"The Ballad of Windy Willows" is the third episode of the third season of the animated series Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures. It was released on Netflix on February 14, 2019.[1]
Official Description[]
"Barbie and Daisy go to Barbie's hometown in Wisconsin, where they try to save her beloved Aunt Adele's inn."[2]
Story[]
Barbie and Daisy are going to Barbie's hometown of Willows, Wisconsin. They are visiting to Barbie's Aunt Adele at her inn, Windy Willows. Chelsea, Margaret and George help Barbie and Daisy to put their luggage in the camper. Margaret asks Barbie to give their love to Adele, and Barbie says she will. Barbie hopes she will recognize Willows and that Adele will recognize her. George mentions Cheddar Fest, a cheese festival in Wisconsin. Daisy says she loves cheesy festivals and cheese. Barbie and Daisy leave in the camper, with Barbie driving.
Daisy is bored in the camper, so Barbie asks Daisy to play the guitar. Daisy notices that Blissa is a stowaway in the camper. Barbie says that Willows is Blissa's hometown too. Barbie fondly remembers when she was young and Adele gave her Blissa because she had wanted a cat for a long time. Young Barbie and kitten Blissa happily snuggled each other, and Adele described Blissa as "blissful", so that is what Barbie based her name on. Barbie sighs wistfully, and Daisy thinks it's sweet how much Willows means to Barbie. Daisy makes up a song on the guitar as they drive.
When the girls arrive at Windy Willows, Adele is fixing the roof. Adele is so excited to see Barbie that she falls off a ladder, but the girls catch her. Adele says Barbie is always there when you need her, and she takes an instant liking to Daisy because of her spunky personality. Adele is also happy to see Blissa. Inside the inn, Daisy is impressed. Barbie asks what Adele was doing on the ladder, and she asks where Hank is. Adele reveals that she had to let her staff go because business isn't what it used to be. Barbie and Daisy see an old-fashioned phone and a cow carved out of cheese. It's named Bessie. Adele says it was a gift from a local cheesemaker for Harry Havarti, who is performing at the sold-out closing night of Cheddar Fest. Harry comes to visit, so Barbie and Daisy hide Bessie upstairs.
Adele tells Harry that they are thrilled he is performing for them. He tells her she is lucky he was free, since he is usually booked solid. He starts making demands about how he wants mints on his pillow and freshly squeezed orange juice. Barbie and Daisy hide Bessie in their room while Blissa rests on the bed. Daisy takes a selfie with Bessie and Adele brings the girls their luggage. Daisy asks if Adele goes to that much trouble for all the guests, but Adele says there are no other guests because business is bad. She invested practically all of her money into promoting Cheddar Fest, and if the show doesn't bring in a lot of customers then the Windy Willows inn will have to close. Adele hid this from Barbie so as to not ruin her trip, but Barbie is shocked, as she practically grew up at the inn. She refuses to let Adele down and wants to help her.
The next day, Adele goes to collect some fresh eggs from some chickens. Harry complains that there is only orange juice in a carton. Barbie and Daisy try to make fresh juice using an electric juicer that Margaret and George gifted to Adele for a birthday ages ago. Barbie says it appears to be unused, and Daisy describes Adele as "old school". The girls make a mess and spill juice on the floor, which Adele slips in. She has to wear a leg cast (which is pink with stickers on it), keep her leg raised and use a wheelchair. Barbie sees Adele cleaning and offers to do it for her, since the doctor told Adele to rest. Barbie says she and Daisy will handle everything, but Adele wants Barbie to relax. Barbie and Daisy insist on helping and modernising the inn. Barbie makes a voice-controlled robot vacuum cleaner named Vac-Bot.
