She?s in makeover mode, but she?s as enticing as ever. Barbie, at 45, is as much of a threat to your wallet when you take your little girl shopping as the day temptress-in-pink was born.

ong side the traditional blonde (though less buxom) plastic doll there are princesses or street-smart babes to choose from, making your own little princess far more vulnerable than her deprived mommy ever could have been.

Of her many avatars, you will find the slender doll dressed up according to a theme. The same moulded plastic features that Barbie became a legend for will still smile out at you from pink packaging.

There have always been ethnic takes on the Caucasian lady, and Barbie in India is an example of one of these. Draped in a sari, with gold jewellery around her neck and wrists, you will find the ring still goes through the same little hole in between her tiny fingers. The made-in-India doll comes priced at Rs 449.

A more elaborate variation on this is the special edition Expressions of India series. The dolls here are decked up in their bridal best. There are also more specific themes, what with each of her outfits being determined by Indian states.

Roopvali Rajasthani (red and green bandhej lehnga), Sundari Gujarati (maroon ghatchola sari) in and Soni Punjabi (magenta salwar kameez) are the regional variations, with a more generic Wedding Fantasy model wearing a more neutral lehnga. But before the girls get all excited about this and start hearing wedding bells, a word of caution: the price varies from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,999.

Actress Koneenica and two little girls admire Barbie dolls at a toy store

If you are looking for bargain purchase, look out for the 2 Good 2 Resist offer, where you can get two models for the price of one. For example, you can take home Cut ?? Style Barbie and Dance ?? Flex Barbie for Rs 999. The first model is a little girl?s delight, as you can style her hair in a number of ways. The dancing diva, on the other hand, has very flexible limbs and you can bend her around unlike the more rigid standard body.

If technology affects the nature of the dolls, it had to make its presence felt in terms of theme as well. I-Message Girls are perhaps the most striking example of this. Barbie has a little bag with a little silver cell phone sticking out. Her owner gets a life-size handset of her own. When a girl sends a message, Barbie actually responds (if only with a mere beep of two).

Feel free to feel behind the times when you see a tiny plastic iPod-style digital music player amongst the doll?s other accessories. Two children with these phones can also make contact, within a limited distance of each other. This hi-tech fun comes for Rs 1,199 a set.

Mattel, makers of the doll, is making the most of its fairytale theme. Not only can you see Barbie dressed as Rapunzel on television, you can even have her sit beside you on the couch while its on!

The Princess and the Pauper and Swan Lake are a few of the other classic tales the dolls ? both Barbie and a number of variations on Prince Charming ? have been modelled on. These come with a whole range of add-ons, including a four-horse-drawn carriage.

For all you moms out there who have grown up on Barbie yourselves, this final form won?t seem familiar to you at all. The My Scene series is almost a different doll entirely. In fact, it is. Clearly a fighting attempt to take on the popular Bratz in the US market.

Compared to the girlie charm of Barbie, Bratz is all funk and cool. Her clothes are trendy denims, sexy skirts, fun T-shirts, happening boots. With names like Yasmin, Sasha and Dona, she has captured the fashion conscious, urban, non-white markets abroad.

In India, Bratz and her Barbie look-alike are too new to really tell.