Tag: vintage barbie
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Barbie’s ’70s Travelogue, Part III: Arrive in Style
In the first two posts in this series, we covered new and exciting destinations that opened their doors to Barbie during the Seventies. Whether it was a ski holiday, a fishing trip, or a beach vacation, while Sixties Barbie could dress for the occasion, only Seventies Barbie ever arrived. But did she arrive… in style?…
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Sidebar: Miss Lively Livin’ game (1970)
Because of its gorgeous design, we’ll briefly pause to appreciate one last Barbie board game of the vintage and mod eras, even though its art uses photographs in lieu of hand-illustrated characters. The whole package is such a sumptuous rainbow that it’s irresistible. Look closely at corner squares on the board to see shots of…
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The Barbie World of Fashion game (1967)
We’ve noted before how the lush illustrations of the Queen of the Prom and Keys to Fame board games enriched the world of Barbie visuals in the early-mid ’60s. In the mod era “lush” was less on-trend, but 1967’s Barbie World of Fashion game, with its travel-focused play, was illuminated by bright, bold interpretations of…
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Illustrated fashion packaging
Barbie’s early ensembles were sold in boxes with cellophane fronts that neatly displayed the contents, along with black-and-white illustrated backs featuring a bit of snappy text. Only for a short while did Barbie appear alone on any packages; once Midge was introduced, even the earlier fashions still in production came in updated packaging that included…
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Japan-exclusive furniture (1967)
“There’s lots of fun furniture, too!” enthuses a 1967 Barbie booklet produced for the Japanese market. “Desks, chairs, reception sets, and other colorful furniture with a twist. Have even more fun with Barbie! Yellow dress with red chair… your dreams will fill your heart.” (Translation is very approximate.) And there are pictures, too. Two versions…
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Sidebar: Go-Together furniture sets, illustrated
Our write up of Barbie’s Go-Together furniture for the many abodes of Barbie series pauses to appreciate the immersive representations on the sets’ packaging. Let’s revisit that imagery more comprehensively. The first box art featured ponytail Barbie. Two sets featured the Fashion Queen. In one illustration Barbie is a bubble cut, while another appropriately features…
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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…
sheathsensation
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More crafts and hobbies (1963-1971)
In past entries we’ve seen how Whitman broadened the early Barbie illustration space through their paper doll sets and coloring books, but those are just the tip of the iceberg; here are some other Whitman products that helped define Barbie visually during the first dozen-ish years. “Barbie and Ken” jigsaw puzzles were produced starting in…
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Barbie’s ’70s Travelogue, Part I: The Mountains are Calling
At the conclusion of our Many Abodes of Barbie series, we noted that the Seventies would bring a new focus to Barbie’s built environment, this time outside the domicile. Today we reveal that that focus is travel, and during this decade Barbie exhibited a strong preference for mountain getaways. Consider Exhibit A: Barbie’s 1972 Mountain…
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Sidebar: Mattel Fashions for Julia
Among Barbie’s 1960s celebrity pals, Julia must have had the biggest star turn. Witness: the dolls are still plentiful 50+ years later, implying brisk sales; and of the three “personality” dolls, only Julia received both her own line of fashions and a re-release as a Talking doll (Twiggy also had a fashion line, while Truly…
Silken Flame 