Mattel Reviews

Even though he's roughly five times shorter than his gorgeous companion, this iteration of Sponge Bob Squarepants is cool enough to steal the bikini-clad bombshell's thunder. Barbie dons typical beach fare: a cute, cropped tee, boy-shorts, and a (cardboard) surfboard. Sponge Bob's ensemble, however, is no more than his "square pants" and a toggling wave board he balances on to impress the ladies … it also makes him an inch taller. --Diane Beall

With every hair in place, Ken as Swan Lake's Prince Daniel, is dressed regally in a glimmering silver tunic, a flowing cape, and roomy trousers stuffed into high black "leather" boots and a broad Tudor crown rests on his tufts of curly black hair. Odette, Swan Lake's enchanting and enchanted princess, has never looked less like a water from her tiara-topped curls down through her ballet slippers. Her gown, designed with a nod to the famous ballet, is the prettiest a doll could own. It's pink and blue with several sheer layers of skirt and feathery tendrils of fabric that adorn the waist. Barbie also has an ornate, corseted bodice and jeweled choker, but the real showstopper is undoubtedly the glittering plastic wings that light up and flap when the two buttons on the doll's back are pressed. --Diane Beall