purpose beyond making Ken happy. Almost as good as the dog had to be the picture on the back of the box – despite having a pooper scooper with a long handle, Barbie insists on kneeling down to pick up the poop – I suppose with 40 plus years of practice with Ken and then Blaine some habits are just really hard to break.
Next comes Tanner – he’s about knee high to Barbie, so I guess he’s about 2 ½ to 3“ As with all the other men in her life, Tanner is genderless – and you might think this is a pattern Barbie would want to discuss with her therapist. I did have initial concerns about the durability of Tanner – he has a flecked covering which one might think would wear down after hours of play – so far the older one still looks real good, but I am sure if he got wet he would have patchy spots on him.
Tanner’s mouth opens up so you can for feed him his poo, he also has an opening at the back door so the poo can come out – easy in, easy out. We did discover early on that if you get the food in right way and then tilt Tanner forward he will puke out the food – which we like to call hairball action – again another realistic fact of pet ownership, but not one I am sure translates into family fun with dolls.
You will need to be careful – the tiny poops are magnetized, so they can stick to the pooper scooper. We usually play with them in a box top to avoid them rolling around and getting lost. They are small and look like brown Tic Tacs. Kudos to Mattel for choosing a color authentic to poop and food. This is one item you might want to keep away from smaller children –I don’t think they could choke on them, but they might make it to the mouth real fast. Also, be careful – taped to the package by Barbie are 6 poops, but taped to bottom of the box are 6 back up poops, in case the first ones roll away and disappear.
Barbie feeds Tanner by moving his head and making him “chew” the pellets. Then you move the tail and eject them out the back – how fun is that. I did look up and down the aisle for Animal Police Barbie, you know the one that would come and bust her for feeding her dog his own poop, but alas I couldn’t find it – I tried to rely on Pet Doctor Barbie to offer Barbie advice on proper pet care, but didn’t get very far, after all she is probably the only Veterinarian in America that has an eye chart in her office, and she did turn a blind eye when a Barbie’s kitten had a sock stuck up his butt, never questioning how that happened.
Tanner does come with a leash – but heck why bother walking him when you are just going to clean up the mess and feed it to him – maybe every now and then she takes him out to get a hint of pine on the poop, that’s fine dining for Tanner.
He also comes with a magnetic pooper scooper to pick up his love lumps and place them in the trash can. The handle is long enough that Barbie could stand and pick up the poop, yet she insists on going down to do the deed – teaching little girls everywhere that all important life lesson, brains and beauty, you can’t have both.
Tanner also has some magnetic toys that will stick to his mouth – a ball, tug rope, bear and bone – I think Mattel missed the mark on this one – why not include some furniture legs and your favorite pair of half eaten Jimmy Choo pumps, which would give girls a realistic view of dog ownership. Tanner also has a bowl of fake food and little dog bone shaped mat to put the bowl on – you know poop is a bit messy to eat and that rubber mat wipes up to easily. The one thing I did notice is that Tanner does not have a water bowl – hmmm way to dehydrate your dog Barbie.
The other great accessory that comes with the set is the garbage pail/food container. When Barbie scoops up the poop and drops it in the trash can side, then she simply steps on the foot lever and all that poop becomes food – wow, if only everything in life were that simple – maybe next time I am done in the loo I will fling open the door, look at the kids and say, “Dinner is served.”
Never fear though, if you think you will bore of this toy, you can also buy Forever Barbie Theresa Doll & Mika - the kitty that drinks water and pees in a litter box. This was a must have item in our house so we could realistically re-enact what goes on – just wet up Mika, let her pee and then have Tanner race over to the cat box – please the poor dog needs a change in diet. But make sure you shove Tanner’s nose into the wet litter, so that way after he has been to the snack tray and tries to play it down, Barbie can catch him (can you tell this happens frequently in our house?).
Overall I have nothing bad to say about this doll or set – it has to be one of the best releases Mattel has made in years. It has provided hours of laughs, fun and merriment and you can’t beat that.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14.99
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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Epinions.com ID:
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Member: Nancy
Location: in the Barbie aisle
Reviews written: 894
Trusted by: 347 members
About Me:
Off to Basel (1/21) - in search of Swiss Miss Barbie - back (1/26)
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