I participated in an In-Home Party Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mattel. I received product samples to facilitate my party and a promotional item to thank me for participating.
When I was a little girl, I had no other girls to play with. I had three brothers. Almost all of my cousins were boys – the ones that weren’t were way older than me. The kids that lived on my street were pretty much all boys. I could get my brothers to play Barbies with me every once in awhile, if I let He-Man or G.I. Joe come hang out and drive her pink Mustang convertible, but that was about it. So, now that I have a little girl of my own, who loves to play with dolls, I’m totally living it up. Which is why I was super excited for this new movie to come out – Barbie and the Secret Door.
Have you heard of this one yet? It’s a new movie featuring Barbie and her friends, and it kind of rocks. Barbie stars as Princess Alexa, a super shy princess who is totally unsure of herself and her abilities. I love so many things about this movie. First example: She loves to read, and her books are about things like a princess slaying the dragon herself, not waiting for a prince to come do it for her. Here’s a clip, if you haven’t seen previews yet…
A few more favorite parts… When Alexa’s friend asks, “What’s a boy?” :) Because unlike a lot of fairy/princess type movies, they don’t NEED boys to save them here. {Although, yes, of course I’m a huge fan of traditional Disney princess movies. But still. This was a nice contrast.} I love that as Alexa realizes what she’s capable of, she gains confidence. I like how the film teaches that being too greedy {like the bad princess, who “wants it all”} can have bad consequences. Lots of good messages, while also being filled with everything little girls love – sparkles, magic, princesses, unicorns, and saving the day. <3
Abby had already seen lots of previews for the movie, so she was totally excited to get to invite her friends over to watch it, and play with some awesome new dolls and toys. There are so many fun movie-related items you can pick up – our party package was filled with the Princess Alexa doll that lights up and sings, all of her friends, and some awesome coloring and activity books that kept the girls busy all day. I also went out and bought the transforming dolls too – and am totally impressed with fairy doll with wings that pop up at the push of a button! Check out a little more in this video we made…
So fun, right? I love the quality of the dolls, love the storyline of the movie, and love all of the related accessories. {The big pink unicorn is next on my “to-buy” list.} And, you can also watch our other video, with Abby saving the day as we play out the movie with our dolls :) The other girls loved them too…
Now, when we were kids, having a birthday, event, sleepover, whatever – was pretty darn easy. Our moms just invited some friends, offered up some snacks, and we were good to go. But these days, in the age of Pinterest, it’s easy to feel like you have to go over the top anytime you put together a party. I do love to get creative and sometimes get kind of extreme when I host things… But there are also days where I just don’t have the time. And you know what? The kids have a blast anyway :) Here are a few ideas to host a super fun, super easy, Barbie and the Secret Door party for the little girls in your life:
- The movie and toys. Obviously. You can pick up the movie on Amazon – Barbie and The Secret Door
. You can also order most of the characters from the movie there too – Barbie and the Secret Door toys
. There’s also a pretty great selection in stores. I’ve seen a ton at both Walmart and Target.
- Dress up gear. If you have a little girl, I’m betting you’ve got a lot of this already. You can see in the background that I simply pulled out one of our dining room chairs, and draped it with princess dresses, tiaras, and other fun accessories. The girls loved dressing up like the characters after watching the movie! {Bonus that I had two sets of fairy wings, AND a mermaid costume already on hand.}
- Coloring and activity books. You can see in the first photo on this post that there are loads of fun books to match the movie. I also stocked up on some packages of stickers, extra markers, and lots of drawing pads. It’s amazing how much giggling some little girls can have just creating something on paper. Love it.
- Barbie May I? We play a version of this game all.the.time. Do you remember playing “Mother May I?” as a kid? If not, it’s a pretty simple game – One person {usually an adult} is designated as the mother. The other kids all line up, side by side, across the room or yard. Then the “mother” calls out commands to each kiddo, one by one. Something like, “Abby, take 5 ballerina twirls.” She then has to say, “Mother May I?” before taking the steps. If she just does the twirls – she has to go back to the beginning. But in this game, we played, “Barbie May I?” and themed all of the steps to the movie. Things like fairy leaps, unicorn steps, princess spins, etc. Lots of fun.
And since Abby and her friends were having a sleepover, her new Barbies had to have a sleepover too :) Here they are, with both doll beds pushed together, for their own sleepover fun. So cute :) 
Learn more about the movie, and where to purchase the DVD and awesome toys, by visiting the Barbie and the Secret Door website. And – let’s chat – are you a Barbie fan? Have you seen the movie yet? Are you planning on it? Leave some comments below. I love hearing from you guys!
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