march 30, 2014, new epier and etsy listings

Growing Up Skipper doll and outfit pieces
http://www.epier.com/product.asp?1795468

Hot Looks paper dolls
https://www.etsy.com/listing/184501634/1988-golden-paper-dolls-of-four-mattel?

Hot Locks Go in Style Action Pack
https://www.etsy.com/listing/184531029/1987-mattel-hot-looks-dolls-go-in-style

Hot Looks Clutch Purse & Jewerly Set
https://www.etsy.com/listing/184531597/1988-hot-looks-clutch-purse-jewelry-set

next doll show

The Queen City Beautiful Doll Club has its spring show on Sunday, April 6, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. US Eastern time.  It will be at the Sharonville Holiday Inn, 3855 Hauck Road, off of Interstate 275 north of Cincinnati.  Admission is $4 for adults, with children 12 and under free.  For information, email askmargie@... or askmargie@...
I'm not setting up a table.  I will be working at the door taking admissions from noon-2 p.m. that day.
Here is a copy of the flier.

Skipper's 50th birthday

Skipper turned the big 5-0 more than a month ago, but it is only now that I have been able to photograph and write about her various birthday party outfits.  I've divided her dresses by decade and have included some accessories if I own them.
Some of the ensembles aren't immediately apparent as being for birthday parties; it's only by their name or extras that you can figure that out.  This is not a complete list; it's just of the ones I own.  Unless otherwise noted, the dolls and outfits are from the same year.


1960s, left to right
Twist N Turn blonde in #1974 Eeny, Meeny, Midi (came with a wrapped gift), 1969
bend leg blonde in pack Party Pink, 1965
Twist N Turn brunette in #1955 Posy Party (the hose will not fit over her legs), 1968
straight leg blonde in #1914 Platter Party, 1965
Twist N Turn blonde in #1970 Ice Cream N Cake (came with a sundae), 1969
bend leg redhead in #1924 Tea Party, 1965
straight leg brunette in #1919 Happy Birthday, 1965
The dolls on the left have two of the My Merry Skipper invitations.
Posy Party and Ice Cream N Cake were two of my to-die-for outfits as a little girl.  As an adult collector, they were some of the first things I bought.




1970s, left to right
SunSet Malibu in #9512 We're Having a Party and You're Invited, 1976 (originally came with an invitation that said this, but I don't have one)
blonde Twist N Turn  in #1513 Young Ideas (came with a wrapped gift), 1970
Pose N Play in #3297 Party Pair (I don't have the shoes or stockings), 1972
SuperTeen in #9746 Lacey Charmer and Party Timer
1978 SunSet Malibu in #9707 Garden Party from 1977







1980s, left to right
Teen Time in #2608 Party in Pink (the leggings will not fit over her legs), 1989
Super Dance in #5816 Party Perfect, 1983
Party Teen Fun in her original outfit, 1988











1990s, left to right
Beauty Pageant in Party N Play #9028, 1991
Baby Sitter in Party N Play #9043, 1991
Sun Jewel in pack Pretty for Parties, 1994
Cool Tops in Trendy Teen #714-6, 1990
Porcelain Happy Birthday in her original outfit, 1994
Tropical Splash in #12618 Tea Set for Two (a contemporary rendition of Posy Party), 1995

Last but not least, I am showing you a 1964 blonde straight leg Skipper in her original swimsuit, standing next to the 1984 Sun Gold Malibu Skipper.  The Malibu doll is wearing #4876 Pool Party from 1984, which is Skipper's unofficial 20th birthday outfit.



The birthday cards are--ahem--mine.

March 15, 2013, new etsy item

TV Guide, Oct. 11, 1986
https://www.etsy.com/listing/182852483/tv-guide-oct-11-1986-la-law-corbin?

polka dots, again

Every time I would see a Barbie outfit with multicolored polka dots, something would nag me at the back of my brain.  I knew there was a children's book I was thinking of, but the title and topic were buried deep in my subconscious and I couldn't dig them out.
About six weeks ago, I figured out the book.  It is Robert Lopshire's Put Me in the Zoo, originally published in 1960.  It's still in print.  I must have read it at some point although I never owned a copy.  The book is about a polka-dotted mastiff-like creature who can do all sorts of tricks with his spots.
I borrowed the book from the library recently and then compared the cover with some of my polka dot outfits.  What you see pictured is the book with Quick Curl Barbie in #7703 Authorized United Airlines Stewardess Uniform, both from 1973, and Mrs. Heart and Megan Heart from 1985 in #3197 Raincoats from 1987.
A warning note about the vinyl raincoats.  I bought the set new in 1987, removed the coats and accessories from the box, and placed them in a Ziploc bag.  When I took out the coats today, their vinyl had started to meld with the plastic bag. I will not put them back in the bag as they have deteriorated badly.
Some other multicolored polka dot outfits I know about:
1966 Barbie #1649 Lunch on the Terrace.
1968 Francie #1213 Pazam!
1968 Skipper #1958 Patent N Pants.
1988 Teen Fun Party Teen Skipper's original outfit.
1991 One of the Skipper Trendy Teen outfits has a skirt with this pattern.
There are also umpteem bicolored polka dot outfits; that is, the background is one color and the spots another.  I'm only writing about clothing with more than one color of dots.

March 6, 2014, new epier and etsy items

On epier:
Barbie Ski Fun 4080 stretch pants
http://www.epier.com/product.asp?2115631

On etsy:
Ken Fashion Collectible 1380 striped shirt
https://www.etsy.com/listing/181784254/ken-1980-fashion-collectible-1380?