Barbie Sofa and Table Set

I made a quick trip to Trincity Mall yesterday and managed to browse the two branches of Toyland (they always have a well-stocked Barbie section, but boy are they expensive) and Funatics.  Time ran out, so I couldn't get to Toymart or the toy section at Excellent Stores. 
  
In Funatics, I found S.I.S. Marissa, but, even though I have been searching for her for a long time, I was not super thrilled with her.  I decided that I would only buy her if I didn't find anything else.

I moved further along the shelves and found this sofa and table set (there were two of them, and  a refrigerator and trolley set):

I had never seen this set before and, for the number of pieces, was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable price.  I ditched S.I.S. Marissa (for now) and purchased the set before heading home.

The box is marked "(c) 2006 Mattel Inc." and "Mattel Canada Inc."  It is multilingual and includes English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

The box top, which was plastic, didn't lay flat and extra tape was put on it to keep it closed.  The handbag and the two cushions were not secured, as the bands that were holding them seemed to have deteriorated.  

Check out the pair of boots under the sofa.  They were well-secured with plastic.

A look at the picture at the back of the box shows that one accessory is missing - the cat on top of the aquarium.  

The other set on the shelf did not have the cat either, so I deduced that that was why they were reduced!

The accessories include, two fabric cushions, a pair of boots, a handbag, a candle, a drink, a vase, two stems of flowers, a magazine and a framed photo. The pieces of furniture include the sofa, table, hat/bag rack and aquarium. The only assembly required was putting the legs on the table and putting the base together for the aquarium.

The table is really pretty.

I am really happy that I got this set - it's not pink!

So, with this set, we could imagine that Barbie comes home, after a long day at work, and hangs up her handbag.

She says 'Hi!" to her 'fishies',  feeds them...

and glances at a photo of her cousin Terry (she's such a wild child).

With a sigh of relief, she plops herself down on the sofa and removes the boots from her aching feet.

She whips up a fruit smoothie and relaxes on the sofa with a magazine,

Tiredness soon overcomes her and she falls asleep...

only to be awakened by a visit from her old friend Christie, who has come to invite her to a reunion with their old pals - Teresa, Ken, Midge, Shani and others.

I'd love to be at that reunion.