Barbie You Create Barbie Basics Neutral Kit 002-Unboxed Review

Shipping boxes for Barbie Basics You Create Kits 002 and 001

This is a continuation of my review of the two Barbie You Create Barbie Basics Neutral Kits that I purchased. The link to my review of Kit 001 is at the end of this post. 

The Tango head was attached to the Made to Move Athletic Barbie body that comes with the kit.

As with the other kits in this series, the back of the box and a tri-fold insert inside the box illustrate ways to style the doll.

This photo was taken before the doll and the packaged accessories were removed from the box.

Freed from the confines of the box, Tango posed for the camera after I fluffed out and shaped her auburn and brown curls with my fingers. 

Tango wears a metallic gold puff-sleeve top, a "B" monogrammed wrap skirt, and tan flat ankle strap shoes. 
The contents of the three black envelopes are illustrated next.

The Pazette and Elle sculpts were in the top envelope. Again, I had to work with the hair to make it presentable.

A tan spandex maxi skirt with a faux leather panel and a brown long-sleeved spandex blouse were in the second envelope.

The third envelope included a pair of plastic, white square earrings; several plastic hair clips, a pair of white pointed-toe mules with "B" monogrammed heels, a pair of rectangular white shades, a headband, a gold-tone cuff bracelet, and the base and waist clip of the doll stand. The doll stand pole was attached to the box liner alongside Tango.

I placed the sunglasses and earrings on Tango before swapping this head with the Pazette head.

With the Pazette head on, I removed the white puffed-sleeved top and added the brown spandex top for her to wear with the wrap skirt and shoes. The headband and the earrings were also added.

After getting her hair detangled, Elle tried on the puff-sleeve top with the maxi skirt. All dolls modeled the same tan shoes because, unfortunately, the white "B" monogrammed shoes in this kit do not fit well.

This is how the white mules in Kit 002 fit the dolls in both kits. The Kit 001 foot is on the left; Kit 002 is on the right. It will require an elastic band to hold the shoes on the doll's feet, and even with that, they are prone to falling off Kit 002's shorter foot!

I wanted to see if the shoes in Kit 001 would fit Kit 002 doll's feet. The ankle strap position is off.

So, in both kits. There is only one pair of footwear that will fit these dolls, the boots in Kit 001 and the tan flats in Kit 002. 

This is the back of the tri-fold flyer, which illustrates how to build, style, and pose the doll.

This is the front of the tri-fold flyer.

My Pros and Cons for this Kit mirror those for Kit 001 with some additions.
Pros

• I appreciate the three different head sculpts, one of which (Tango) is not used often on dolls with this complexion.
• I am thrilled that two of the three kits in this collection have brown complexions. Thank you, Mattel.
• I love Tango's natural coils and the color of the hair.
• I like Elle's hairstyle, but... (see the 4th con below).
• Head removal and placement are easy.
• The interchangeability and creativity are pluses.
• The ability to create different looks using this kit with Kit 001 is another plus.
• One pair of shoes fits well.
• The neutral palette is appealing.
• The clothes in this kit are more stylish than those in Kit 001.
• The clothes fit well.
• The headband is more flexible and fits better than the one in Kit 001.
• Although they are plastic, the earrings in this kit have a better design than those in Kit 001, and they fit better without jutting out. 

Cons

• As mentioned and illustrated above, the white mules are not a good fit for Kit 001 or Kit 002.
• The plastic hair clips are useless to me. 
• The cuff bracelet is so oddly shaped with a narrow opening that I could not place it on either kit doll's wrist. So, it's useless, too.
• Elle has layered hair with multiple double-strand twists on top of loose, wavy hair with more twists underneath the wavy section. The twists and the wavy hair were tangled upon arrival. This hair mixture will easily tangle and should only be finger-combed. 
• Pazette's hair is gelled on top (not really a con, but this is worth noting). The ends looked rough, were uneven and required trimming.
• (This is just an observation, but it would be a con if I had purchased Kit 003: the clothes in that kit are frumpy! I'm so glad they were not included in Kits 001 or 002.)
• Creating three complete dolls will require buying three extra bodies that match the complexion of the heads in this kit. 

I didn't do a deep dive into body complexion matching because again, I have no immediate plans to buy more bodies for the extra heads in each kit, but I did compare this body's complexion with two dolls, as illustrated next.

The twinning Elles (the doll from Kit 2 and Barbie Looks Model #2) share the same complexion.

Elle and Barbie Looks #21 share a similar, if not the same, complexion.

Finally, I attached each head to the body and dressed each doll in different combinations of the fashions and accessories and took the following full-length and close-up photos.

Tango, Pazette, and Elle from Kit 002

And here they are in a close-up.

