Barbie’s ’70s Travelogue, Part II: Unofficial Adventures

Last time, we looked at play sets representing various far-flung locales frequented by Barbie in the Seventies. While Mattel was shuttling their characters between mountains and beach, other manufacturers concocted their own dream destinations for Barbie and her rivals. Let’s review a few that helped further expand Barbie’s horizons.

A-frame Ski Lodge by Omlie Industries

The first notable entry in off-brand vacation destinations arose in 1973, one year after Barbie’s own Ski Cabin, and was intended “for all fashion dolls.” At 20 inches high with a Malm-style freestanding fireplace, the A-frame Ski Lodge managed to be both spacious and cozy, its hard plastic furniture in rich tones with stylish silhouettes.

If the folks at Omlie made any other Barbie-suitable play sets, we’re keen to learn about them.

Suntan Tuesday Taylor’s Vacation House by Ideal

The alpine fun continued at Tuesday Taylor’s chalet in ’77. A two-story structure with upper floor reachable by ladder, it boasted stunning views (as in Tuesday’s penthouse, photographed backgrounds offered panoramas through floor-to-ceiling “windows”). Its packaging also advertises its suitability for all 11 1/2″ dolls. Barbie was formally invited!

At Tuesday’s summer-winter getaway, the fun didn’t end with skiing. The second story flipped down and the cardboard inserts changed to convert chalet to beach bungalow.

Just like in her penthouse, Tuesday’s vacation decor was viscerally Seventies, including lots of curving, injection-molded plastic, houseplants, and a stereo system embedded in the coffee table. Her chairs had reversible cushions to suit her summer and winter moods, while the bed could be stripped to serve as a beach chair and the dresser flipped to reveal a kitchenette.

The walls could be swapped between a surf-y supergraphics aesthetic and a cold-climate wood look with funky triangular shelves depicted on one wall.

See some great pictures of Tuesday and her environs at crissyandbeth.com.

Hawaiian Villa by Empire

Just down the beach from Tuesday’s bungalow we find Empire’s 1976 Hawaiian Villa, another set produced for fashion dolls, generally–from 7″ up to Barbie’s height, per the packaging. Indeed, the box above shows a petite fashion doll in residence, dwarfed by her own chair (and garment). Surely the target tenant was closer to Barbie’s size.

Empire’s gimmick was that its rooms folded up accordion-style into their trapezoidal roofs for carrying and storage, an interesting choice when you consider that a roof is really inessential to most play sets and can even hinder play. In photographs, this villa’s non-removable roof tends to make it look less sun-drenched than it otherwise might.

The structure and furniture were made of heavy chipboard, the house walls printed both inside and out with doors, windows and other decorations. The bamboo-look furniture included a sofa, chair, some tables, a radio and hi-fi.

Rustic Lakehouse by Empire

Empire’s other 1976 vacation structure is another waterfront folding room, this one geared to a forested getaway. With duck decoy decor and a chair upholstered in cannons and eagles, this set looks downright masculine. It appears to be home base for a fishing expedition or other sportsman-like activity, perhaps an offbeat choice for a Teen-Age Fashion Model but potentially of use to the more adventurous Malibu crowd.

Is that a polar bearskin rug? Some exotic wildlife must roam these parts.

The Bionic Woman’s Bionic Dome

Another ’76 set, this one is “where Jaime Sommers goes for days of fun,” per the box art above. Not versed in Bionic lore, I initially thought this set to be a technofantastic tent reimagined for Bionic missions abroad–for work, not leisure–with the clear plastic dome and its contents meant to be invisible to Jaime Sommers’ foes. In reality only the dome itself is (mostly) clear, leaving its neon-bright contents in plain view–an operational vulnerability for sure.

Luckily the ’76 JC Penney Christmas catalog, not pictured, further emphasizes that the set is really “for rest and relaxation,” and goes on to say of the bra top and wrap skirt Sommers wears on the box art, which could be mistaken for beach attire, “Includes evening outfit shown.” Disco chic? Anyway, this is a dome on the move that might manifest just down the shoreline from the Lakehouse–or pretty much anywhere else. Like the A-Frame ski lodge that kicked off this post, the Bionic Dome sports varied seating (beach chair and chair-chair, in this case) and a nice MCM fireplace; and since we’re between missions, it’s no concern if the smoke gives away our position.

Sears/Kenner Airline Reservation System

Our last entry, from 1978, isn’t a destination at all, but an airline reservation may have helped Barbie (or Tuesday, or Jaime) get where she needed to go. The catalog entry above, from the second year the set was sold, shows Wonder Woman hard at work booking reservations, though she herself did not fly commercial. The airline reservation system consisted of extensive high-tech computer equipment, communicators, a world map, and clocks showing times from desirable round-the-world destinations: San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Rome, New York, and London.

The set also features a file cabinet labeled “Top Secret.” Top secret airline bookings? Maybe for the Bionic Woman. Or maybe because this set was produced alongside the Sears Computer Play sets, with their Man from U.N.C.L.E./espionage vibes.

Can’t get enough of Barbie’s travel arrangements? Tune in next time!

Where to next? This post is about Barbie’s early built environment. The most recent post in this category is about Japanese exclusive furniture, and the most popular are those on Mattel Modern and Susy Goose furniture and on penthouse apartments. 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.