PREGNANT MIDGE Unboxing Barbie Doll Review! 

Yes! Free her from her plastic prison! She was a play-line fairly massed produced doll, people shouldn’t be angry that you opened her. I’m happy to see her and her accessories out and looked at closely (and that you replaced her elastic bands). She was one of my sister’s and my favorite dolls to play with.

Pregnant belly was done in a very clever way with magnets. She looks great with and without it.

When I was a kid (mid-60's), I had that homely Midge doll--the one with the flip hairdo. We always played like she was the ugly friend who never got a date. Glad to see she landed on her feet. Congratulations, Midge!

Saw the Barbie movie in theaters with my mom and when Pregnant Midge came up on the screen she told me she bought it for my older sister when it was released! She said that she thought the whole controversy surrounding the doll just made her want to buy it more LOL

Such a beautiful cohesive colour pallet from the box to her dress to her hair color; unlike the constant block colour rainbows we always get now. this is one of my top 3 dolls I wanted as a child because she was pregnant and she looked so different, we had little red head representation in the early 2000s barbies.

I never knew she had a normal flat tummy under the pregnancy belly. How convenient for her 😂 I also think the convertible crib is clever. Like, this is awesome toy design that allows for so much play. Too bad she got so much hate.

Of course her face is sweaty! She's been expecting while stuck inside a box for over 20 years! Good Lord. Poor Midge.

I had this doll when I was a kid! My parents were very progressive so they were very pro-understanding biology and where babies come from. I was always disappointed the belly wouldn't stick to other dolls lol

It’s so fascinating to me that this doll was controversial at all. Pregnant knockoff Barbies are extremely common, at least here in Scandinavia, and Midge’s magnetic belly is significantly more dignified and less body horror-inducing than most pregnant dolls I’ve seen. As far as I can tell, the demand for pregnant “Barbies” is massive, mainly as a teaching tool for older sisters-to-be who use the dolls to demystify what is going on with their mothers. I’ve seen so many mothers specifically going out of their way to buy pregnant Steffis, Judiths and Anlilys for their kids. It’s actually quite impressive that Mattel never dipped their toes into this market again after Midge, because they are leaving a LOT of money on the table. But maybe my perspective is skewed by nordic unprudishness?

The ad in the beginning... core memory unlocked! 😂 This doll seriously didn't deserve the hate it got.

You seriously opened a 20 year old (USD) $235.77 doll playset for your viewers...that's dedication.

I vividly remember acting out very graphic labor and birthing scenes with my Barbie’s 😂 we would shove other clothes into the dresses to make a pregnant belly, so definitely not skipping over the pregnancy and going straight to baby

My friend had this doll and to me it was a "oh okay, yeah she's pregnant and is going to have a baby", i was kinda shocked to learn how controversial she was cause to me it wasn't weird at all. People get pregnant sometimes and to me it only made sense that they would represent it in dolls

I just recently opened a pregnant midge on my channel. I love her! I had her growing up and my parents didn’t think she was weird at all. Pregnancy is a natural part of life. When I was a little girl playing with Barbies, we actually did not skip the pregnancy, we would stuff their shirts with socks and toilet paper, etc. until the pregnant doll came out. 😂 also for the stickiness on her face and body just take an alcohol swab to her. ❤ cheers and have fun!

I was very obsessed with this line as a kid, and I had the non-pregnant reissue of this doll. I was actually very confused when I first heard about this doll as an adult because I did not remember her being pregnant lol. Her hair was so nice and fun to play with, and I absolutely loved her purple jelly shoes!

Even as a kid I didn't understand the idea of it 'promoting teen pregnancy', like... Barbie actually appears in the ads as a doctor, so I always figured they'd all have to be at least old enough for her to have graduated medical school haha

I find it so weird that people get mad about unboxings. Even if you weren't filming a literal unboxing - it's your doll. You can do whatever you want with it.

Also, kids are definitely into pretending to be pregnant and taking care of babies. It's a natural inclination in their play especially when a new sibling is growing inside their mom.

as someone who's only into fashion themed dolls, i think the happy family line should be an ongoing series. kids' interest in parenting themes doesn't seize ever and many might wanna play that with their barbies instead of getting a baby doll in their own scale.

The stickiness on Midge's face might be from the glue used to seal the doll's hair. Over time it seeps out of the scalp and makes the face sticky/greasy. It's a big problem with the older Monster High dolls (also made by Mattel).

it's kinda odd how there were parents who were ACTUALLY convinced the midge doll would "encourage" teen pregnancy. if the doll was a teen and pregnant, that would be one thing, but I 100% think the doll is an adult.

