Silken Flame

Vintage Barbie illustrations, built environment, clones and more

Barbie’s ’70s Travelogue, Part IV: “…And I Must Go”

3 panels of photos showing blonde fashion dolls immersed in blue or green bathtubs full of suds.

The previous installment being an appendix, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Travelogue had ended–but Barbie’s still got one last frontier to traverse before the decade wraps. (Your appendix is in the middle of your body, too.) Before we tackle the subject at hand, let’s review how Barbie, from her earliest days, attended to her business.

Barbie could always powder her nose. Of ten 1960s domiciles we reviewed in the Many Abodes of Barbie series, eight boasted a vanity with mirror and stool–starting from the very first Dream House in ’62. Standalone vanities were even available, from the Susy Goose furniture set in 1964, proceeding to a Barbie and Skipper vanity/carrying case in ’65.

Two panels, first the exterior of a carrying case labeled "Barbie and Skipper Vanity Trunk" with an illustration of blonde Barbie and Skipper fixing their hair at two mirrors; Skipper's is lower on the wall than Barbie's. They wear pink robs and Skipper's leg in a pajama pant and red slipper is visible. In front of them are two narrow tables or shelves covered with cosmetics. Right panel is the case interior, inside which the two mirrors are attached to the wall over two slim shelves, each on two legs that are molded onto the wall. In front are two ruffled yellow chairs with heart-shaped backs, molded from plastic.
Vanity Trunk exterior and interior via kthlnjane on eBay.

Subsequent standalone vanities included a ’68 dressing room case as well as the Action Beauty Scene and Quick Curl Boutique–both detailed in our post on beauty parlors–in ’71 and ’73. Yes, Barbie’s world furnished ample opportunities to powder one’s nose.

Barbie could also wash her hands, if she didn’t mind using the kitchen sink, starting in 1964 with her New Dream House‘s kitchenette, or even earlier, in ’63, in Deluxe Reading’s Dream Kitchen assuming third party offerings qualify (as they will in this post).

But where could Barbie go to freshen up?

From West Germany came an entirely new type of room in 1974. The play set, consisting of a shower/tub combo, washstand, and linens, all on a pedestal affixed to two walls, was produced by Martin Fuchs company; in the US it was a Montgomery Ward exclusive. Such was Barbie’s need for personal hygiene, this set stayed in circulation right up to the decade’s end.

As described, two steps up to a plantform to which two walls are attached. On the londer of the two walls are a tub and washstand, backed by blue and white tile. Over the sink on a narrow ledge sits a cup with toothbrushes. A red towel hangs next to the sink and a red floormat sits beneath. Next to this is blue bathtub with a shower head extending up and a shower curtain drawn back. BLonde Quick Curl Barbie sits in the tub, covered in bubbles (this is one of the images from the top of the post).
’75 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalog image via Wishbook Web.

Where was Mattel during all this? Well, they did include a nod to bathing in the wall details alongside the vanity of their 1974 Town House:

Wall details that look like a paper collage. Atop an olive green vanity with long mirror sits a yellow envelope clutch, a pair of white cats-eye sunglasses with blue frames, and a pot of dailies. Wall art continues the flower motif. A racquet leans on the vanity, accompanied by a little pyramid of three white balls. To the left, there's an appearance of a recessed area with a shag area rug, a white tub, white shower curtain, yellow striped wallpaper, and a plant hanging on the striped wall.
Townhouse wall via jrsgirl on eBay.

But the decorater didn’t seem confident of the room’s function, tossing in storage for sporting equipment, plus a houseplant mounted on the shower wall. Lathering and rinsing activities are merely implied by a curtain and hint of tub–really anything could be back there. we don’t count this one.

Mattel then attempted a tangible, palpable shower, one with real water, in the Room-Fulls Vanity and Shower set the following year.

Color catalog image. In a photo, there is a small playset shaped like a shoebox up on end. A pink-walled chamber is formed with a clear curtain covering the open side. The fourth wall is swung open and has a green-and-yellow striped wallpaper look with a hanging yellow-and-pink "framed mirror" beneath which sits a semicircular table and round stool, both covered in pink polka-dotted material. A yellow tower or bathmat sits nearby on the floor, partially covered by a printed number 16. To the side, text reads: "15. Studio Bedroom. Incl. plastic couch with fabric cover, 2 bolster pillows, one chair, stuffed elephant. Chipboard backdrop setting. 49C31099 - Wt. 1 lb - $.3.97; 16. Vanity and shower. Opens to reveal print fabric covered table, stool, plastic mirror, 11 1/2-in. high shower sprays when you add water. Also, plastic shower curtain, terry towel, bath mat, hand mirror, comb, brush, soap, sponge. Vinyl frame. 49C31091 - Wt. 1 lb 8 oz. - $7.95."

We know this because of the ’75 Sears Wishbook, apart from which there’s no evidence of any such play set. Though advertised, it does not appear to have been manufactured.

