Category: illustration

• Queen of the Prom, AKA the Barbie game

  In 1960 Mattel developed a gorgeous board game for its brand new character, Barbie, and her boyfriend Ken. Titled “the Barbie game” upon its 1961 release, it’s better known by its subtitle, “Queen of the Prom.” Never mind that the Barbie close-up on the box lid and the fashion illustrations–of Enchanted Evening, Silken Flame, Let’s…

  sheathsensation

  November 26, 2023

  illustration

  1961, 1963, ken, midge, sheath sensation, silken flame, skipper, vintage barbie, vintage reproduction, vintage reproduction barbie

• Basic and dressed doll boxes

  Basic Barbie boxes The first boxes in which Barbies were sold came decorated with illustrations that were simultaneously more detailed and softer in style than the fashion booklets of the time; where the booklet sketches employed heavy lines, the illustrations on the first dolls’ packaging were mostly without lines, except where needed, as in their…

  sheathsensation

  November 17, 2023

  illustration

  1961, 1962, 1963, after five, enchanted evening, ken, midge, red flare, silken flame, vintage barbie

• Barbie’s Keys to Fame

  Illustrations from the Keys to Fame game. Source for all images in this post: statestpac2011 on eBay. A funny little mid-Sixties board game, Barbie’s Keys to Fame illustrates a number of possible futures for the one-time Teen-Aged Fashion Model, each emblematic of a “key” to fame: the stamina of the Ballerina, the style of the…

  sheathsensation

  October 14, 2023

  illustration

  1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, after five, barbie keys to fame game, vintage barbie

• Visions of Solo in the Spotlight

  sheathsensation

  October 4, 2023

  illustration, Musings

  1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, booklets, carrying cases, paper dolls, vintage barbie

• Fashion Booklets

  The first, foremost, and most famous source of vintage Barbie illustrations is, of course, the fashion booklet. When we assess the drawings on items like carrying cases, doll packaging, and sewing patterns, our evaluations often center on similarities to and differences from the booklet versions. Within the booklets, there are hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations to…

  sheathsensation

  September 14, 2023

  illustration

  1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, after five, booklets, red flare, sheath sensation, skipper, vintage barbie

• Clone Carrying Cases

  We previously discussed some of the gorgeous fashion illustrations that graced the lids of Barbie’s early carrying cases and other various totables; concurrently with these, an assortment of off-brand and competitor cases boasted similar stylish graphics. Like Barbie’s official carrying cases, they also offered alternate color palettes in otherwise identical cases, as you may find…

  sheathsensation

  September 10, 2023

  clones, illustration

  ideal, miner, misty, tammy, tara toy, vanity fair, weldseal

• Random House Books (1962-1965)

  Starting in 1962, Random House released a series of books set in the Barbieverse, and naturally, those books were illustrated. By themselves, the books’ covers, like those above, form a nice collection of illustrations; however, the interiors have even more to offer, and we’ll detail a few favorites here. Almost unique within the annals of…

  sheathsensation

  August 20, 2023

  illustration

  1962, 1964, 1965, after five, silken flame, vintage barbie

• 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

  August 6, 2023

  built environment, illustration

  1966, barbie family deluxe house, case rooms, dream house, francie, vintage barbie

• Sidebar: Color Magic Illustrations

  The Color Magic line was a juggernaut for Barbie circa 1966, and with it came a raft of illustrations used for advertising and instructions. The image above is a run-of-the-mill fashion booklet spread like all ensembles merited in those days, but do a little more digging–from the dolls themselves, to the fashions, to the Sew-Free…

  sheathsensation

  July 16, 2023

  illustration

  1966, 1967, vintage barbie

• 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

  July 15, 2023

  built environment, illustration

  1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, after five, midge, skipper, whitman, whitman coloring books