When a child sees a Barbie doll, two reactions will shift in a snap: amazement and excitement!
These two were the exact reactions of my three-year old daughter Franky when I went home one night and showed her the Barbie Merliah Doll. I can still remember how high she jumped out of the bed and how hard she shrieked with excitement upon seeing the pink and blue box where Barbie “lives.”
This is the fourth time she has seen a real Barbie doll. But, it’s as if it’s the first time when she finally laid her hands on the Merliah Barbie Doll. She loved the doll so much that it took her almost two hours to play with it and even insisted that she bring the doll along when I tucked her to sleep!
The Barbie Merliah Doll was inspired from the computer animated direct-to-video movie, “Barbie in A Mermaid Tale,” which was released on March this year. The movie featured Merliah “Liah” Summers, a 16-year-old top surfer from who half-human, half-mermaid.
What is pretty amazing is from the hair down to her toe nails, the Merliah Doll exactly looks like the character in the movie! Along with the Merliah Barbie doll is cute pink dolphin covered with glitters and a set of accessories including a glittered tiara, a comb, a pair of cool shades, and a pair of pink flip-flops all come in pink!
But what Franky really enjoyed is the unique transformation of Merliah Barbie Doll—from her casual clothes—to a beautiful mermaid through her reversible dress! The casual blue dress comes with a hood and once you pull it down, it can transform Merliah to a beautiful mermaid with pink mermaid tail and fin!
Another exciting surprise came when Ahren accidentally dropped Merliah into the water. Slowly, Merliah’s hair turned pink. Body art also appeared on her arm and stomach while her toe nails were also painted pink!
At first, Ahren worried that she might have ruined the doll and she started crying. It took a 10-minute explanation and a demonstration on how the hair of Merliah changes its color when wet. Finally, she stopped worrying and started to enjoy the doll once again. Now, in a different setting: in a small basin filled with water!
She enjoyed Merliah in her mermaid form so much that she would bring the doll along with her when she takes a bath. Along with them is the pink, glittery dolphin.
As I often see her playing with Merliah, I realized that my daughter became more creative and imaginative. I would see her talking to the doll and care for it. I also noticed that she became more attentive. She also learned how to play independently and quietly!
Although it is very tempting to buy your daughter a Merliah Barbie doll, always make sure that it her age is appropriate for the toy. Since the package contains small parts such as the pair of slippers and the shades, it is not advisable to leave a child under three years of age.
Like other dolls, the Merliah Barbie doll is a perfect toy for mommy and daughter bonding since you can both dress it up and comb its hair. It is also such a nice experience to see your daughter care for a doll as if it were a real person or as an extension of herself.