Initially, I thought Tango would be my favorite, and I do love her head sculpt and hair, but there is something about Elle (probably the hair, even though it will tangle easily) that I love more.

Elle is the "it" girl in this kit.

To summarize, do I like both kits? Yes. Would I love for Mattel to produce a line of doll heads and bodies with different complexions, hair styles, and hair textures that can be mixed and matched and each piece sold separately, from which collectors can pick and build dolls of their choice? Absolutely, just make and sell separately packaged heads, bodies, clothes, and accessories.

This style neck connector is used for the Barbie kit dolls.

A better idea is that, going forward, Mattel could use the kit doll neck connector on all future collector dolls so that heads can be easily swapped. I'm always afraid I will damage the traditional-style neck connector (like the one on the right in this image) if I remove a head. The kit dolls' long flat neck connector makes head removal a "snap."

Related Post

Barbie You Create Barbie Basics Neutral Kit 001-Unboxed Review

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Barbie You Create Barbie Basics Neutral Kit 001-Unboxed Review

Shipping boxes for Barbie You Create Kits 001 and 002

I ordered Barbie You Create Neutral Kits 001 and 002. There is so much detail to discuss about both kits that I decided to create a separate blog post for each. 

The Model of the Moment Nichelle head was attached to the Petite Made to Move Barbie body that comes with the kit. 

The back of the box and a tri-fold insert inside the box illustrate ways to style the doll.

This photo was taken before removing the doll and the packaged items.

Immediately detached from the box, Nichelle struck a pose dressed in the presentation ensemble: a “B” monogram top with shoulder tie, a color-block maxi skirt, and white platform shoes.

The contents of the three black envelopes are illustrated above.

The other two heads in this kit are Lara and Mermaid.

A champagne gold babydoll-style halter top and tan faux-leather shorts are the other clothing pieces in this kit.

The accessories shown above include a pair of tan vinyl boots, plastic white earrings, a gold-tone necklace, a headband, four plastic hair clips, and 10 hair elastics. 

Tri-fold flyer (front)

The back of the tri-fold flyer illustrates how to build, style, and pose the doll.

Pros

• I appreciate the three different, not often used heads in this complexion.
• Head removal and placement are easy.
• The interchangeability and creativity are pluses.
• The ability to create different looks using this kit and Kit 002 is another plus.
• The boots are stylish and relatively easy to put on the feet.
• The neutral palette is stylish.

Cons

• The bottoms (skirt and shorts) fit the Petite Made to Move Body loosely.
• The white platform shoes do not fit the Petite Made to Move Body foot without securing them with an elastic, and even with an elastic, the fit is poor. I know Mattel's desire was for the clothing and shoes to fit the body styles included with each kit, but the ill-fitting shoes pose a problem. 
• I had to tug on the boots to remove them.
• The plastic earrings look cheap. 
• I don't really care for the plastic hair clips for these dolls. I did use one to hold Mermaid's hair away from her left eye.
• The headband doesn't fit well; it tends to slide out of position.
• Many collectors are scrambling to find complexion-matched bodies to create three separate dolls because popping heads on and off one body is not ideal.
• Nichelle and Lara's hair ends are uneven.
• Mermaid's stiffly gelled hair covered one eye.

Mermaid's gelled hair hides one eye. She models one of the white plastic earrings.

The ankle strap of the white platform shoe does not properly fit the ankle. Even with bending it down, the strap will not stay in the proper position.

I replaced the white plastic earrings with more realistic gold-tone fashion doll earrings.

Since the shoes do not fit, Mermaid wears the boots with the "B" monogrammed top and faux leather shorts.

L-R: Model of the Moment Nichelle, Lara, and Mermaid wear various fashion pieces and accessories from Neutral Kit 001.

I took separate photos of the heads attached to the body and combined the photos as illustrated above. Initially, I thought Nichelle would be my favorite, but Mermaid is the "it" girl in this kit. This might be because this is my first doll with the Mermaid sculpt.

I don't have an active plan to purchase separate bodies for this kit or for Kit 002, which is a different complexion, but I did try Mermaid's head on two bodies to see if the complexion matched. 

The body in Kit 001 is not a complexion match with the Aliexpress Poppy Parker clone, as illustrated in this photo. (Mermaid wears a white hair clip from the kit to hold her hair away from her left eye.)

The body in Kit 001 is not a complexion match with the Aliexpress Barbie clone, as illustrated in this photo.

My plan is to continue to style the body and the heads separately and look for neutral shoes that fit properly.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Barbie Basics You Create Neutral Kits

The back of the box of Barbie Basics You Create Neutral Kit 001 illustrates the doll, the three extra heads, the clothing, and the accessories that are in this kit.