I'm the second oldest of a large family, so I had seen my mother pregnant a number of times growing up, and I remember actually quite liking the pregnant Midge doll. Finding out she was controversal was kind of a surprise when I was older, ha.

Congratulations Midge and Allan! I'd never seen a pregnant Midge doll before so I was delighted that you bought this doll and unboxed her for us. Thanks so much Joey!

Maybe this midge is the reason there was only one Allan in the Barbie movie. He had too much power to procreate, so there only exists one Allan.

In 1959, Barbie was a "teen fashion doll". By 1962, Barbie and Ken were pilot/flight attendant, doctor/nurse, football & baseball player/cheerleader, college grads, harlequins at Halloween (with Skipper), and finally, bride and groom. Midge was Barbie's best friend, so if she graduated with Barbie and Ken in 63/64 at age 21, by 2002, she was having her second child at age 59!! Hardly a teen mom!!!

I wanted the pregnant Midge, but I ended up getting the Happy Families Barbie doctor set instead. I would put a baby from the doctor set inside a crocheted hat someone had made for my mom's Barbies in the 70s. Then, I would add some padding and put it up inside the 2002 Barbie Boutique doll sweater dress. The material stretched great and turned into a nice maternity shirt that would hold the "belly" in place. All that to say, never underestimate a child's creativity!

I remember in the 80s or 90s I really wanted a pregnant doll and it was a Steffi love doll. So when I saw that doll I totally did not understand the fuss about it as the concept was there before. I bet Mattel nicked the idea from that doll.

I was an 80's baby so I was too old for Midge. But I would have loved that doll! I never skipped over the pregnancy part when I played with my dolls. Idk if I was a weird little girl, but I'd always put a cotton ball under my Barbie's dress or pretended to be expecting before I'd play with a new baby doll. 😅 My mother never held back on the details & always had books on pregnancy available so I was fascinated with the subject. I even seriously considered going into gynecology in college.

this is my childhood dream. when i needed a momma barbie, i would put a paper ball inside her dress 😭

I had this entire line as a kid. I loved it! I guess it was because it came with a baby and I had the 03 Barbie dream house that came with a crib that Kelly didn’t fit in. Can state from experience that not once did I think she was a pregnant teen nor that I wanted to be a teen mom. She looked the same age as Barbie who apparently went through college and med school already. Also if Midge is apparently causing young girls to want to become teen moms, then we as a society also need to get rid of any kind of baby doll, crib, stroller, bottles of milk/juice, and all the other “Mommy/Daddy imaginative play stuff because that can start as young as infancy. THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

I would sell my soul for a Happy Family relaunch. I forgot about the commercial and you absolutely unlocked a core memory

I remember seeing that doll in stores. Both my parents are doctors, and so I saw a lot of pregnancy and breastfeeding educative material as a kid, so I never quite thought it was weird.

joey i would love to see you buy all the ‘weird’ barbies, mercy on your wallet though

Aw, this brought back so many memories! ❤ I actually bought both the Caucasian and African American versions of the Midge, Alan, Grandma and Grandpa dolls. The Caucasian doll I bought had the belly bump, while the African American didn't. I did buy the AA doll at a Walmart store and the redhead at a Toys R Us. I also had the second wave Midge doll with the striped shirt and the Alan doll as well. Happy Family was an excellent Barbie doll line that I'd love to see return. 😊

If there were a second wedding set, for continuity sake, it should be them renewing their vows!

I would love to see an unboxing with 2000's fashion collection Barbies! Congratulations Midge! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡👶👶👶👶

I got her as a hand-me-down from a neighbor, and I was lowkey traumatized when my she went to show me the baby, and just yanked off her stomach 😂 I think she’s cute! Biology is biology, people need to calm down imo.

Too bad it's cancelled :( this happy family line is actually amazing and looks so fun. It had so many accessories and details. I wish it could be back with the same quality.

Would definitely love the see a Weird/Rare Barbies series Thank you for this video

🤣 Sticky face when you’re pregnant! I love it! You are correct though you will never see those pregnant friends again. Also, she’s probably on bed rest and can’t do anything but her hair. 😂

I still have my happy family set and they both have wedding rings. I never thought anything was wrong with it. I also remember in the late 80s my little sister got the heart family for Christmas with the convertible while I got glitter and gold Jem. Best Christmas ever for us!!

I just love this pregnant Midge and this set! The colours are beautifully chosen and Midge looks so sweet in her dress. Thank you for sharing her with us!

I remember my aunt vacuumed up my cousins midge baby. We couldnt find her and the dust and dirt was getting too much so we have up and we had a funeral for her.

After all these years I still feel bitter that I never got one single Midge doll. I've always thought she's the prettiest. I never got into pregnant or family-focused Barbies though, my Barbie was always a busy Independent Woman™.

