Perkins Lincoln pattern A26994

My mail order envelope

The photo of Ricky, Ken, Barbie and Skooter that came with the instructions

Front view of the women's gowns.
There was also a veiled cap for Barbie but I cannot find it.

Side view of the gowns.
As soon as I put the cap on Casey,
I heard her say in a British accent, "Blimey!"

The 1969 Twist N Turn Skippers with the curly ponytails
are quite era-appropriate for their dresses.

Even though the man's coat is supposed to represent the 1860s,
I still think early 1700s Barnabas Collins every time I see it!

The Perkins historical patterns were dated 1968, and first showed up in the back page ads of craft magazines in 1969.  They were still advertised in the mid-1970s, which is when I bought the Lincoln Family pattern.  But I didn't get around to making the outfits until I was in college in the early 80s, as that was then I had gotten my first job and had extra spending money.  At that point, I was able to purchase real fabrics such as satin and felt ribbon at the store for the patterns.

There were five Perkins patterns:  A26992 Colonial Family, A26993 Pioneer Family, A26994 Lincoln Family, A26995 Daniel Boone Family and A26996 Pilgrim Family.

I made two of the woman's gowns, one for my PJ doll and a slightly altered one for my Francie.  I made two Skipper-size dresses for my Twist N Turn and Living Skippers.  The Ken suit was actually fun to make, and I was able to combine some of the steps of making it.

You will notice that the pattern picture has an odd assortment of Barbies: Ricky, early straight leg Ken, Twist N Turn Barbie and a bend leg Skooter.  I didn't make the boy doll outfit because A) I didn't have a boy doll at the time, and B) I never heard of Ricky until I started collecting a few years later.  I didn't add all of the accessories shown in the picture, and obviously didn't make the top hat.

All the dolls are from 1969: Brunette Talking Barbie, brunette Twist Casey (note that her hair has not oxidized), Talking Ken, and blonde and brunette Twist N Turn Skippers.