List Price: $34.99
Available At: ToysRUs.com ($29.99)

The Barbie Tune Blossom personal CD player is a fun gift for little girls who love music and want to take it with them wherever they go. Its pink and purple flower design and butterfly headphones will appeal to girls ages 8 and under.

QUALITY & FEATURES

This personal CD player seems to be well-made of sturdy pink and purple plastic that will hold up to the treatment of little girls not yet sophisticated enough for a grown-up CD player. Because it appears to be geared toward such young users, one would wonder why such features as 20 track programmable memory and an equalizer function are necessary. But the anti-skip features and comfortable wrap-around butterfly headphones are well thought out touches.

This is an overall fun unit for little girls and provides them with a sense of independence. It can also teach them responsibility, preparing them to handle the real thing. This CD player also has random play and repeat track, which are features little girls will appreciate when looking for a little variety or wanting to hear their favorite song over and over again.The sound quality is pretty good, though there is some intermittent static when the headphone cord is jostled. This CD player also does not play scratched or dirty CDs very well, so you want to make sure your child knows to hold CDs from the outer edge.

PACKAGING

The Barbie Tune Blossom personal CD player was not extremely difficult to remove from the packaging. The plastic cover was easy to pull off of the cardboard backing, and scissors were not necessary. This is news sure to please any parent wanting to give this as a gift.

BOTTOM LINE

The Barbie Tune Blossom Personal CD Player is a fun alternative to the grown up version. Little girls will love the bright pink and purple colors and fun features like the flower-shaped design and the pretty gem equalizer button. However, certain features such as the equalizer and programmable memory are probably unnecessary for this age group. Omitting these features may have reduced the price point, making this item appealing to more families.