The Barbie Basics You Create Neutral Kits 001, 002, and 003 include a customizable Barbie in each kit, universal-fit neutral clothing and accessories, one posable body of a different size in each kit, and three extra swappable heads as illustrated below with buy links to Amazon and Target. At the time of this post, the dolls are shown as "currently not available" on Amazon, but the buy pages are active on Target (if you choose to buy from that site). The dolls will be available to non-Barbie 59 Club members on 1/21/2026 at around 7 a.m. PST, but if you're a Barbie 59 Club member, they can be ordered now (1/20/2026) at MattelCreations.com. Kit prices are $50.99 (Target) and $54 (Mattel Creations).

Amazon Buy Links (to use when the dolls become available on this site):

Kit 1: https://amzn.to/45kzN6X

Kit 2: https://amzn.to/4t7Cpzp

Kit 3: https://amzn.to/4bHSRjk 

Target Links:

Kit 001: https://www.target.com/p/barbie-you-create---01-fashion-doll/-/A-94760198

Kit 002: https://www.target.com/p/barbie-you-create---02-fashion-doll/-/A-94760172

Kit 003: https://www.target.com/p/barbie-you-create-03-fashion-doll/-/A-1003836411?fbclid=IwY2xjawPcrlVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF5YnNpUDZuWXN6bXhHZ2dZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHi3C1jeeKb3YyQdbdGPykpSeCvFA5_FfxKh7yc9rJF_o9PUpzNx7drwP1vUp_aem_rvF5jjZoEV_CAMXgnQ8WWA

Kit Photos (from the Internet):

Kit 001: Model of the Moment Nichelle, Mermaid, and Lara are the head sculpts used in this kit. The body type is Made to Move Tall. The skin tone matches Barbie Basics 2026 Series Petite Doll (JJX27)

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Kit 002: Tango, Elle, and Pazette are the head sculpts used in this kit. The body type is Made to Move Athletic. The skin tone matches Barbie Basics 2026 Series Curvy Doll (JJX28)

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Kit 003: Fryda, Millie, and Olivia are the head sculpts in this. The body is Curvy. The skin tone matches Barbie Basics 2026 Series Original Doll (JJX25).

_________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Barbie Kit Dolls Redressed and New Supermodel Dolls

White dresses for 12.6-inch dolls

A few months ago, I ordered white dresses with a plan to redress my Barbie You Create Kit #3 Dolls or my Xian Xian dolls. I finally redressed the Barbie kit dolls a couple of weeks ago.

Barbie You Create Kit #3 Dolls redressed

The Barbie divas are seen in a full-length photo.

Note that the full-length dresses cover the dolls' feet. This is because the dresses are designed to fit taller dolls that are even taller than the "Tall" Barbie in the middle.

The Barbie kit dolls were redressed before I became aware of and ordered a trio of new  2025 12.6-inch European (Supermodel) dolls from China.

This is how the China dolls were shipped.

The China fashion dolls arrived wrapped in bubble wrap inside a thin plastic mailer. (Their method of shipping the dolls always horrifies me, but I take a chance because of the price. At the time I ordered these, they were $6.32 each. Their method of shipping is the reason I never mention the site's name on my blog.) 

I took additional full-length and close-up photos after each layer of plastic was removed from the dolls.

Underneath the bubble wrap, each doll was inside a thin plastic bag.

The heads and hair were protected with another thin piece of plastic as illustrated here and in the next close-up photo.

Close-up of the head/hair plastic protection; the plastic covered their faces and the full length of their hair.

All of the plastic is removed in this photo and in the next close-up photo.

These articulated dolls are prettier in person than their online photos illustrate.

Their faces are quite pretty. I'm not enthused over the coral lip color, but it's better than pink. Other collectors have compared these dolls to Poppy Parker by Integrity Toys. There were six brown-skinned dolls available with a choice of light or dark brown, or blonde hair in slightly wavy and straight styles. I chose two with slightly wavy hair (light brown and dark brown) and one with straight blonde hair. 

The extra articulation extends to the elbows, underneath the breasts (which provides only slight movement), the wrists, and the knees. The ankles are not jointed. 

After their July 4th arrival, I redressed the new girls in the white dresses the Barbie kit dolls had worn. 

Supermodels in white dresses

Supermodels in white dresses striking poses

A final close-up together

The dolls were photographed with the Barbie You Create Kit dolls to illustrate the height differences.

The curvy-bodied Barbie and the tall-bodied Barbie are much shorter than the supermodel.

These two supermodels tower over the petite-bodied Barbie kit doll.

Because of their 12.6-inch height, the full-length dresses do not cover the supermodels' feet, which gives a better overall appearance. I have since ordered more fashions to mix and match between these dolls and other fashion dolls. Why? Because a woman/doll can never have enough clothing (or shoe) options. 

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

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