On Location With Barbie



Jennifer Smith

With Love From,

Mom and Dad

It was an exciting day in Plymouth, Michigan when a SPECIAL DELIVERY LETTER arrived for Jennifer Smith from Barbie, and was postmarked Hollywood, California.

Dear Jennifer,

You are probably surprised to be hearing from me! I'm starring in a new movie called Running the Grand, and I would like you to be my co-star.

My director and I have searched for just the right person to play my sister in the movie. Then Aunt Sue and Uncle John told us all about you.

We will be filming on location deep within the majestic Grand Canyon. All my friends... Ken, Midge, Skipper and Christie... will be in the movie.

I'll be at your house tomorrow morning to tell you all about it. I can't wait to meet you!

Your friend,

P.S. If you join us, no need to pack. Skipper and I have done that for you.

Jennifer could hardly sleep that night. Somehow, morning came. As she and Mom and Dad finished breakfast, the doorbell rang. Could it be Barbie?

"Hi Jennifer," said Barbie hugging her warmly.

"Barbie is just as beautiful and friendly as I've always imagined her to be," thought Jennifer happily.

"Making a movie is a lot of fun, but it's also hard work," explained Barbie to Jennifer and her family. "There are many different scenes to film in many different locations. Tomorrow we will shoot a scene where we 'run the Grand.' This means that we will ride the rapids of the mighty Colorado River. Immediately after that, we will shoot a swimming scene in a natural pool in the inner canyon. If all goes well, we'll wrap up the filming tomorrow."

Jennifer, what do you say? Do you want to be my co-star?" asked Barbie. Jennifer was so excited that all she could do was nod herhead yes!

"Great," said Barbie glancing at her watch. "Ken, Skipper, Midge and Christie are at the airport waiting for us. My private jet will take us directly to the Grand Canyon. We'd better leave now. We have a lot to do in the next few days."

Excitedly, Jennifer hugged Mom and Dad and said good-bye.

Jennifer and Barbie rode to the airport in Barbie's long white limousine. In no time at all, they boarded the gleaming jet that had "Barbie" written right on it.

"Jennifer, I want you to meet Ken, Skipper, Midge and Christie," said Barbie. Even before Barbie could finish the instructions, everybody started to tell Jennifer about the movie and her role as Barbie's sister.

Jennifer then told them all about Sarah and Mary and home. Before long, Jennifer felt like she had known Barbie and her friends forever.

Jennifer gazed out the airplane's window. Her eyes opened wide as she viewed the magnificent sights. she stared at the jagged rocks, golden sands and gigantic cacti below.

As the airplane began its descent, she saw the white caps of the Colorado River. The river twisted and turned in all directions like a giant serpent.

The wheels of the airplane touched the ground. Here they were... ON LOCATION!

As Jennifer and Barbie walked down the steps, the director presented them with red roses. "Jennifer, I'm so glad you agreed to be Barbie's co-star. Welcome to the Grand Canyon!" said the director warmly.

Within minutes they were in front of a large stone mansion nestled on the rim of the Grand Canyon. This was where they would be staying while on location. The mansion was miles above the river and the mysterious inner canyon where they would be filming the very next day.

In her room, Jennifer found two large suitcases monogrammed with her initials. "I'll bet these are clothes I'll be wearing in the movie," she said excitedly as she unzipped each one.

"You're right," answered Barbie. "I've had them designed just for you. I hope you like them, because they're yours to keep! While you're unpacking, why don't you select something special to wear to tonight's welcoming party?"

"Like them? I love them!" thought Jennifer as she unpacked each garment. "Wait until Sara and Mary can see them." In one suitcase there were skirts, shorts, and jeans; each with a matching top. In the other suitcase were silk and satin party dresses that shimmered with tiny pearls, shiny bows and delicate lace.

"Thank you so much!" exclaimed Jennifer. "I think I'll wear this one tonight."

"You'll look like a princess," said Barbie. "It's time for both of us to get ready for the party. I'll be right next door. As soon as I'm dressed, I'll knock on your door and we'll go to the party together."