In ’76, at last, the official Barbie Beauty Bath debuted. With frothing tub ringed by windows, plus the requisite vanity with mirror and stool all in a “garden-like setting” (but no washstand), it represented meaningful progress in Barbie’s canonical hygiene journey.

Packaging for "Barbie Beauty Bath; Bubbles bubble like magic!" shows an aqua-colored plastic structure consisting of two tiled steps up to a bath, with walls on two sides including large arched windows with greenery and flowers screened onto clear platic. On the outside at one end is a pink semicircular shelf attached to the side of the structure with a pink low-backed swivel stool and an oblong mirror attached to the wall. The mirror is surrounded with studs that suggest lightbulbs although they are of the same aqua plastic as the structure. A yellow towel hangs at the far end of the bath. A Barbie with mod face but no rooted lashes--like the Sweet 16 doll, maybe--and her hair in a bun sits in the bath holding a couple pink plasti cbrushes, covered in foam. This part of the image appeared in the image at the top of the post.
via littlebitt01 on eBay

This set returned in the early ’80s as Barbie’s Bubble Bath. By then it was awash in pink.

Mattel followed up in ’77 with the surprising array of mobile plumbing available inside the Star Traveler. In addition to the expected kitchenette sink, the bus housed a shower stall and, in the bedroom, what we believe to be Barbie’s first official hand sink. A compact vanity rounded out the space, creating “a cozy corner for prettying up” (per the box).

Two panels from Star Traveler bus packaging. Left is a photograph of Superstar Barbie sitting next to an L-shaped counter. To one side is a sink with white basin and silver fixtures; to the other a mirror opens up from the counter by raising a lid. Space for cosmetics is illustrated beneath. The second is a line drawing of the bus with part of the exterior cut away. We can see the same corner with sink and mirror in the back of the bus, along with a drawer that opens out beneath the vanity and two bunk beds completing the horseshow shape of the back room. Next to this room, off a narrow hallway, is a tight tile-look stall with shower head. Opposite the shower stall, across the hall, looks like a coat closet. The van continues beyond the edge of the frame.
Box graphics show the “cozy corner” plus a cutaway view of the back half of the vehicle, including the shower stall, via wingmyth on eBay.

In ’77 Empire brought new depth to these scenes with its Powder Room, a fully realized space with detailed screening containing a vanity with mirror and seat, a washstand, a tub, and a bench, all of chipboard, in an ornate setting beneath a “glass”-paned ceiling. Like other Empire destinations the Lake House and Hawaiian Villa, the set collapsed into its own roof for storage and portability.

Chipboard room photograph. The walls are golden yellow with green columns that spread like palm trees at the top. To one side hang red curtains (illustrated on the wall) drawn back to revewl shelves of bottles, flowers, and cloths. There are some potted plants hanging on another section of wall and illustated standing along the base of the wall, and mirror illustrated on one side. The trapezoidal top of the structure is printed with skylight panels, "glass' indicated by white streaks on pale blue, in ornate green frames. In the room are pieces of chipboard furniture listed in the text. The "tub" is actually just a chipboard corner to attach to the corner of the room to form the shape. It's composed of a higher wall in marble look outlined by a lower wall in green and yellow tile look.
via Past Joys Toys on eBay

As the decade drew to a close, in 1978 Marx Toys debuted a Complete Bathroom Scene–Complete!–consisting of bathtub, washstand, and linens. The set was designed for Sindy but still sized appropriately for Barbie to share. In ’79 the tub was supplanted by a shower stall.

Several picture from box packaging of (as text on the images indicates) "Sindy's Complete Bathroom Scene." The pieces are all a medium blue color with some white accents, and consist of a washstand (sink with wall-mounted mirror on a bit of white wall), bathrub, and shower stall with two clear plastic doors, both embossed with an "S" that come to about chest height. Also shown are yellow washcloths, ruggs, and towels hanging from assorted towel bars.
Sindy’s 1978 and 1979 Complete Bathroom Scenes via ATX Drew the Flipper and NOT WALMART on eBay.

Across the pond, the original Sindy by Pedigree had been enjoying mustard-hued versions of these amenities–and others–for a handful of years already.

And there we have it: all that’s needed for Barbie and pals to freshen up, and not a single piece of essential plumbing missing. What a relief!

Color catalog image of bend-leg Barbie and Midge in their original swimsuits. Midge sits on a low bucket-looking white shape white her ankles crossed. Barbie sits close by on a higher, white-painted wood block. To me, at a glance it looks like Barbie is perched on a counter next to Midge on a commode, although on closer inspection the objects they're sitting on aren't really supposed to represent anything, they're just showing off the then-new bend-leg capability. Text next to them indicates they're each $2.79.

This concludes our ’70s Travelogue. If you missed them, earlier entries covered Mattel’s travel destinations, off-brand destinations, conveyances, and luggage. Or head up to the table of contents to see other subjects we’ve tackled.

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