Not Barbie on TV

In an earlier post, we reviewed a handful of Barbie’s television appearances on early Barbie sets. But Barbie, her friends, and rivals watched other programs, too. Let’s view a few.

First up is the 1963 Ideal house that was marketed for use by either Tammy or Barbie. This was a big house for its era, with kitchen, living room and bedroom in modern furnishings. On the black-and-white TV is a woman with Loretta Young looks and either a high fur collar or the most carefully-coiffured mullet on Earth.

Midge reclines in a prototype of the same house in the 1963 Sears catalog, with a similar show airing on the small TV in the built-in shelving unit at back. What looks like a second set, facing Midge but lacking a screen, is in reality a bulky side table or storage unit.

Actually, the prototype TV show looks like a cross between the production version above and Tammy’s second television set, below.

Ideal also made a house especially for their own doll, Tammy, in ’63. Tammy’s Ideal House, sometimes Tammy’s Playhouse, has color TV, and she’s watching an unknown blonde performer.

Tammy, the girl next door, was less likely than Barbie to see herself on air; but a portable plastic television that came with some of her accessory paks did show a figure with Tammy’s trademark pout on screen.

Over at the Littlechaps’ residence, still in ’63, the color TV shows a smiling brunette. This could be one of the Littlechap ladies, but we doubt it; like Tammy, they led private lives. This one looks a bit like a young Queen Elizabeth II, but for the lack of necklaces–maybe this is more of a homecoming queen, beauty queen or similar. The Bold Doll has an amazing article all about the Littlechaps, including images of the booklet advertising all their ephemera. Visible in the booklet (at the bottom of the article, but peruse the whole thing–it’s great) is a different (prototype) television, showing, in black and white, a possible newscaster or crooner before a microphone. The same version appeared on the Family Room’s packaging.

There was a glut of chipboard houses in 1963, imitators of Barbie’s original. Here’s a “Portable Doll House” we’ve only seen in Montgomery Ward’s catalogs, above. It looks like there’s a TV, but what’s on? Enhance!

We’ll venture that that’s a landscape at night–it could be anything, though.

In 1964 the housing market cooled, but we did get one new “clone” house, Tressy’s Penthouse. Tressy’s chic city lifestyle allowed for a modestly-sized, black-and-white television built into the shelves, and that does appear to be Tressy on screen.

Barbie and Skipper got new digs in ’64 as well. For the first time, Barbie wasn’t on TV, but their color television offered a selection of different programs, some of which are shown above (there were more options on the backs of those cards, as well). This marks Skipper’s first television appearance.

Skipper got her own room, with its own TV, in 1965. Since this looks like no other Barbie illustration in that time period, including multiple pictures of Barbie that came with the room, we’re forced to conclude that this is, surprisingly, not Barbie on Skipper’s TV. It looks a little like what Tammy was watching two years ago, though.

Francie’s 1966 bedroom set by Susy Goose included a small TV built into the bedframe. As shown in the inset, the collage on her headboard is repeated in miniature on TV. The collage includes photographs of teens dancing, record sleeves, and two record albums. Were there shows that looked this way in ’66?

Barbie and pals continued to own televisions after these years, but they were diminished in size, illustrated into the walls or shelving, and typically turned off. In the Seventies Barbie favored a more active lifestyle, which TV didn’t suit–except, of course, for her 1972 “busy” TV set, perfect for the girl on the go. That set was tuned, naturally, to a performance by Barbie.

Smile, ladies!

Where to next? This post is about Barbie’s early built environment. The most recent post in this category is part three of the Barbie’s Seventies Travelogue series, and the most popular are those on Mattel Modern and Susy Goose furniture and on penthouse apartments. Otherwise, the overall most popular posts on this site are about Barbie shoes, 1959-67, and about Mattel fashion booklets. Or just head up to the Table of Contents to see more options.