Made to Move™ is the name Mattel gives its posable Barbie® dolls, the ones with bendable elbows, wrists, knees and ankles, 22 joints in all. They are the dolls people buy to photograph, because they can sit, kneel and hold a pose. They are also the dolls that raise the most sizing questions in our inbox: is she a Regular? Will a Regular dress close on her? Why does the sleeve pull when I bend her arm?
The short answer: a Made to Move™ doll wears the Regular size, unless she is the curvy version, in which case she wears Curvy. The longer answer, and the reason some clothes pull on her, is below. Dolls are not included with our products; the names are used only to show fit.
Two Made to Move™ bodies, two sizes
Mattel sells the line on two bodies. The original Made to Move™ body has the proportions of the standard Fashionistas doll, so she wears our Regular size: the same dresses, tops and sets as any other Regular 11.5 inch doll. The curvy Made to Move™ body has the fuller hips and thighs of the Fashionistas Curvy doll and wears our Curvy size.
Our clothes are fitted on the Regular and the Curvy body, and a Made to Move™ doll wears one of those two, so there is no separate "Made to Move size". You only need to know which of the two bodies your doll has.
How to tell which one you have
- Look at her from the front with her legs together. A gap between the thighs means the original body, our Regular. No gap and noticeably fuller hips means the curvy body, our Curvy.
- If you want to be sure, measure the hips with a strip of paper at the widest point. The numbers for both bodies are in the Size Guide, along with photos of all four body types and a table of which Barbie® line is which size.
- The joints do not change the size. A posable arm is the same length as a fixed one; it only bends.
Why some clothes pull on a posable doll
If a dress closes at the back and sits well while she stands, it fits. What happens when you bend her is a different question, and it is about fabric, not size.
A fixed-arm doll never asks a sleeve to bend. A Made to Move™ doll does, and a sleeve cut from a stiff woven fabric with no stretch has nowhere to go: it pulls across the elbow and the shoulder lifts. The same happens with a fitted woven skirt when she sits, or a tight bodice when she raises both arms. The garment is not too small; the fabric cannot follow the joint.
Knits behave differently. A top in soft jersey stretches a few millimetres at the elbow and goes back. That is why our clothes are sewn from soft, stretchy fabrics, and why leggings and knit tops are the easiest things to pose a doll in.
Dressing a doll with joints
- Bend the elbow slightly and slide the sleeve on from the hand up. A straight stiff arm catches in a narrow cuff; a bent one slips through.
- For leggings and skirts, straighten the knees and ankles first, then pull the garment up over the hips, and pose after she is dressed.
- Do not force a joint through a tight opening. If the hand will not go through a cuff, turn the sleeve inside out over the hand and roll it on.
- Articulated hands can catch threads inside a garment. Check the inside seams of a new outfit once; a loose thread end is worth trimming.
- Pose her, then adjust the clothes. A skirt that bunches when she sits can usually be smoothed from the back.
What we make that works well on her
- Dresses, tops and sets in the Regular or Curvy size. Choose the Doll type option on the product page.
- If you sew: the leggings and top pattern is made for knit fabric and slips on, and the oversized sweater is roomy enough for any pose.
- If you do not sew: the no-sew set comes in Regular and Curvy and is tied on, so it always has a little give.
Questions we get
Is a Made to Move™ doll the same size as a regular Barbie®?
For our clothes, yes. The original Made to Move™ body wears our Regular size; the curvy one wears Curvy.
Will Fashionistas clothes fit her?
Clothes made for the Fashionistas original body fit the original Made to Move™ body, and Curvy fits Curvy. Petite and Tall clothes do not; those are different bodies.
Do I need special patterns for a posable doll?
No. Use the Regular or Curvy pattern and choose a fabric with some stretch if you want her to pose in it.
Not sure which body your doll has? The Size Guide shows how to tell in a minute, and every product page lists the body types it fits.