Mom Goes to Extreme Lengths to Create Dream Gift for 5-Year-Old Daughter

When one mom asked her daughter what she wanted for her fifth birthday, there was no hesitation in her answer: a new Barbie doll. But, of course, it wasn’t just any old one she wanted; no, it had to be Barbie (Taylor’s Version).

Camilla Thurman, 31, had been on the hunt for a Taylor Swift-themed Barbie for several months, ever since her daughter said that is what she wanted. However, it proved a difficult task. Thurman told Newsweek that she had never seen one before, and the only such dolls she could find were unofficial with hefty $200 price tags.

Rather than forking out hundreds of dollars, she took matters into her own hands. Thurman, of San Diego, California, bought a regular Barbie doll and gave her a Swiftie-inspired makeover instead. This meant giving her some much-needed red lipstick, and of course, recreating the singer’s famous bangs.

“I tried searching for Taylor Swift Barbies, but I couldn’t find any that I liked, or couldn’t find any that didn’t have a price tag of $200 and up,” Thurman said. “So, I found a couple of regular Barbies that I felt passed as a Taylor Swift Barbie and knew it would only require a little bit of change to make her stand out.

“I trimmed the Barbie’s hair to a length similar to Swift’s, and then I moved onto the bangs. I sectioned off the amount of hair I wanted for the fringe, then I secured the hair over the Barbie’s face with a rubber band. I used hot water and dipped the head in a few times. After attempting to train the Barbie’s hair to lay flat, I grabbed a blow dryer and completely dried it.”

Thurman didn’t just stop with the bangs, though. She also got some red nail polish to paint the soles of Swift’s heels. The idea was to replicate the singer’s famous Christian Louboutins worn throughout the Eras Tour.

By the time the Swift makeover was complete, Thurman was delighted by the finished result. She even added some finishing touches by adding stickers on the box to make it look more like an authentic Swift-themed Barbie.

Thurman even joked that the hardest part was “trying to put the Barbie back into the box” and making it appear untouched.

Not only did Thurman save herself around $200, but the doll went down a treat with her daughter too, as it has become the tiny Swiftie’s favorite toy.

“It’s definitely her Barbie of choice right now, and she has kept the original dress on her, unlike her other Barbies where she is constantly changing outfits. The singing feature on the Barbie is her favorite,” Thurman told Newsweek.

“She loved this Barbie, but now I feel like we need to take it a step further and attend a Taylor Swift concert in person. I know she would be in absolute heaven.”

How Did Social Media React?

So delighted by her newly designed Barbie doll (Taylor’s Version), Thurman shared a video on TikTok (@camillathurman) of the makeover process. Since the clip was posted on June 19, it has already been viewed over 6.1 million times and gained more than 487,200 likes.

Thurman said: “The reaction has been mostly positive. There have been so many amazing moms and women out there sharing their support and encouragement, asking if I could make them a Barbie, or just sharing love our way.

“Also, several people have been inspired to do the same for their daughters, which I absolutely love to hear,” she added.

With over 730 comments on the post already, plenty of TikTok users have praised the mom’s dedication to make sure her daughter got the best birthday present she could have possibly wished for.

One TikTok user commented: “Moms are so magical you can’t convince me otherwise.”

Another person responded: “You can tell her it’s a special edition and there are no others like it! She’ll feel extra special.”

A third comment reads: “you are the best mom ever omg [oh my god].”

Newsweek reached out to Mattel for comment but hasn’t received a response.

Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.