"Magical Mermaid Mystery: Part 1" is the first episode of the first season of the animated series Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures: Go Team Roberts! It was released on Netflix on November 7, 2019.[1] The story takes place over 4 episodes, which were compiled into a special named Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures: Magical Mermaid Mystery.
Official Description[]
"The family begins planning their vacation when George gets invited to film a whale documentary in Costa Rica. Meanwhile, Barbie commits to a summer job."[2]
Story[]
The Roberts watch a documentary that George made about rare speckle-nosed whales. In the documentary, George narrates and says that the whales travel thousands of miles from California to Costa Rica. It is unknown how the whales gain access to feeding grounds hidden in the waters of Costa Rica; some think there may be an undiscovered underwater cave, but others think it could be magic. George has been invited to try and film the arrival of the the whales in Costa Rica, so the Roberts will going on vacation there. They will stay in a village named Valle de Serena, which translates to "Valley of the Mermaid". Local legend says that a mermaid leads the whales into the secret cave that feeds the bay.
After looking at brochures, Stacie is interested in zip-lining through the rainforest, Chelsea is interested in the mermaids, and Skipper is interested in the free wi-fi. Barbie's friends come over and Barbie tells her family that she got a summer job. She wants to go on vacation with her family, so she talks to her boss. Barbie's friends also got summer jobs at the same place: a water park named Oceans Extreme. Teresa says that Barbie can start working in a few weeks when she gets back from vacation, and she's sure their boss will understand. Their peppy, enthusiastic new boss, Darcy (AKA Mama Mackerel) tells the girls to go to the front gate for their uniforms and station assignments.
Barbie and her friends put on their uniforms. Darcy explains that the park will open in two days, so tomorrow they will have a rehearsal to make sure everything works. In the evening, they will rehearse for a stage musical. Darcy wrote the musical herself, and she will be playing a mermaid. She has also written parts for the staff. Teresa encourages Barbie to talk to Darcy. Barbie asks Darcy what would happen if someone missed rehearsals. Darcy says that would be unacceptable because the park is sold-out, so they need all the staff to be present. Darcy tells the staff not to let her down, and Barbie looks down sadly.
As the girls leave work, Renee and Nikki says they like their uniforms. Daisy can't wait for work tomorrow. Teresa asks Barbie what she's going to tell her family, and Barbie says she'll tell them she's staying in California because of work commitments. Nikki says that their friend group is like a family, and Daisy says they'll make sure Barbie doesn't feel alone. Barbie feels lucky to have them all as friends, and they all say goodbye to each other. Ken greets Barbie and says he is Oceans Extreme's newest junior lifeguard. Barbie thinks it's awesome that they'll get to see each other all summer.
Ken shows Barbie that he found one of the rare whales. Barbie and Ken watch the baby whale from a pier together. Ken feeds the whale and says it must have gotten separated from its pod because, around this time of year, the whales migrate south. Barbie knows that already because George is doing a documentary about it. Barbie asks if Ken thinks something is wrong with the whale. Ken says the whale seems fine, but he'll keep an eye on it to make sure it gets where it needs to go. Two male staff members watch Barbie and Ken over security cameras. A bald man named Mr. Pearlman tells a blond man to watch Barbie and Ken, and that "if anyone gets too close, you know what to do."
At the Dreamhouse, Barbie sits down with her parents and tells them she'd go on vacation with them if she could. George tells her he is proud of her for being mature and responsible. Margaret thinks Barbie made the right decision, and adds that they will miss Barbie, but they trust her. After her parents leave, Barbie looks at her reflection and rehearses how she'll introduce herself as a tour guide at Oceans Extreme. Chelsea tells Skipper and Stacie that it will be weird not having Barbie with them on their family vacation. Stacie agrees.
Skipper says that, as the oldest sister around while they're on vacation, she will be in charge and all activities will be approved by her. Stacie and Chelsea look apprehensive, and Skipper imagines her Stacie fanning her on the beach while Chelsea feeds her fresh coconut water. Stacie imagines swinging on vines with monkeys. Chelsea doesn't know what she wants to do yet, because she thought Barbie would help her think of something. Stacie suggests that Chelsea make a documentary, so Skipper gives Chelsea a camera to use and says that Barbie will be able to watch the footage later. Chelsea loves the idea and she imagines winning multiple awards for her documentary. The girls are excited for the trip.
Barbie is disappointed to miss the vacation, but she is excited about her job. Margaret says she's proud of Barbie, and Barbie can watch the puppies and the house while the rest of the family is away. George jokes that Barbie can't have any parties. The puppies bark as the family leaves in the camper. Trey, Ned and Ted spy on Barbie. Trey plans on having a party at the Dreamhouse while the Roberts are gone. On the plane, Chelsea films for her documentary, and George comments that it makes her happy. Margaret and George sit together, and Stacie and Chelsea sit together. Skipper sits by herself, but is happy to have extra leg room and unlimited wi-fi. However, a young mom sits next to Skipper with a crying baby. Skipper says she loves kids and she is a babysitter, so the young mom hands the baby over to Skipper.