It’s crazy, I remember when this doll came out. I was very small and at the toy shop with my sister, on our way to go check out Bionicles or something, some adults stopped us to film us answering questions about the pregnant Midge doll, like what we thought of her and would we play with her. As little girls, we couldn’t be less interested in pregnancy, so we struggled to say positive things about the doll so as not to hurt the adults’ feelings. I wonder if they ever did anything with that footage, or if they just deleted it.

I hear baking soda mixed with water into a paste can help with sticky plastic

Loved her! I had this one (with the wedding ring) as well as the shopping cart Midge with the older version of Nikki and the new baby. My cousin had the AA pregnant Midge and we had a blast with them! Never knew some people had a problem with her. Big thanks to my mom for such nice Christmas presents.

I had this midge and so did my cousins!! It was so cute, also had the one with the twins and their stroller!(:

I was patiently waiting for an actual unboxing lol.

As someone who owned this doll as a kid, I loved her so much 😭❤️ my mum was so encouraging and enthusiastic when I’d play with her, she taught me so much! Seeing her all in the packaging takes me back and just fills me with so much joy!

The one time I found her it didn't include the belly. However, I STILL have the AA Pregnant Midge in my collection, and she does have the belly!

That baby had an unusually long gestation period! Hopefully the baby is normal!😄

Congratulations Midge!❤😂😂

Your videos are great and I love watching them❤

I love it! Also After i saw a lot of your videos i noticed that your quotes are: Tacky, Garish, Cute, Stunning… You’re the queen Joey! ❤❤❤

lmao at you reacting at mattel releasing the married version I have that one!! love this family I got them cause I always wanted them and I'm glad cause the prices increased so hard ps I looove her shoes and always give her heels it's so iconic lol

When my mom was pregnant with my little brother (I was 5-6), I was very curious by pregnancy and went through a phase where a lot of my dolls were “pregnant” and “gave birth”. I had some Fisher Price Loving Family babies that I would stuff under the Barbie’s dress and pull out.😅 I found a different pregnant doll when I was about 12-13 (I guess I was a late bloomer cuz I played with dolls until 8th grade) and bought it with my own money. In my opinion, it’s natural and healthy for children to have questions about pregnancy. Many children will experience having a younger sibling or cousin or a teacher who’s expecting so it seems silly to hide it. It’s not like the doll had sides the kid pushed and the baby came out in red goo while the doll yelled obscenities. THAT would be a different story, in my opinion. This was a very tasteful and not traumatic way to present things, again, in my opinion. I understand that people may view things differently and have their reasons why.

The whole controversy over this doll bewilders me and I'll tell you why...i bought her for my own daughter. I never thought a thing about it and this doll was my daughters favorite. I just never saw a thing wrong with it...oh well, maybe it was just me haha. Anyway, great video!

12:52 what I was not aware there was another whole ass pregnant Midge doll. Litetally nobody has talked about her just the one doll that was recalled that's the focus of this video. Now Im interested in seeing the other pregnant Midge.

I would love to see more Midge dolls in general. I think Midge always had the wedding ring but it couldn't be seen because how Midge was posed in the box. Of course fringe groups who were seeking faults jumped to conclusions.

I loved Barbies that had a game idea incorporated in them

I've seen so many comments in Barbie groups on Facebook saying they didn't understand all the fuss. I think she's great, a wonderful idea, but I knew all about "the birds and the bees" by the time I was 4. Standard reasons given are the ones you shared, but it just hit me today that a lot of kids had no idea where babies come from, and parents didn't want them to ask. The people who were grandparents when this doll came out were probably old enough to know people who went to their honeymoon not knowing about sex and saw women (especially celebrities) hide/disguise pregnancy or themselves until baby delivered.

An actual gender reveal Barbie playset would be hilarious. What wacky shenanigans would they get up to? (Congratulations, Midge!)

I wish they'd bring back the happy family grandparents for sure! I grew up living in my grandparents home, and would've loved them as a play option back then

Congratulations midge lol.... I love this doll and the doctor barbie in this line is one of the best

GET THE WHOLE FAMILY PLEASE!!!

i had this doll as a kid! i wasnt a doll kid growing up but this one was one of my faves. really bummed i dont have it anymore.

So the year this doll came out ('02 or '03) I was 8 years old and the only thing I wanted that year was a Gamecube and the Pregnant Midge doll. I only got the Gamecube. My somewhat conservative family didn't want me to have a pregnant doll because it promoted teens to get pregnant. I think it's a great teaching tool for kids who don't know why their mom's belly is "big" during pregnancy.

