Customer Reviews

Lord of the Rings Barbie and Ken as Arwen and Aragorn

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I always wanted to start a Barbie collection, but as a broke college student it is hard to make myself spend money on a doll. However, I am a huge fan of the book and movie so when I saw these, I had to get them. I know they don't look like Liv or Viggo, but I was glad that they didn't. The whole point of having a barbie doll dressed like a character is that it looks like barbie dressed as that character. Other wise it is just a Arwen or Aragorn doll made by Mattel. The costumes look like the ones from the movie. Barbie even has pointy elf ears and Ken has a sword!

Let me start saying that I have loved LOTR for nearly 2 decades now. I was in elementary school when I first read the Tolkien novels and have re read them several times since. I've also studied the novels in depth, reading as much about them as I can. That being said I can honestly say there is nothing wrong with this toy. Barbie looks like Barbie and Ken looks like Ken. That's what they are supposed to look like. It is what they are advertised as (Barbie as Arwen and Ken as Aragorn). No false advertising there. The costumes are nice and somewhat based on the Peter Jackson films. They are actually quite pretty. The figures DON't look like Live Tyler and Viggo Mortgensen. I don't believe they were meant to look like these actors. As far as looking like Arwen and Aragorn, who says they don't? No one knows what Arwen looks like nor what Aragorn looks like. THey are not real people, just fictional characters. The beauty of fictional characters is that when you read the novels they can look like anybody you imagine. That's the great thing about reading, and what makes a good novel is how well it stimulates your imagination. Arwen looks very different to me than to my husband, and that's the way it should be. Now that the movies are out, many people will automatically picture the actors when reading the book, which is a great loss. Don't get me wrong, I like the movies, but it's a mistake to think that they are the true Lord of the Rings because they are not. They are someone's vision of what Tolkien wrote. The same can be said of these Barbie figures. They are beautiful in their own right, but to expect them to meet some sort of personal standard of Tolkienness is a mistake. Appreciate them for what they are, and don't expect them to be what they are not. They are a nice toy, great for people who like collecting Barbie, beautiful dolls. Recommended for adult collectors (too delicate for kids to keep in good condition for long).

I'm shocked that these dolls have caused some controversy here. I think they're beautiful. There have been numerous dolls based upon great movies such as Gone With The Wind and Star Wars. To the people who say Barbie and Ken don't look like the characters, as someone else here mentioned, the dolls are supposed to still look like Barbie and Ken. Barbie looks gorgeous and the Ken doll is the handsomest one I've ever seen. I think most Ken dolls look lame but this one is wonderful. The clothes are just amazing. I have the dolls displayed in my home and I love looking at them!

If I were a real hobbit, I'd think this set would be a perfectly fun "mathom" (trinket) to receive on my birthday - and proceed to give someone else on their birthday. I think the fact that Tolkien created the fun-loving race of hobbits is proof that he wouldn't have minded people having a bit of fun with his characters, and maybe there are some Barbie collectors out there who are Tolkien fans too, so why not make something especially for them? The one thing I wonder about - are Barbie/Arwen's ears pointed? Some customers might be disappointed if they aren't.

Like most people who grew up on Tolkien, I have longed for Aragorn and Arwen fashion dolls, and now eagerly await the other sets: Faramir and Eowyn, Beren and Luthien, and, of course, Gimli and Legolas. But I'm disappointed in the quality of the dolls' clothing. I expected them to be garbed in elven cloaks that had the hue and beauty of all things under the twilight of Lorien, but instead there's this velour stuff. (Or I assume it's velour. Like royal guard elite, below, I was unable to decipher the runes to open the package.)

Overall these are less true-to-life than the other dolls in Mattel's Iconoclasm Series: The Mother Theresa Barbie and the Mahatma Ghandi Ken come to mind as exceptionally fine examples.

