Customer Reviews

Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses: Magical Dance Castle

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I was lucky to find this castle on sale for 29.99. I don't think that I would have paid 79.99. However, the look on my daughter's face when she opened it was priceless. The assembly is not hard, but not much fun. I would recommend putting it together before Christmas and putting a bow on it, so your little princess can play right away.

My daughter's favorite part is the music and turning dance circle. Even though the castle is two-sided the only part in the castle that my daughter has played with is the dance circle. My daughter has played with the expandable bed more than anything. If the castle didn't play music I don't think my daughter would even play with it. I am glad I got this, but it really is not that well made.

I did get this on sale, but not at this price, but it still may be overpriced. IT IS NOT VERY WELL MADE. The plastic is extremelly thin and when clipping pieces together they do not snap well. I actually broke two of the connections putting it together the first time. If you have thoughts of folding this down to store it, forget it. Put it together, find a spot to let the oversized dinosour live and hope your child plays with it.

My daughter wanted this, so of course, we got it. To be honest, she has enjoyed it. She doesn't mid that the stairs keep falling off and the door pops off the hinge every third time it opens. She has plenty of dolls to use in the castle (none are included).

As a parent and for the money I had much higher expectations for this toy. It is really big and takes up much floor space if you want to play on both sides of the castle. I need to aslo repeat that it is not very well made. There are better choices.

I have been very critical of Barbie toys, and my reviews reflect my dissapointments. I would have rated this with 5 stars but the quality of the parts is sub-par.

That said, I have found that my daughters have enjoyed the toy primarily because they rely on their imagination. The components all work and the battery requirement is light.... which is a tremendous improvement from other barbie toys.

This is the first and only online review I've ever been inclined to write. I gave this Castle to my daughter for her fifth birthday after she begged me to buy it for her. That was yesterday morning. She loved it - but half a day later and the support beam has snapped off (broken and not repairable) and the staircase came off and the thing could no longer stand on its own. My daughter is generally not rough on her toys. When will I ever learn that most toys by Matel are of such cheap quality?! DO NOT BUY THIS JUNK!

The Magical Dance Castle is very attractive and my daughters enjoy
playing with it. However, it is cheaply made and does not appear that
it will last long. Also, the design is for it to be placed in the
middle of a room for access to all sides, but this takes up a large
amount of space and unless you have a huge room dedicated for the castle
you have to continually set it up at take it down. You cannot place it
against a wall for use without closing up half of the set and making it
useless. This significantly cuts down on the usefulness of the castle.
It would have been better designed with more sturdy supports and
detachable sections so that it could be used in different settings such
as in the middle of a room, or against a wall (where it could not only
serve as a children's toy, but also as a room decoration when not in
use).

I paid $30 for this around Christmas, and even that amount of money seems too much. I had to buy a huge plastic bin to put the ka-jillion pieces in when it is not being played with. It's a not a very sturdy construction. But my daughter loves it and spends many hours in make-believe land, so that part, at least, was worth the money.

WOW! This was the hit at our house this Christmas!! The castle was easy to put together, stays together and our daughter loves it! The beds are a little cumbersome, only because they slide out (like a trundle), but they also detach from one another easily when you pick them up. Overall, we're very satisfied with our purchase.

This item is so cheaply made that even my four year old, who loves Barbie and all things Dancing Princess, wasn't sorry to see it go back to the store. The plastic is flimsy and the accessories are very poorly constructed. We bought it because we liked the idea of two sides, giving both our daughters a side to play on, but the construction was so awkward that it didn't fold open all the way nor would it close properly. It just seemed so cheap, even by today's kid toy standards. Very disappointing, but at least now I know that the Playmobil prices are well worth it.

I bought this for [...] and wouldn't pay [...] It's realistically worth the [...] that it is on sale for now. My 6 1/2 year old daughter absolutely loves it. Nothing broke when I set it up. It does take about 30 minutes, and the instructions are only pictures, but I understood them. It's a little flimsy, but we haven't had any problems with it. I would definitely buy it for [...]!

Mattel, you suck! According to Mattel, the product design and specifications are done in the U.S., which then gets sent to their overseas production. Not only is the QUALITY of materials and DURABILITY crappy, but the design and specifications for HOW the parts are supposed to work and fit together junk.

I would imagine that Mattel has to approve the design/fit/quality/etc. before mass production, so for the life of me, I cannot understand how they think this 'castle' meets the high standard of quality they claim to have. It is wobbly, many pieces fit too loosely together; like the headrails on the smaller beds that don't properly stay raised when you pull the up. In addition, it also lacks aesthetic charm. Sure, it's pink and somewhat princessy and the box gives you the illusion you're getting something nice, but aside from the cardboard mural that has the dancing pavilion and a bedroom scene on the other side--there's no other decoration. At the very least they could have included some stickers to simulate art on the walls or furniture or SOMETHING since the interior wall is so bare.

Overall, I've just noticed that with every new Barbie line, Mattel cuts one corner after another just to keep their shareholders happy. And since these "money-savers" are supposed to be subtle, people probably won't squak too much (insert big eye roll there). Even with their newest line, ISLAND PRINCESS, the dolls look cheaper, are slightly smaller in size (saves plastic and $$$, you know) and even the shoes aren't a proper fit anymore.

Well, Mattel you are probably right in thinking the average consumer won't notice too much and since no one else makes Barbie, it's take it or leave it and goodness knows we all 'take it'.

I for one notice and it's rubbish. I won't say I will never buy another Barbie product, however I will say I am most disappointed with Barbie and Mattel and right now, that greatly influences which brand of toys I will be buying in the near future--specifically this holiday season. I seriously doubt many if not all will be a Mattel product.

At least I didn't pay full price for this item, it was clearanced (under fourty dollars) at Toys 'R Us, if it wasn't for it being marked down, I wouldn't have bought it at all.