I can vividly remember coming across this in the toy dept in Douglas in Germany when I was growing up and thinking holy crap a pregnant barbie! And at the age of 15 already knowing society well enough to know that ppl were absolutely going to be losing their shit over it >_> I wish I had asked my parents to get her for me!

5:46 “mum loves her baby” Five seconds earlier: “The baby is on the floor”

13:55 omfg you made my day because you reminded me of those adorable little paper decorations omg I loved the tiny birth certificate and baby book omfg so CUTE and so nostalgic!!!! Omg my brain is so happy rn

My grandma got me this doll as a kid and I still have Midge, baby, and magnetic belly. The accessories are probably somewhere as well, but I stashed her away when I grew out of my doll phase because she was my absolute favorite.

Love 💕 I would have love to have the whole line when I was growing up!

We love this unboxing. We hope to see more content like this.

I loved the Happy Family line as a kid. My Midge was the one that didn't come with the magnetic belly though (she had like tissue paper under her dress, from what I can recall???) And I remember being highly disappointed, because I had see the doll with the magnetic belly at a friends, and was annoyed mine didn't have it. This line had a lot of nicely detailed sets/items, which is probably why I enjoyed it. I remember getting the Grandma's Kitchen for Christmas, and was excited to have grandparent dolls.

I’ve had this one since I was a kid. she’s still my favorite

best Barbie ever

I thought it just honored motherhood.

If Midge had been sold with all family members then there would be zero problems.

My absolute favorite Barbie doll ever!

As non-binary AFAB kid, I LOVED this doll! I have intense gender dysphoria and I adored Midge. So fun to play out pregnancy story lines. She's an icon, she's a legend, and she is the moment ❤️

I love your videos! All the information, inspiration ❤ thank you for your hard work x keeping going Joey

One of my neighborhood friends had a pregnant Midge, and was OBSESSED. We were always having babies when we played dolls together! I know she wanted to be an OBGYN when she grew up - I wonder what she's doing now...

I had this doll! She had a wedding ring, and I also had Alan.

I always wondered how the birth mechanic worked. It makes so much more sense that she's just a regular doll underneath the magnetic belly.

Lots of Barbies have been pregnant. Mostly with jax balls under their dress, but I digress. We all played wedding and family (and divorce, remarriage, and everything else.) Because kids play pretend. Frankly, my Barbies had husbands, kids, cars, houses...as well as castles, dragons, spaceships,...i even had Kens decked out as all five members of Duran Duran. If adult you can imagine it, kids have pretended it.

People assumed Midge was a teen because she did look younger than other Barbies. But this review points out how wholesome the playset actually is. Thanks Joey 🤗

congratulations Midge - and Joey!

I’m so happy that you opened pregnant midge from box to belly!😂 It does look like a fun play set. Child me would have enjoyed the imaginative family play. Too bad about the greasy face. She is way more fun and interesting out of the box. Thank you!

I find this doll innovative and pretty well done. I mean... at least Mattel was TRYING when they did this and Growing Up Skipper and the Walk Lively dolls and Talking dolls and all of Ken's facial hair iterations. :)

I had her in 2003 in London 😂 my daughter was 1 or 2 years old . We used to go to Woolworth and I had Alan and Ryan too! It was like £9.99 and we had doctor Barbie too she had a boy and girl baby!!! My daughter is 21 years old now I’m 41 and I’m the only one still love playing Barbie ❤ I love your channel! Now we are living Japan but last month we went to England and it was so much fun buying all Barbie stuff!!!

I would have LOVED this doll as a kid!!!! I used to stuff cotton balls and other random things under my barbies shirts to make bellies bc my dolls were always pregnant. Especially after I got the dr barbie set that had the twins 😂

How awesome ... I love the way you break down the times and eras ... Congrats Midge 🤩

Watching you open and interact with this doll was really therapeutic for me, thank you!

I had this doll as a child and didn’t think twice about it. To me, it was no different than having a baby doll. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Midge was just representing us girlies with large foreheads 😂🤣

I LOVED this doll when I was little. I had midge and Alan as well as the grandparents. They were definitely my most played with set.

I think people are too weird about pregnant bodies in general. People's bodies are theirs, and Midge is clearly a separate entity from Barbie who can live her own dreams. I think it's healthy for children to see that it's okay to choose to be and do what you want, regardless of what others think, even if you're simply wanting to get married and have a family. Barbie champions a lot of girls' and womens' empowerment already in terms of non-traditional roles. It's fine to have one doll represent the traditional, and yet the irony is that the more traditional folks are the ones weirded out by a pregnant doll.

I wanted this doll and the family series SO BAD growing up I will be buying this to heal my inner child lol

After 2 decades Midge finally got to have her baby 🎉