We LOVE this doll!First off let me.say YES this doll appears ethnic since her skin is brown and THAT SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM. I buy my daughter dolls of ALL ethnicities so that she starts seeing positive reflections of herself within society and also learns to love others for WHO they are and not WHAT they are. I found it VERY disturbing to read comments of others who were upset to see the doll had brown skin. Although, I cant change the racist perception of others I will make sure my daughter does not mirror the hate/discomfort seen so often in the world.Now that I got that off my chest, on with my review: Shes a standard size barbie with a colorful mermaid tail and what I love is, if you discreetly press the jewel on her necklace, her entire tail begins to flash. What's even cooler is that there is a flashing of a different light pattern every time you press the jewel. That was a cool touch by the manufacturer.Note for parents: THIS DOES NOT PLAY MUSIC OR ANY OTHER SOUNDS so no need to worry about yet another loud annoying toy!Please purchase this doll and help subtly spread love, not hate.Enjoy!My daughter is the envy of the pool with this marvelous mermaid. She carries three (of which this is one) around with her so she is able to share and make friends each time we head to the community pool. I've heard her playing with them in the bathtub, which makes me laugh! I remember how difficult it use to be to get her in the tub, and here she is getting prune-y, while playing with her mermaid friends. Kudos to the makers for adding a deeper skin tone to their collection. A truer brown would be much appreciated. Still, it's a move in the right direction. It's important that the dolls she has look more like her, and I'm sure this is true for children of all shades.This is pretty and fun! It is nice to see diversity. Tired of the same blonde dolls. I only wish this had come in AsianI purchased this because my Granddaughter (5 yrs old)wanted one. She loves the colors on the mermaid but I fell that's all you can do is look at it and carry it around. You can't change any clothes on her. Maybe the manufacturer will recreate the doll so she can do more things. But as long as my Granddaughter loves it, that's what matters.My daughter loves this mermaid. It's a cute mermaid for the bathtub. It lights up which is pretty cool but it does turn off within a few seconds & you have to push the button repeatedly to keep the lights on. I'm giving it 4 stars because of the lighting and bc I got an African American mermaid, which actually doesn't matter to me but it wasn't what was pictured/advertised.My 5 yr old niece was so happy to get this item. It totally met my expectations for a gift for my niece. She is happy with it so I am too.This is a gorgeous and high quality mermaid light up toy. We named her Olivia. We've had her for over a year and she's been in many pools and nearly every bathtub with no issue or battery change. We condition and brush her hair periodically, but other than that Olivia seems to be impervious to mold or dirt and we are happy she's part of our family. LolGood Barbie for the bath. We have ours for a while now and it’s still working girls love it. Gave it as birthdays presents too always a bitBought for my daughter who is 5yr and really into Mermaids. She loves this. Great next day deliverySo cool, it's a gift for christmas so haven't seen it in action underwater yet but looks great when you press the flash button.This is a Christmas present. But I know my daughter will love itSold out at Argos and this was cheaper. Made a little girl very happy.