Barbie World of Fashion Game

Barbie World of Fashion from 1968 is the prettiest--and the weirdest--of the Barbie board games. The artwork on the box and the molded playing area is stunning, but unfortunately there is no indication as to who did the artwork.
The game was sold in 1968, and as you recall, Ken was not sold in 1967 and 1968. The premise is that Barbie, Francie, Casey and Skipper go off on their own ways to shop around the world and meet guys. If you land on certain spaces, you can collect money. On other spaces, you can buy 1968 outfits. I think that any girl could buy any outfit, despite the fact that the outfit may not have been made for that particular doll. The prices are odd, even for 1968. The wedding gown and the party clothes range from $70 to $100. The cheapest is Barbie's lingerie for $10. But some of the prices seem "off," even for 1968. For instance, Posy Party, which is a thin party dress, is $50, but Warm N Wonderful, with its fur coat, heavy dress and boots, is $30.
But that's the least weirdest aspect of the game! If Barbie is 18, Francie and Casey are 16, and Skipper is 12, why are they running off individually to go all over the world?! And who are these men they can date, who seem to range in age between 20 and 35? The most obnoxious items are the answering machine messages from the guys they meet. For instance, one says, "I hear you dated my roommate. It's all over. Send back photo."
In other words, the game seems to be a cross between Monopoly and Gossip Girl. What was Mattel thinking?