As a LOTRs fan and a Barbie Collector, this is a MUST!! I mean this is THE BEST Barbie and Ken set they have ever put out. Oh, moan, what I would not have given to have THIS Aragon Ken instead of that felt-headed one we had!!

I thought they could not outdo the ROmance Book Set they did earlier this year, but WOW they did. The Costumes are stunning. Arwen is so beautiful in her peridot coloured gown. Gorgeous little elven ears keep through the long hard hard. The gown has full, long medieval sleeves and she alone would be one of the best Barbies. But Aragon/Ken is stunning. His breastplate, chain and sword are so details and the face!!!! he looks so like Viggo rather than Ken. Matel did right by Lord of the Rings with this set.

So is a much for Rings Collections and a must for Barbie collections.

Would give it 10 stars if I could

Up front I am not a Barbie doll collector although I love dolls and am very picky when it comes to the detail in doll costuming. Also, I am a huge Lord of the Rings and Tolkien fan. It took me a while to decide whether to purchase these because they could have been very cheesy. Even the top LOTR online site relunctantly showed a beautiful picture of these dolls..but doll collectors showed a different version not so breathtaking. We were warned that special hand sewn Barbies are made for "photo" shoots that present dolls in a much better light than the actual retail product. Sounds like the "airbrushed model" syndrome to me. But the Spirit of Christmas took over since my daughter exclaimed that Barbie Arwen and Ken Aragorn would be a fun set to have! The $59.98 price for the pair even gave me pause to buy since that seemed to be too cheap for a quality set. But I pushed the buy button anyway and here we are proud owners of the LOTR collector set and they are wonderful!!...rich in careful beautifully done detail. What a relief!! I have not seen the expensive Barbies in person so cannot not imagine what they must be like since this set is quite stunning. I endorse highly what has already been very well said in the 5 star reviews before me. Well done Mattel and New Line Cinema!!
Note: Since we do not intend to play with these dolls the durability part was given 5 stars since the box was well done and should hold up for our purposes nicely.

When I saw this online I was soo excited! Though I am a modest and albeit picky Barbie collector, I am a huge LOTR fan! and was near drooling over this. Thankfully I received it as a Christmas gift and was BLOWN away by the beauty of both their dress! The online pictures DO NOT DO THEM JUSTICE and Arwen is just beautiful in her velour (or is it velvet?) gown!! I wish I could take her out just to touch her beautiful dress and see her gorgeous long hair, but this one is a definite KEEPER (in the box that is!) ...Aragorn couldn't be any better depicted than any other movie character Mattel has tried to imitate, especially with the Ken dolls. I'm not a Ken doll collector in any way..but am so pleased with this 'Ken' that I wouldn't have it any other way! His 'chain maille armour' is just fabulous and his beautiful two-toned cloak is the same material as Arwen's dress! Just stunning!! This is certainly a MUST HAVE for any LOTR or BARBIE fan!! and well worth the price. My 10 yr. old neighbor saw this and though she says she 'doesn't like Barbie's anymore', she got so excited over this set and is now begging her mom to have one for herself! I normally display my barbies sporadically in my bedroom (what grown woman keeps barbies in the living room??!!)..however this set will sit PROUDLY upon my computer desk where I can stare at it incessantly!!

I have well over 50 collectible Barbies... and this set is one of the best Mattel has ever put out. Aragon is quite a very handsome companion to Arwen... I would have spent the $60 just for Arwen alone... and I have, on others I consider of far lesser quality than these. Mattel did both these Tolkien characters justice... An absolutely beautiful LOTR collector set. Buy it... you won't be disappointed.

This is rather sad. Think about it. The Lord of the Rings epic is rated some of the best movies ever made and Mattel Co. had to go and make a mockery of it! Aragorn doll isn't that bad, but it isn't a twin to the character. Arwen is pure nonsense! It doesn't even look ANYTHING like Arwen. It looks like a brunette Barbie! I have seen many other barbies modeled after characters and I think that Mattel could have done a better job. What they did is just sad.