Barbie goes to her first day at her first real job. She gets there early and sees Ken, who wanted to check on the baby whale. Barbie practices her Tour Guide job with Darcy. Barbie shows her Nikki, who is doing face painting on Ken. Barbie can't tell what Nikki has painted on Ken's face. Next, Barbie shows Darcy what Renee is doing. Renee is in costume as Spotty, the speckle-nosed whale. Renee finds it hard to walk in the costume. When Daisy tries to take a photo of Renee with Barbie and Darcy, Renee accidentally steps on Darcy's foot. Finally, Barbie shows Darcy the Oyster Cafe, where Teresa is working. Teresa doesn't like oysters, so Barbie tries one and it makes her feel sick.
On the plane, Skipper has to deal with hours of turbulence, as well as the young mom snoring and the baby crying. Skipper regrets telling the mom that she is a babysitter. At Oceans Extreme, Barbie and her friends have lunch. Renee says the free lunch is her favorite part of the job. Ken comes over in a starfish costume. He says it's his costume for the musical. They have oysters for lunch. Daisy mentions dogs, which makes Barbie worry about if she remembered to feed the puppies. Ken reassures Barbie, and she helps him to have a drink in his restrictive costume. At the Dreamhouse, the puppies are hungry since Barbie really did forget to feed them. Honey opens the refrigerator and throws food on the floor for the other puppies to eat.
Barbie and her friends test the rides at Oceans Extreme. Ken tries surfing in a surf simulator; Teresa sits at a pool; and Renee, Daisy, Nikki and Barbie try the water slides. Barbie and her friends have fun and then Darcy sees them off as they leave work. Darcy smiles fondly at them. She notices a truck and spies on it. It goes to the pier and collects a crate that three divers were carrying. In the security room, Mr. Pearlman tells the blond man to "get rid of" Darcy. Barbie goes home and sees the puppies are sleeping after making a mess while eating. Barbie cleans up the mess and asks the puppies to promise to help her until her family gets back.
The Roberts arrive in Costa Rica. Skipper is tired from the unenjoyable 9 and a half hour flight. The young mom looks annoyed as she takes her baby from Skipper. Skipper gets cranky when Chelsea films her, so George tells her to calm down. Their enthusiastic driver, Juan, comes to pick them up and says the drive to the hotel will be 4 hours. Skipper rolls her eyes when Juan laughs at her for asking if he has free wi-fi in his car. Trey and his friends have dug a hole from the Reardons backyard to the Dreamhouse. Trey tells Ned and Ted to make a diagram of where the things for the party will go. DJ barks angrily when he sees Trey and his friends outside.
At Oceans Extreme, it is time for the grand opening. Darcy isn't around, so Barbie and her friends read the script for the musical, Mermaids, Migration, and Mayhem. Barbie says that is the same legend that George is researching. Teresa knows about the Valley de Serena too because they learned about it in Spanish class. Barbie says they should take the scripts home, memorize their lines, and rehearse tomorrow. She hopes that Darcy will be back.
Chelsea asks Juan if he believes in mermaids, and he says the mermaid legend is true. George is sceptical. Juan says he believes it because he's seen it. He drops the Roberts off at some small shacks. George says it looked bigger in pictures, but it's the closest place they can stay to where the whale migration ends. Margaret and Chelsea are optimistic. Margaret says they'll make the best of it, and Chelsea wants to find a mermaid. Skipper tries to relax on a hammock, but she falls off. Barbie is worried about Darcy, so she leaves her four voice messages. Ken brings the puppies to Dreamhouse and tells Barbie that they were sleeping on his front porch. Barbie doesn't understand how they got out. Barbie and Taffy miss the Roberts family, but she says they'll get by without them unless something unexpected happens.
Featuring the Voices Of[]
- America Young as Barbie
- Kirsten Day as Skipper
- Cassandra Morris as Stacie
- Cassidy Naber as Chelsea
- Emma Galvin as Daisy/Flight Attendant
- Stephanie Sheh as Renee
- Desirae Whitfield as Nikki
- Cristina Milizia as Teresa/Crying Baby
- Lisa Fuson as Margaret
- Greg Chun as George
- Ritesh Rajan as Ken
- Eamon Brennan as Trey
- Ogie Banks as Dude 1/Dude 2
- Lauren Bradley as Darcy
- Joe Hernandez as Announcer/Frogman
- Nicolas Roye as Juan/Mr. Pearlman
- Tara Sands as Young Mom
Other characters include Honey, DJ, Rookie and Taffy.
Trivia[]
- Below the Roberts' family's TV, there are framed photos. The images are from Barbie movies. One photo is of Stacie in Barbie Dolphin Magic, one is of Teresa and Renee in Barbie: Spy Squad, and one is of Barbie and her sisters in Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase.
- Barbie takes Spanish classes at school, so she understands some Spanish, such as "Valle de Serena" and "mañana".
- Darcy has the same character model as Ben, and also Vivian from Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase. However, the character models have different colors, and Darcy wears glasses and a different outfit.
- When Chelsea imagines winning an award, the presenter says her height is under 4'0" feet tall.
- George uses the phrase "cuckoo banana bread." Barbie previously used that phrase in "Welcome to the Dreamhouse!" and "Barbie Roberts: Undercover Mermaid Part 2".
- The young mom has the same character model as Isla and Fairuza Ukwani.
- Juan has the same character model as the percussionist from Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams, but with different colors and a different outfit.
- When Margaret mentions the Roberts camping in the backyard, she is referencing the episode "The Great Pioneer Adventure".