Saturday, November 4, 2017

Halloween costumes through the decades

Although advertised as Western Barbie, the accessories don't resemble the doll's outfit.
The 1965 large size Skipper costume
is much longer than the shorter dress.
I believe this was a toddler girl's costume.

Note the non-PC "flame retarded" wording on the box.
I think this Barbie Bride outfit mask is a little creepy.
I think it looks like one of the Gabors!





The cuffs and bolo tie will fit an adult,
but not the rest of the Western Dress-Up Set.

A pink version of the Homecoming Queen Skipper gown.

The microphone is a nice touch for a beauty queen set.

I own six Barbie and Skipper Halloween costumes, two from the 1960s, one from the 1970s, Ione from the 1980s and two from the 1990s.  I bought one new at the store; the rest were purchased at garage sales or antique shows.
The first two were based on Skipper's Silk N Fancy dress, with extra gold trim on the bodice.  The trim is referred to as "Sparkle Velvet."  These were made by Collegeville Costumes/Collegeville Flag & Manufacturing Co. of Collegeville, PA.  It's the large, size 12-14 (whatever that means), for which I have the box and mask, and then the other dress that I suppose is a small.  The box is dated 1964, but I assume it was for sale in 1965.  Note that the Skipper mask wears a headband.
The next costume, also made by Collegeville, is on a hanger rather than in a box.  The wedding dress says "Barbie Bride," dated 1977, I assume for the 1978 market.   This was sold in conjunction with the 1978 Beautiful Bride Barbie.  The back is soft white vinyl while the front is rayon.  The dress has browned with age and I tried cleaning it but nothing removed the faded color.
Number three is one of the first items I purchased as an adult collector.  I was at a garage sale and found a box of accessories known as Western Barbie Dress Up Kit by H-G Industries Inc. of Long Beach, NY.  The box is dated 1981, the year Western Barbie was sold, but I suppose the items were sold in 1982.  The box was missing the cowboy hat and vest, but I have the bolo tie, chaps, belt and cuffs.
My first 1990s item is another Skipper outfit.  I bought this item new at Woolworth's.  It is all soft vinyl and you could probably lose 10 pounds while sweating when wearing it.  It's called "Teen Fun Skipper" made by Hasbro for Ben Cooper.  (How did Mattel's competitor Hasbro end up with the rights to a Skipper item?) . The hanger says "Tiny-Tot/(3-5)" but I don't know if that the size or recommended age.  It came with a molded mask and was probably one of the last outfits sold with a mask before stores stopped selling them.  The dress is Barbie pink and pictured on it is a 1989 Homecoming Queen Skipper in a pink version of her gown.
Last was another garage sale purchase called "Barbie Beauty Queen."  One of the tags on the satin cape is a 1990s Barbie clothing tag and the other says it was made by Arco Toys (a 1980s and 1990s subsidiary of Mattel).  It also came with a hairbow, brush and comb.  The thing with the fuzzball on it is a fake microphone with an on/off switch, but I don't know how to open it or make it work.  The tiara says "Mattel, Inc., 1996," so I assume it was sold in 1997.
There is a word on the Collegeville costumes which is now politically incorrect.  Today outfits would say "flame retardant."

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