Once again, there was a Barbie in my "fixie box". Last time, Barbie had shoulder replacement surgery. This time, Mermaid Barbie had her right hand bit off by a shark...or more likely a beagle.

This is a pretty simple fix, depending on how demanding your audience is...luckily I had some great instruction from my client.

Step 1: Nubbin Prep

Okay, so you will just have to imagine what Barbie's hand looked like after a dog attack. My first step was to prepare the appendage for Sugru. Because the chewed part was so irregular (not that this 'able is regular), I opted to cut off the chewed part to give me a "blank canvas" so to speak.

I drilled two roughly perpendicular offset holes and inserted toothpicks in them. I trimmed the toothpicks so as to provide a solid foundation for the Sugru to grab on to.

Step 2: Prosthesis Attachment

My 4 year old daughter said, "I want her to have a monster hand like in Intergalactic Planetary." For those of you not fortunate enough to have seen this video, click the above link. There are a billion Sugru videos that are better at describing that process, so I will just say that I started with white and added enough red Sugru to match the mermaid bikini top, or as my daughter calls them "boob pads".

If you don't like fingerprint marks in your Sugru, I have found that keeping your fingers moving across the surface keeps them at bay. The ridges in the claw were made with a knife blade.

I opted for a lobster-esque monster hand...it was met with a smile and apparently passed inspection...