Jennifer bathed and then slipped into the purple silk gown that she had selected, admiring its delicate gold lace and pink satin ribbons. she brushed her hair and then stepped into the matching shoes Barbie had picked for her.

"Can that really be me?" she wondered, as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Ready, Jennifer?" called Barbie. When Jennifer opened the door, Barbie looked at her and exclaimed: "You're beautiful!" Just then Jennifer noticed that Barbie had a new friend with her.

"Jennifer, I'd like you to meet Willow. She plays the part of your friend in the movie. Willow is also 8 years old," said Barbie.

"Hi, Jennifer. I'm so glad to meet you," said Willow warmly.

In the Grand Ballroom, Ken was waiting to escort Jennifer, Barbie and Willow to their table.

"Look at those, Jennifer," said Willow, pointing to the brilliant crystal balls revolving overhead. The disco balls bathed the room with twinkling rays of light.

Jennifer was having a wonderful time. she danced to every song the band played. she wished the night would never end; but all too soon, at midnight the party was over. "We'd better get some sleep," said Barbie as they headed back to their rooms. "Tomorrow is a work day."

"Good night, Barbie. See you in the morning," whispered Jennifer as she closed her door, tired but very happy.

Early the next morning, Jennifer joined Willow for breakfast. They had just finished when they saw Barbie beckoning to them from the doorway.

"Come on, Jennifer and Willow," called Barbie as they both hurried to meet her. "It's time to board the helicopters that will fly us to the river basin."

The director, cast and crew were standing on the lawn watching thehelicopters skillfully land. The director passed out flashlights, lunch bags and canteens to everyone. "We'll need these supplies since we don't expect to be back before dark," he said. Then he handed out life preservers and helmets.

"We'll wear these when we head down the river in the rafts, Jennifer," said Barbie. "Now you'll see what 'running the Grand' is all about."

Jennifer climbed aboard one of the helicopters, and sat next to Barbie and Willow. Seconds later they were high in the air heading for the river basin.

"There they are, Jennifer," shouted Barbie above the loud noise of the helicopter. She pointed to two large orange rafts tied to shore on the river below. "We'll ride in those when we film the whitewater rafting scene."

Once on the ground, they climbed out of the helicopters and put on their life preservers and helmets. The river was far more turbulent than Jennifer had expected. The roaring sound of the water surrounded them. Jennifer could hardly hear the director when he spoke.

First Jennifer was introduced to the camera crew. "Alan is our chief cameraman. He'll film both the whitewater rafting and the swimming scenes," explained the director. "He works with Mel, the head electrician or 'gaffer'. Together they make sure the set is properly lit."

"Lynn is the script clerk," continued Barbie. "She makes sure that the timing on our lines is right. Carl, the soundman, adjusts the mikes to make sure that our voices can be clearly heard."

"I'm amazed. I never realized that so many people made up a movie crew," thought Jennifer.

Next Jennifer was introduced to her own make-up artist, hair stylist and wardrobe attendant. All of a sudden, she really felt like Barbie's co-star.

As the director climbed into the helicopter to film the scene from the air, Jennifer and Willow joined Ken and Barbie in the lead raft. "Everybody hold on tight!" shouted Ken above the sound of the rushing river. They glanced back at Midge, Skipper and Christie in the second raft. Everyone was ready for the adventure to begin.

"We're off!" exclaimed Ken, plunging the oars into the water.

Immediately the current carried them down-river with momentous speed. Water splashed into the raft from all sides. The raft lurched from side to side. Suddenly the front of the raft hit a huge rock. Jennifer was knocked off balance. Willow immediately grabbed her wrist preventing her from tumbling overboard. Quickly Jennifer regained her grip on the side of the raft.

The immediate danger over, Jennifer thanked Willow for her help. They smiled at each other, and their friendship was cemented.

