Life in the Dreamhouse: Midge

Apart from a small collection of character Barbies (Wicked Witch of the West, Batgirl, Katniss, 60's Catwoman), I haven't really paid much attention to the Barbie line since I was a kid. I loved Barbies, and I had tubs full of dolls and clothes, but when I was a teenager, I gave them all to my best friend's little sister. I don't really regret it since my dolls were well played with, and definitely wouldn't be display quality now! I think the only one I'd like to still have is the brunette Totally Hair Barbie, because I remember being so excited to have a Barbie that had the same colour hair as me! Not a Teresa, or another character, but actually Barbie, with brown hair! It's the little things when you're a kid, isn't it?

So what's changed? Well, Life in the Dreamhouse got me. I started seeing the dolls on shelves awhile ago, and I thought they looked really great. Nice outfits, good hair, and I loved their applied eyelashes! Plus, their faces really have a lot of personality, and that's a nice bonus! I was totally happy just looking at the dolls in the store, until a few of the webisodes were added to Netflix and I thought I'd check them out. Famous last words, because they are hilarious and really clever, and I was hooked!

Even before I'd watched the show, I was most excited to see Midge back in the line-up of dolls. I've always had a soft spot for Midge for some reason, and it's no different with this doll. I finally took the plunge and grabbed her when the Life in the Dreamhouse dolls went on clearance at my Wal-Mart, and there was only one Midge left. She was destined to be mine!

The Life in the Dreamhouse boxes are incredibly appealing, sitting there on the shelf all bright pink and shiny. I love the clear plastic front that let's you see everything you're getting, and the cute images of the doll's webisode selves. Midge's doll doesn't quite grasp the quirky personality that she has on the show, but it's close! Also, on the back of the box, there are a few images from the show, including one from Midge's first episode, A Smidge of Midge. She arrives to Malibu from Barbie's hometown of Willows in black and white, and the whole episode is delightful. There's a 60's style laugh track that Skipper keeps commenting on, and a few great moments like the one where Midge says to Barbie, "No way, you're fully articulated?" So cute!

And she's out of the box! Her hair was a little crunchy with styling gel, but a quick brush and she was good to go. She is just so cute, I can hardly stand it!

We're going to start with the outfit that she comes wearing in the box. She's wearing a red polka dot cardigan made of a stiff, knit fabric, over a one-piece dress. The top of the dress is red, and is a thick, almost denim like fabric with glitter all over it. There is decorative stitching down the centre in navy, to coordinate with the navy of the skirt. The skirt is ruffled in the front, with an all-over bold rose print. I prefer the dress without the cardigan, which we'll see a bit later!

As for accessories, we first have a solid red purse that doesn't open. Nothing special, but does the job.

Her shoes are simple black, heeled clogs. These are fine shoes, but again, nothing special. I'd forgotten just how tiny Barbie feet are!

She wear a large, gold necklace that nearly matches the one she wears in the webisodes. It can be seen on the box as well, but the main difference is that the gems are turquoise as opposed to solid gold. I wish this had been painted like that, the pop of that blue colour would have been nice!

She also wears dangling gold earrings, that are non-removable. I realised as I was writing this post that she's actually supposed to be wearing a gold bracelet too, but mine apparently fell off. I ended up finding it in a bag of Monster High clothes I'd been messing around with, so just a heads up if you pick up this doll, keep an eye on that bracelet!

Her face is very soft and pretty. She has eyebrows that match her hair, and her makeup is done is subtle shades of pink and brown. She has painted eyelashes in addition to applied lashes, and I really love the look of the applied lashes! They really are huge part of why I was so drawn to these dolls. Her lips are a soft, natural pink and slightly parted. Because they're painted all one colour, the detail of the parted lips is kind of lost, so it might have been nice to have the centre part of her lips painted just a bit darker to highlight it. She also has a light smattering of freckles over her cheeks. They're very subtle and small, which is perfect.

Her hair is really lovely and soft, with a gentle wave to the ends. It's a nice red colour that looks pretty natural. When the light hits it, it looks like it's a mix of different shades so it really shimmers. It's very soft to the touch and brushes out well, so for a play doll, this is really nice hair. Her bangs are a bit stiff and wonky, but bangs on dolls are really hard to get just right. I've seen some Midge's with seriously jacked up bangs in the store, so I'm glad that mine is alright!

Cuter without the cardigan, right?

I think it's pretty great that these dolls come with a second outfit! I had actually been hesitating about buying these dolls because of the price (about $20 regular price), but now that I have Midge and have seen the quality of the doll herself and the inclusion of an extra outfit...clearly my math was off, because this doll is definitely worth it! The second dress is very cute and definitely references the 60's Midge we see at the beginning of her first episode. The bodice is a medium blue with white polka dots and fluttery sleeves, and the skirt is a soft blue plaid.

The blue looks lovely with her eyes! You can see here that one of the sleeves is a little wonky, but it's not too bad.

It's a very sweet look on her! I think the first dress is my favourite, but this certainly has it's charm as well.

The biggest surprise for me in buying this doll was the articulation. When I last bought Barbies, you were lucky if their knees bent, and look at her now! Midge has articulation at her neck, shoulders, elbows, wrist, hips, knees, and she even has a torso joint! And all of these joints are really nice, and have great, natural movement.

The torso joint makes for some really fun posing options! I don't actually know if I have any other dolls with this kind of articulation, and it was a great surprise!

She can kneel very well and she really sits like a lady!

She can touch her head, but not her face. Monster High dolls have spoiled me, I'm so used to dolls being able to touch their faces thanks to them!

Back in my favourite dress! I'm so glad I finally decided to take the plunge and pick up this lovely doll. I'm so glad that Midge is back in the Barbie rotation, and that she got to come back with such a great doll! The last Midge doll I remember seeing is the pregnant one that cause all the controversy because she wasn't wearing a wedding ring, but I can't imagine there being any complaints about this gorgeous lady!

She just has such a sweet face, you can really understand why she's been Barbie's best friend since all the way back in Willows, Wisconsin.

Have you checked out the Life in the Dreamhouse dolls? I've also recently picked up Raquelle, and I love love her unique, sassy face, so I think I'm officially a goner with these ladies! And really, the webisodes are well-worth checking out over at the Barbie website, or on Netflix. Even my husband loves them, but don't tell him I told you...