Customer Reviews

Barbie Happy Family ALAN & RYAN AA Dolls - Dad & Son Ethnic Set (2002)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My nine year old daughter had to have the "Happy Family" set and
she enjoys playing with them very much. She has Midge(sold separately) who can be transformed from pregnant to new mommy by taking off her magnetic "belly" and removing the adorable newborn baby girl. Alan is handsome with his plastered-down hair do and Ryan is a cute little boy with a Tommy-like face. The stroller can lay back so Ryan can nap. I think a better idea would have been to include a double stroller instead of a single so the new baby can ride in it too since the family is supposed to be a set. It reminds me of the Sunshine Family I had (and still have)when I was a child back in the 70's. My daughter got Alan and Ryan, Midge and baby, and the Happy Family nursery set for Christmas and she plays with it every day. I hope Mattel continues to make accessories for this line (despite the "controversy" over Midge's visible pregnancy) for those of us
who carefully and thoughtfully choose toys for our children and believe that these characters promote family values.
Bravo, Mattel.

SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT? SO MIDGE IS GOING TO HAVE A BABY HOW WONDERFUL! MY GRANDCHILD'S BABY BROTHER WAS JUST BORN LAST WEEK,AND I JUST CAME BACK FROM GREENVILLE MISSI. ... AND I SURE AM GLAD I GOT THE WHOLE SET INCLUDING DOC.BARBIE MY SAVANNA WAS SO EXCITED SHE HAS'NT STOPPED PLAYING WITH THEM SINCE I GAVE THEM TO HER.I LIKED THEM SO MUCH I GOT ME A SET TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION.IT WAS SO MUCH FUN WATCHING HER PLAY,AND SHE DON'T ASK WHERE BABIES COME FROM ANY MORE,YOU KNOW KIDS ARE ALOT SMARTER THESE DAYS AND THESE TOYS SURE DID MAKE IT ALOT EASER IN OUR HOME.I WAS TOLD AT [a local store] IN GREENVILLE THAT MICHIGAN IS PULLING THEM FROM THERE SHELVES,BUT THAT THERE DIST.MANGER SAID NOT DOWN SOUTH THERE A HOT ITEM HERE. IT'S A DARN SHAME IF THEY DO PULL THEM...ALL I CAN SAY IS THERE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE...AND I SURE AM GLAD I GOT MINE!

I'm glad they have a toy out that promotes the relationship between father and son. I'm glad the African American version has pretty authentic looking rooted hair. The stroller's pretty durable under adverage stress, destructive children may easily destroy it. The accessories (like the camera) are easier to handle than some itty bitty accessories and proably won't be lost as easily as the baby things in the Midge/baby set. The dolls have survived some rough play, so I think it's a good durable set, more so than Midge/Baby overall.

The only problem I have is that mattle doesn't make an AFRICAN AMERICAN family album to match it's AFRICAN AMERICAN line of this 'Happy Family' set. I have the African American Ryan, Alan, Midge, Baby, and Doctor (hoping to catch the grandparents on sale after the holidays) and the 'Happy Family' album that comes with them shows the caucasian family. I have no problem with the white dolls, I make it a practice to have a diverse set of dolls to represent the world, but the purpose of getting the african-american happy family was to make it look more like ours and it would be nice if I wasn't stuck with the caucasian image every time I added to the 'Happy Family' (with certain playsets for example). It would be nice if a child's album that comes with the doll matched her (or his) doll set.

I am an avid collector of Barbie Dolls, but I lean towards the more exotic and collector Barbies. However, while browsing for new additions to my collection, I came across the Happy Family set, and all the controversy surrounding it. I personally think that The Happy Family set is a wonderful idea, I remember having a set as a child myself made by Mattel back around 1985 that consisted of a Husband, Wife, and their two toddler children. They also had their own car which was constructed to safely accomodate both children IN their own child safety seats within the car. Nice tip of the hat to child safety. All one has to do is a little research and see that it isn't the first time Mattel has manufactured a "Family" set. I wish I could remember their exact names. Anyway, I think the whole point here that makes the set excellent is the "Happy" aspect; so many families these days are ridden with misery and strife, that when you see a nice, respectable "picture" of a well-put together family, some people just get all upset. What's wrong with Midge being pregnant? She's obviously married to Alan, and they already have a previous child together. They both obviously sport mutual wedding rings. And a new baby arriving into an already established, happy, stable marriage, what a blessing! I think this is a excellent toy, a great focus for an educational talk, and a great addition to any little girl's Barbie collection. I do however recommed that the dolls be bought together as a "set" along with the babies bedroom. All of these toys combined provide a useful educational tool that parents can use to show just how much of a REAL, lifetime commitment that having a baby involves. Perhaps some of these little girls who own these sets, and receive additional educational guidance from their parents, might not end up in that all too high percentage of the population of teenage mothers. Midge is obviously an adult, and it is the adults who should be having the babies, not the teenagers. Having and caring for children isn't easy, and this set is an excellent model to further prove that point and also to show the "right" way one should go about starting a family. Congratulations Mattel on the latest addition to the "Family"! :)

i love this entire set. even though alan might be freaky lookin'. it's about time matel put something truly realistic out there. but i don't understand why stores are pulling something from their shelves that's so great. hey, we can't all be fashion models or olympic gymnasts, but most of us can get married and have kids. people don't argue about kelly, no one asked how she came, but when they show it, people revolt. hello, what is your problem people? i mean, just think how old barbie's parents are, and they're STILL having kids! i think that matel is finally getting the picture, and i hope they add more to the happy family series.

It is a great toy along with Midge to explain to a child the wonders of having a new baby in the family! Thank you mattel for making such a wonderful product!

THE ALAN AND RYAN HAPPY FAMILY TOY IS VERY FUN AND EDUCATIONAL. IT SHOWS ALAN SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH RYAN. BUT THE DOWN SIDES OF THIS TOY IS THE STROLLER. IF YOU TAKE THE RUBBERBAND OFF THE SEAT FALLS ALL THE TIME, THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE THE STROLLER ABLE TO COLLAPSE SO YOU CAN PUT IT IN THE TRUCK, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE A DOUBLE STROLLER FOR THE BABY AND RYAN. AND ANOTHER THING IS YOU HAVE TO BUY EVERYTHING SEPERATE AND MIDGE AND ALAN JUST HAD ANOTHER BABY SO THEY NEED A BIGGER CAR AND THE BABY SHOULD COME WITH AT LEAST 1 CHANGE OF CLOTHES

These dolls are oh so cute my 9 yr old had to have them she has 2 sets one to look at and 1 to play with the dolls are quite educational and i dont see what the big fuss is all about children in time will want to know where babies come from... the doll is married so whats the big deal thanks

This toy is almost, ALMOST self-explanatory. I rated it 5 stars fun because it is just, SO FUN! Educational value would be 5 stars, because it shows how father and son relate, just by matching outfits. Here is the problem. The durability would be 4 stars, because the Alan doll has poseable arms, and Ryan's stroller is so removable! I dropped it one star because it is very good, but two days after I got it, one arm snapped off the Alan. Poseable arms are a bit diffucult to control. But besides that, together I rate this 14 out of 15 stars.

I love this toy. It shows how things should be. I'd like people to note the wedding band on his finger. Who wouldnt respect this toy. It shows a man spending time with this his child...With the accesories that come and a growing imagination its wonderful