Princess plug

And now I am going to attempt to convince you that not only is Barbie not the epitome of evil, but that she might actually be a paragon of virtue!

Well, in certain instances, anyway.

The girls got a new cd player from St. Nicholas this morning, and promptly popped in their cd from Barbie's The Princess and The Pauper. Now, obviously, this tale comes nowhere near to Mark Twain's original. The title alone should give you a clue.

However, this movie is surprisingly wholesome. The girls are modestly dressed, and demonstrate courage in the face of adversity, fortitude in their desire to do what is right, and love of the good. Even the soundtrack is bearable. Especially when one of the songs has these lyrics:

There's more to living than gloves and gowns and hems and seams.

and:

I could take flight,
but would it but right?
My conscience tells me stay.

and:

I'll remain forever royal,
I'll repay my parents' debt.
Duty means doing the things your heart may well regret.


And, while trapped in the mine, Princess Anneliese picks up what looks like a rock and tells her tutor Julian that he may look like a common stone on the outside, yet, (as she opens the stone to reveal the jewels inside) he holds a treasure within.

And there are many other moments I could glean to demonstrate how truly shocked I was at how much natural virtue was extolled and even preferred.

The icing on the cake was that Martin Short is the voice talent behind the evil Preminger, the "advisor" to the queen. I would urge you to watch the movie for that one fact alone. He steals the show.

And so, if you have a little princess (or two) I have no qualms about recommending this movie. I know you can go whole hog and get all the Barbie accessories, but my girls have loved watching the movie (the cd comes with it) and then listening to the cd while dancing in their dress-up clothes.

Good, wholesome, Barbie fun!
(Who woulda' thunk!)

;)