Minimum Age: 8 years Rating:
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Introducing Troy and Gabriella
With red-and-white pants, a white jacket, and red jersey, Troy Bolton is dressed to shoot some hoops for the Wildcats. Duplicating an authentic outfit from the movie, Troy's doll-sized clothes are removable and easy for the little ones to slip on and off. His arms move smoothly at the elbow--a good thing, because Troy is not just a singer, he is also the school's star athlete. Gabriella Montez, dressed smartly in a red dress with gold jewelry, is coming out of her shell. Her dark hair is long enough for little girls to style--they can pull it back in a ponytail or even attempt a braid. However, her elbows aren't bendable and her high heels fall off at the slightest touch. Both dolls have a pushbutton on the back that plays the song clips when pressed. During the testing process, the button was accidentally pressed more than once, which caused Gabriella to sporadically break into song. With textured hair and HSM outfits, these 12-inch dolls possess an incredible likeness to the characters.

Duplicating outfits from the movie these dolls also play song clips from the movie. View larger.

Gabriella Montez's figure has hair long enough for girls to style. View larger.

Not Your Average Dolls
Kids who love High School Musical will enjoy singing along with these two. Not only do they sing a duet, they can also be played with and dressed like a regular Barbie. As a refreshing alternative to run-of-the-mill fashion dolls, Gabriella and Troy have clothes that replicate the outfits in the movie. Their limbs move smoothly: Both the dolls have posable knees that snap easily into place and Troy's arms can move into any position. Two separate stages (included) hold the dolls up as they sing, and children can create a performance area. Additional High School Musical characters are available for purchase.

The Audition
As the dolls were brought into the testing room for an impromptu audition, it became easy to see why the musical is so popular. Breaking Free, the song sung by both Troy and Gabriella, rings in your ears long after the sound clip stops. The dolls can sing the duet together, by pressing both the buttons at the same time, or they can sing individually. Both their voices sound just like the musical and kids will enjoy belting out lyrics with the dolls. The sound clips are a little short in length, but their voices are loud and a full-length song might irritate some parents. Fitting Troy and Gabriella on their individual stages proved difficult and Gabriella lost a shoe in the process. Despite some minor drawbacks, these performers passed their audition with flying colors.

Pros

• Cute outfits just like the characters
• Two stages come included
• Sound clips are loud and clear
• Posable limbs

• Difficult to situate dolls on stage
• Pushbutton engages when barely touched
• Gabriella's high heels slip off too easily