Abruptly the speed of the rafts slowed to a crawl. The white caps disappeared, and gentle ripples floated them towards their destination. "We made it!" exclaimed Ken happily. "We made it! We made it!" cheered everyone on both rafts. "Now that was better than a roller coaster ride," thought Jennifer.

As if by magic, everything was now different. The rafts floated into a cove, a place of total peace and beauty. "This is the inner canyon," said Barbie quietly. Small blue-green wading pools and dark unknown caves surrounded the cove. Ken pulled the rafts ashore.

"Great take!" said the director as he, the camera crew and the equipment were lowered into the cove by the helicopter. The helicopter then whirled back to the mansion.

"Swimming scene next! Everybody get ready!" called the director.

"Whew! No time to rest. This is hard work," thought Jennifer breathlessly.

After make-up, hair and wardrobe changes, Jennifer reviewed her lines with Barbie and Willow. Alan and Mel prepared the lights. Carl adjusted the microphones. Everything was ready.

"Scene ten! Take one!" shouted the director. "Camera! Action!" Jennifer, Barbie and Willow raced toward a natural swimming pool inside a towering waterfall. They swam and laughed and splashed in the water. They spoke their lines, but could not get the scene quite right. After many takes, the scene finally worked.

"Let's break for lunch," said the director, pleased with their performance.

During lunch, however, the sky darkened and the weather turned stormy. Within minutes it was raining so hard that everybody had to run for shelter in a nearby cave.

Jennifer and Willow watched the river rise dramatically. The two rafts broke loose from their moorings as the river raged. Everyone saw the rafts float away, and immediately realized that their transportation to the pick-up point downstream was headed there without them.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder echoed through the rocks.

The group huddled together inside the entrance to the cave. "We'd better build a fire so we'll have some light," suggested Barbie.

They did not lose any time gathering kindling for the campfire. As Jennifer dropped her branches onto the pile, she heard a moaning sound. "Did you hear that?" she asked.

Jennifer, Willow, Barbie and Ken joined hands and ventured further into the cave. They listened carefully, and sure enough, they all heard a sad little sound. Jennifer shone her flashlight towards the ground, and there sat a baby mountain lion cub.

They cautiously looked around for the cub's mother, but she was nowhere in sight. Shining her light back in the direction of the cub, Jennifer noticed that his right paw was bleeding.

"We must be careful," warned Ken. "The cub's mother might be in here too."

"We should bandage his paw to stop the bleeding, and get him some water to drink," suggested Jennifer, feeling very sorry for the wounded cub.

They all agreed, and Ken left to get a first aid kit and a canteen of water. When Ken returned, he was followed by the rest of the cast and crew, all curious to see the injured cub.

When Jennifer offered the cub some water from the canteen, he stopped licking his wound. He quickly lapped up all the water, and then looked up at everyone as if to say thanks.

"He's adorable. I think we should give him a part in the movie," suggested the director. "He'll make a great star. Mel, get the lights to highlight his face.

Mel quickly set up the lights. Alan filmed Jennifer, Willow and Barbie bandaging the cub's paw. "Great take!" said the director, smiling at Jennifer. "This scene will fit right in the adventure theme of the movie. We now have enough in the can to call it a day. Good work, everyone! Thanks!"

The storm continued through the night. Everyone stayed near the campfire to keep warm and dry, including the cub. The time passed quickly and before they knew it, it was dawn.

Jennifer looked up the canyon trails now bathed in the brilliant morning sun. "It will be a long, long hike back to the mansion," she thought. Just then Barbie exclaimed, "Look! Burros... a group of them."

Barbie and Ken approached the burros that had wandered down to the river for a drink. "We're in luck," said Ken. "Yesterday I saw those burros in the corral near the mansion. They must have wandered out of the corral during the storm. We can ride them back up the trail."

Everyone patted the cub good-bye. They were sorry to leave him, but knew that this was where he belonged.

The group packed the supplies on the backs of the burros, and mounted them. Jennifer and Willow patted their burros as they climbed along the narrow, twisting, gravel trail that led out of the Grand Canyon.