Blissa attacks the vac-bot and it almost hits Harry. Barbie, Daisy and Adele are relieved that he is okay, but Vac-Bot explodes and covers Harry in dust. He demands to have his clothes cleaned and pressed for free, and to be paid more for Cheddar Fest. Adele immediately agrees, but she is annoyed about the Vac-Bot. Barbie makes dinner for Harry so that Adele can nap. Barbie looks at the inn's menu and sees schnitzel in a blanket with cheese curds, but she can't find the recipe. She serves Harry a kale and quinoa salad instead. He is annoyed that there is no cheese and he storms away without trying the food.
Adele tells the girls that she's not ready for modern technology. Barbie says Adele has been heating all the rooms in the house with her old furnace, even when there's no guests, so she and Daisy researched online and found a modern solution: a remote that allows Adele to pick which rooms get heated. Adele is hesitant to use it. She asks Barbie and Daisy to help her to her room. Blissa finds the remote and plays with it, accidentally setting the house to the highest temperature. The heat causes Bessie to melt into a heating vent. The melted cheese pours onto Harry, who is on the floor below. Harry gets covered in cheese, so he angrily quits Cheddar Fest and says the inn isn't worth saving.
Adele says there's no place in the world for a business like the inn anymore. Daisy and Barbie say that Adele and the Windy Willows are unique. Adele is flattered, but wishes other young people appreciated the inn. Barbie says they should try to spread the word to young people about the inn. Adele says she was attempting to draw a young, "hip" crowd by doing the show with Harry. Barbie and Daisy suggest something more modern, like a dance party. Daisy uses her DJ set and a light show. Barbie dances to Daisy's music and Blissa likes the lights. However, they whole area has a power outage, ruining the dance party plan.
Barbie sits on the porch for a while, sadly petting Blissa. Daisy wants to talk to Barbie, but Adele tells Daisy to go enjoy Cheddar Fest. Adele comforts Barbie, who is sad she couldn't fix Adele's problems. Adele says that Barbie's love for the inn is one of the reasons Barbie will always be so dear to her. She tells Barbie, "Some things may change in life, but not the most important ones." Barbie still feels frustrated because the past is what makes people who they are today. Adele suggests an old-fashioned show, with Barbie singing an acoustic song while Daisy plays guitar. Blissa approves. If Barbie and Daisy put on a show, then Adele won't have to give the money back, so Barbie agrees.
Barbie and Daisy perform a candle-lit duet called "Lead You Home". Harry enjoys watching them perform and they get a standing ovation from everyone. Barbie and Daisy hug Adele and she thanks them. The Windy Willows inn becomes sold out for the rest of the month, with Adele barely able to keep up. She plans to do an acoustic show every weekend. Daisy says people love simple, old-fashioned things. Adele says modern things can be good too, and the repaired Vac-Bot comes into the room with Blissa on it. Barbie tells her vlog viewers that the moral of this vlog is to treasure your past, thrive in your present and dream for your future, because it's all part of you, and what you learn from all three is what makes us the best we can be.
Featuring the Voices Of[]
- America Young as Barbie
- Cassidy Naber as Young Barbie/Chelsea
- Emma Galvin as Daisy
- Lisa Fuson as Margaret
- Greg Chun as George
- Spike Spencer as Harry Havarti
- Tara Sands as Aunt Adele
Other characters include Blissa.
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Wisconsin is associated with cheese because of the state's history of cheese production. There are real cheese festivals in Wisconsin, but Cheddar Fest is fictional.
- Willows is a fictional city. Originally, the Barbie doll's backstory included her attending high school in Willows,[3] but her story was later rewritten to her moving to Malibu when she was 8. Ken was also originally from Willows,[4] and he was Barbie's boyfriend, but in the rewritten continuity, Barbie met Ken when she moved to Malibu as a child, and they became neighbors and close friends.
- Barbie says she hasn't been back to Willows, Wisconsin since she moved to Malibu at age 8, but she visited Willows in the 2015 movie Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure. Also, she said in her first vlog, "10 Things About Me" that she and her family go to Willows every year for the holidays.
- It takes over 30 hours to drive from California to Wisconsin.[5]
- The character model for young Ken can be seen at the Windy Willows show.