Category: built environment
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The Many Abodes of Barbie, Part VII: 1970
In 1970 the best Barbie house arrived. A controversial statement, to say the least: among vintage Barbie Dream House enthusiasts, the chipboard diehards clearly feel differently, and for many plastic aficionados the great, timeless houses came later in the decade. However, we’ll present compelling evidence that the Lively Living House (and the Surprise House, which…
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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,…
sheathsensation
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Sidebar: All the Barbie and friends illustrations on mod house exteriors
Note: the character illustrations on the ’67 World of Barbie house above also appear in “World of Barbie Fashions” booklets from 1966-67, and the same illustrations and positioning are used on the exterior of the (otherwise differently designed) elusive German case home, Villa Barbie. For more habitable case illustrations, see the Sleep-n-Keep section in our…
sheathsensation
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The Many Abodes of Barbie, Part VI: 1969
When we last checked in on Barbie, she was living in a two-room “World of Barbie Family House,” her most sprawling home since her chipboard days. In 1969 life got better again for Barbie with the New Family House. At a glance the folded-up house, above, looks pretty similar to the old family house; but…
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Fireplaces, 1963-79
Winter weather moved in last week and put me in the mood to huddle near pictures of mid-century toy fireplaces. Join me!
sheathsensation
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The Many Abodes of Barbie, Part V: 1967-68
In Barbie’s mod housing saga, the parade of small houses continued in 1967 with additional Sears exclusives, the “House-Mates” for Barbie, Francie, and Tutti: These cozy quarters, with their few furniture pieces mostly nailed to the floor, inhabited a grey zone between house and case room, with a couple aspects differentiating House-Mates from Sleep-‘n-Keep cases:…
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Skipper’s Schoolroom (1965) and the play sets that never were
A Sears exclusive in 1965 and 1966, Skipper’s Schoolroom was notable as the first Mattel play set where Barbie went only to work (she may have worked or shopped at the Fashion Shop, and the Little Theatre similarly had multiple uses), as well as the last public space introduced to the Barbiesphere for a handful…
sheathsensation
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Beauty Parlors (1964-1977)
Tressy’s was first, in 1964. Introduced by American Character the year prior, she had the most sophisticated hair play for the time among Barbie and her rivals, with a lock of hair that lengthened and shortened by two separate mechanisms (a button to press and key to turn). Tressy’s Beauty Salon wasn’t functional–it didn’t add…
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The Many Abodes of Barbie, Part IV: 1966
During the Sixties, Americans imported Mini cars and miniskirts from Swinging London, while Barbie innovated a “mini” all her own: the cramped accommodations she and her social circle favored in the second half of the decade. We got our first taste in the 1965 episode with the Sears exclusive “Deluxe” house; in the following year…
sheathsensation
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Whitman Coloring Books (1962-1965)
Whitman’s coloring books are the Midge to their own paper dolls’ Barbie: a little less popular, a little less pretty, but still they hold a special place in our hearts. You can recognize the cover art, above, from paper dolls, fashion booklets and other media; the interior pages, however, are almost totally unique. One thing…
sheathsensation
Silken Flame 