As the mansion came into view, Jennifer looked down into the inner canyon to see if she could spot the cub. To her delight and amazement, she saw something wonderful!

In the canyon below, there was the cub reunited with his mother. She was a regal, golden lioness. By the way she was licking her lost baby, Jennifer knew she was happy to be with him again.

"Look everyone," exclaimed Jennifer, directing their attention to the sight below. As they all watched, the cub stretched and gingerly began to walk on the bandaged paw.

A group of reporters ran to meet them as they made the last run up the trail. "What happened? Anyone injured? Can we have a few words with you, Barbie?" asked the eager reporters. "That was quite a storm."

"We're all safe and unharmed," began Barbie. "While filming in the inner canyon, the storm developed. Our rafts were washed away. We took shelter in a nearby cave. As we were gathering wood for a campfire, Jennifer Smith, my co-star, heard a mountain lion cub moaning."

"What happened next?" asked the reporters, turning their attention to Jennifer.

Jennifer told the reporters the rest of the story, including the fact that the cub would star in the movie. They listened carefully, writing down every word she said. All the while, the photographers' cameras kept clicking.

When the reporters finally finished covering the story, the cast and crew went to their rooms to rest.

After a much needed nap, Jennifer put on one of the outfits she really loved. It was a denim skirt with a matching shirt, leather cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat. she was all set to join the others on the veranda.

Barbie and Willow were already there when she arrived. Lunch was wonderful. Jennifer, Barbie and Willow talked non-stop about everything that had happened in the last two days, and how glad they were that the cub was reunited with his mother.

"Before we leave, why don't we take one last look at the canyon," suggested Barbie as they finished lunch. Arm in arm, Jennifer, Barbie and Willow walked to the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Jennifer had mixed feelings about leaving. she wanted to return to Plymouth, Michigan to see her family and friends, but she would really miss Barbie, Willow and the rest of the cast and crew.

At the airport, everyone said their good-byes. As Jennifer boarded the airplane, Barbie said to her, hugging her warmly, "I'm really glad that Aunt Sue and Uncle John recommended you for the part - you were perfect for it. I'll miss you, but I promise to stay in touch."

Mom and Dad ran to greet Jennifer as her plane landed. "Did you have a good time? Look, the story about how you helped an injured baby mountain lion is on the front page of the Plymouth Michigan newspaper said Mom and Dad.

The Plymouth, Michigan
Morning Express
Jennifer Smith
Local Film Star Saves Lion Cub

At home, Jennifer found Sarah and Mary waiting for her. As she modeled her movie wardrobe, Jennifer described her adventure with Barbie and her friends. Just as she finished the part about the baby mountain lion cub, the doorbell rang.

"Are you Jennifer Smith?" asked the postman. "I have a huge SPECIAL DELIVERY PACKAGE for you. Please sign here. Wait a minute! Wasn't your picture in the newspaper today? Aren't you going to co-star with Barbie in the movie 'Running the Grand?' Can I have your autograph?"

"Of course," giggled Jennifer, signing her name twice.

As she closed the door everyone yelled, "Open it! Open it! Let's see what's inside!"

Jennifer tore the wrapping from the huge box. she lifted the lid and carefully reached in, pushing aside the tissue paper. she felt something very big, but very soft. Nestled in the tissue paper were two stuffed animals, a regal mountain lioness cuddling her baby cub.

"Look at the cub's paw," said Mom and Dad as Jennifer lifted the lions out of the box.

Jennifer looked at the cub's right paw. It was bandaged in white tape with a note attached to the bow. she read the note aloud:

To my friend Jennifer, I am thinking of you and miss you very much.

This present is especially for you with all my good wishes and special thanks.

Your friend forever,



Story: Julia Spencer Moutran, Ph.D.
Illustrations: Beverly Kirby /
Book Design: Kirby Martin Associates, Inc.

Second Edition
Copyright (C) 1993 Presto Personalizations
BARBIE and associated trademarks are owned by
and used under license from Mattel, Inc.
(C) 1989 Mattel, Inc.
All Rights Reserved