EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- It's a real-life dilemma in toyland: Barbie's disabled friend can't fit into the elevator of the $100, two-story Barbie Dream House.
But Share a Smile Becky and her hot pink wheelchair can join her perky pal for sleepovers in the one-room, doorless and much cheaper Barbie Traveling Surprise House.
"This is the first fashion doll that comes in a wheelchair and it's a new initiative for us. Dream House has been out for years and two of the three houses are accessible," Mattel spokeswoman Lisa McKendall said Tuesday.
Kjersti Johnson, a 17-year-old high school student in Tacoma, Wash., who has cerebral palsy, complained about the Dream House's lack of access in an e-mail to the Easter Seal Society of Washington, based in Seattle.
McKendall defended Mattel and the Becky doll: "We have a commitment to incorporating accessibility into all our Barbie accessories that we do in the future."
Next month, in fact, Mattel Inc. will unveil the new Barbie Folding Pretty House with a wider front door and no steps or stairs.
The $20 Share a Smile Becky debuted May 21 and is available only at Toys R Us stores. McKendall said thousands have been sold, though she wouldn't be specific.
"In most places it is selling out the minute it hits the shelves," she said.
