All My Favorite Dolls: Secret Spells

      In 2003, Mattel released a line of Barbie dolls which coincided with Halloween, but weren't exactly Halloween related. They were called Secret Spells Barbie or Charm Girls and consisted of three dolls, Barbie, Kayla and Christie. The promos for the dolls read:

Secret Spells™ Barbie® Doll And Friends AKA Charm Girls
Barbie® doll and her friends Christie® and Kayla® are regular high school girls that have special powers! The dolls have a fashion transformation that turns each of them into an enchantress. Girls can help Barbie® doll and her friends create "magical" mixes for love, luck, or happiness. They can actually drink the magical mixes, too!

   I thought the dolls were GORGEOUS and bought all three of them (of course!). Kayla is my favorite as she has this mysterious look about her. All of the dolls came with spell books and "cauldrons" as well as potion bottles and a drink which could be made up out of a "magic potion".

   In looking up info on the dolls online, I've come across a couple of articles condemning these dolls for promoting witchcraft to little girls. These dolls are fantasy, nothing more. They are make-believe, just like the princess and mermaid dolls. They are a way for a little girl to act out being witchy or believing in magic, but are not a gateway to becoming a witch. To me, this is right up there with the claims of Barbie making little girls anorexic or uncomfortable with their bodies. I am a plus sized woman who has loved Barbie since I was a plus sized girl and never felt like I needed to look like Barbie to be beautiful. Maybe I realized she was make believe and it had nothing to do with me. I don't know. I've just never understood that claim.

Anyways, these dolls are some of my favorite dolls (I do have a thing for witches after all!) and I'm glad Mattel put them out. Here they are in all of their glory.