Family movie night? There's an app for that
Download our new mobile app on iOS and Android.
Barbie Fashion Design Maker
By Amanda Bindel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
One outfit, many fabrics available in limited toy tie-in.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Barbie Fashion Design Maker
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
Starting with a white tank top and white skirt, kids change colors or patterns of the pieces by dragging colors into place from the sidebar. They can take pictures of items to create their own patterns and add accessories such as vests, collars, and belts as well as text and bling. They can choose different designs for the back and front and save the designs to their portfolios, earning different badges. Kids who have the Barbie Fashion Design Maker toy then can print their designs onto the special fabric for their Barbies to wear.
Is It Any Good?
BARBIE FASHION DESIGN MAKER is very limited compared to other design apps, but that's simply because it's designed to match up with the printable outfit available with the toy. The options for patterns, colors, and accessories -- and the option to create your own pattern -- allow for a surprising number of fun design options, but there's no way to remove the pink necklace Barbie is wearing. Diversity is not limited to the outfit choice; although kids have the option of choosing a white or an African-America Barbie, the two look exactly alike, shape and feature-wise, with only differently colored skin, eyes, and hair.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the one outfit option and the one body type featured. How do different colors, patterns, and accessories improve the looks and variety of the outfits? Though only one hairstyle, body, and face (in two skin shades) are featured, how do differences in people's looks and abilities make the world more interesting?
Sit with little designers and help them draw their own outfit designs on paper, cut them out with paper-doll tabs, and have kids color and create their own designs to tape onto pictures of themselves or pictures from magazines.
App Details
- Devices: iPad , Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading : vocabulary, Hobbies : fashion
- Skills: Creativity : imagination, making new creations
- Pricing structure: Free (The app is designed to pair with the Barbie Fashion Design toy that retails for $49.99 and allows kids to print onto special fabric the designs they create with the app.)
- Release date: July 23, 2014
- Category: Entertainment
- Topics: Arts and Dance
- Publisher: Mattel, Inc.
- Version: 1.1
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 6.0 or later; Android 4.0 and up
- Last updated: July 8, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Download
Our Editors Recommend
Best Creative Apps
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate