Barbie Charms bringing me back to my childhood!

Barbie Charm Besties

Brand: Mattel

Price: 300 yen

Place of purchase: Maruhiro

Rating:

Barbie Charm Besties was easily my favorite discovery at the Maruhiro pop‑up capsule store. I was so surprised to see the range and delighted that it was one of the cheaper ones at just 300 yen per capsule. I bought two - one for each daughter that was with me at the time. Because it was a pop-up store with the capsules not in machines, but visible in baskets, they were able to choose which one they wanted. We could see entirely what ones were contained in the capsule, but we could see the hair color. One daughter chose a blonde hair figure; another chose a pink haired figure. The series includes nine characters, and we were lucky enough to get Barbie 02 and Daisy The ball chain makes it easy to attach to a bag or pouch. As a collectible, it hits that perfect mix of nostalgia and modern capsule‑toy charm. It’s small, sturdy, and full of character.

The display at the basket in the pop-up show showed Barbie 02 holding a heart shape, but the Barbie 02 we got didn't have that heart shape. It does say on the insert that comes in the capsules that the figure you get may not match the image of the promotion material. It was only a small thing, but it is a pity that our Barbie 02 doesn't have the heart - that would have been the icing on the cake, so to speak. The other thing that is a slight shame is that the figures don't stand alone easily. The figure can stand on its own, but it’s definitely a balancing act - the proportions make it a little top‑heavy, so getting her to stand upright takes patience and a very flat surface. For collectors who like to display their capsule toys, this might be a minor frustration. It’s not a deal‑breaker, especially since most people will attach it to a bag or keep it as a charm, but it’s something to keep in mind if you enjoy lining up your figures for photos.