Customer Reviews

Atlanta 1996 Olympic Gymnast Barbie

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This was my favorite Barbie doll when I was a kid because of the unusual flexibility - most Barbies only have joints at the shoulders, where the legs meet the trunk, and they can bend slightly at the knees, but this Barbie is so great because not only is her waist extremely flexible, but her elbows and knees actually bend easily at ninety-degree angles. This made her much more fun to play with than other Barbies because she could do more.

Remembering that old Barbie from my childhood, I went in search of a new one and was very pleased with the result.

There are a couple of small problems - one, it's a pretty old version of Barbie, so when I took her out of the box, her hair tie disintegrated and she has a deep permanent kink in her hair where the ponytail was.

Also, this older model has a bigger bust than modern Barbies, so I've been having trouble changing her outfits. I experimentally bought a set of Ken clothes for her - she actually looks cute in them. The long-sleeved shirt fits fairly well, the visor does a reasonable job of hiding her hair issue, and the outfit looks cute with the leg warmers and tennis shoes she came with (she's flat-footed, btw; she won't be able to wear high heels like most Barbies can). The problem is that the shorts are way too loose around the waist, so I'm hoping to be able to find a skirt for her (preferably without having to buy a whole 'nother Barbie).

Anyway, those are some minor issues, overall it's a very good toy. She came with several accessories, such as long ribbons to fasten around her wrist, a gym bag, a gold medal, a brush, and sort of ring that you can attach to her waist, hold on to, and allow her to do flips and somersaults and such.

I have recently seen some fashion model Barbie dolls that also seem to have similar flexibility, but for some reason their knees are oddly tapered at the joints, whereas the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Gymnast Barbie has more natural-looking knee joints.

I am very pleased with this product, and would recommend it to anyone who likes playing with Barbie dolls.