Western Publishing really liked Wet N Wild Barbie!

There is a different version of the 1990 Wet N Wild Barbie paper doll that was sold in 1991, stock number 1695.  This paper doll features the blue and green (wet) version of the swimsuit.

This is a deluxe paper doll set featuring a front cover photo of a Barbie wearing Private Collection 7096 from 1991, one of my favorite 1990s outfits.  It is also one of the paper doll outfits.  The clothing is from the Private Collection, JC Penney, Ski Fun and Costume Ball lines, among others.  There are additional clothes for you to color and cut out.

This is the front page to color.
The corresponding back page is used to make a tote.

The gold dress on the upper left was sold only at JC Penney.

This is the third Wet N Wild Barbie paper doll set.

My favorite Barbie fur coat ensemble!

Make a storage box for Beach Blast paper doll

Although it's dated 1990, the Beach Blast Barbie paper doll set has a doll and clothing from 1989.  Its stock number is 1523-2.

The cover shows Barbie in 1909 Springtime in Paris, and the paper doll is Beach Blast Barbie.  Fashions are from the Animal Lovin', Cool Times, Dance Club and Private Collection, among others.

A new gimmick on the back cover is a small square cardboard storage box to punch out and put together.  I imagine that future collectors, finding this box by itself, will be scrambling to figure out which doll or playset this goes with, never realizing that it originated with a paper doll!

Barbie looks very attractive in Paris Pretty 1909,
but this outfit was meant for adult collectors, not little girls.

I used to make boxes like this
out of construction paper in grade school!

I always think it is funny when a paper doll
is shown in her swimsuit and high heels!

Clothing runs the gamut
from simple shorts to glamorous gowns.

Deluxe paper doll sets have additional outfits

1990 also saw the introduction of deluxe paper doll Barbie sets, with additional clothing to be colored, much like a coloring book.

I have two almost-matching sets from 1990.  The first one has Lights N Lace Barbie on the front, and is stock number 1690.  The second one has Costume Barbie on the front, has a stock number of 1690-1, and is dated both 1990 and 1991.

The doll inside is All-Stars Barbie.  The pictures to be colored are very elaborate, and the printed clothes have vivid colors.  The outfits include Private Collection, Paris Pretty and Western Fun, among others. 

I personally prefer the photo
of Costume Ball Barbie on the cover.

All-Stars Barbie is an athletic doll,
but her outfits are very high fashion!

This gown is 4959 Backstage with Barbie,
and is pink, blue and silver.
I wonder what a little girl might have colored it with?

The gown on the upper right
is the original outfit for Costume Ball Barbie.

I wonder how many 'twin sets' there were?

Western Publishing chose to sell identical paper doll sets in different years by having different covers.  The Western Fun/Home Pretty Barbie is the third example of these twin sets that I own.

A paper doll folder featuring a drawing of Western Fun Barbie on the cover is dated 1990 and has stock number 1502.  A second folder featuring a photo of Home Pretty Barbie is dated both 1990 and 1991 and has stock number 1502-2.  The Western Fun set has a deep salmon colored background while Home Pretty is yellow.

Inside contents are the same.  The doll is Western Fun in a strapless swimsuit derived from her Western Fun outfit.  Some of the outfits are from the Western Fun, Costume Ball and Dinner Date lines.

On the left is the folder dated 1990
and the one on the right is dated 1991.

I love the background around the paper doll.

The outfit on the lower right is
the original outfit for Home Pretty Barbie.

The yellow background is much more attractive
than the dark pink.

Wet N Wild and Romantic Bride Barbie paper doll sets the same

Although their front covers are completely different, the contents and back of the 1990 Barbie paper doll sets are the same.

One cover has a drawing of a generic Barbie wearing The Beat fashion 4573.  The folder is dated 1990 and has stock number 1502-1.  The other cover has a photograph of 1990's Wedding Fantasy Barbie.  It is dated both 1990 and 1993 and has stock number 1502-5.  Everything else is identical and from 1990.

The paper doll is Wet N Wild Barbie.  Her clothing is from the All Star, The Beat, Ice Capades and Western Fun lines.

The Barbies pictured on the left are Wedding Fantasy,
Ice Capades, Western Fun and whom I assume is The Beat.

There are three additional outfit pieces
on the back to color and punch out.

The actual Wet N Wild Barbie's swimsuit
changed color when wet to blue and purple.

The real ski outfit came with purple skis.

2 versions of 1989 SuperStar Barbie paper dolls

Western sold two slightly different versions of the second series of SuperStar Barbie dolls, one in 1989, the other in 1991.  The dolls and clothes are the same; however, the covers and the tote bags are different.  The outfits are all from the 1989 SuperStar line except for one Paris Pretty outfit.

The 1989 stock number is 1537-2; the other one has both 1989 and 1991 dates on it and is 1537-3.

The 1989 SuperStar Barbie features a drawing
of her holding her Oscar? Emmy? Grammy?

The 1991 re-released paper doll set features
a much more attractive photograph of the doll's face.

The back cover punch-out makes a stage.
This is the 1989 version.

Note the new Barbie logo on the revised 1991 stage.

This is the 1989 tote bag.
The Barbie logo throughout most of the 1980s
was designed with elaborate lettering.

The 1991 tote bag is very plain
and features the new slanted sans serif logo.

The actual doll wore a silver starred bodysuit.

The outfit on the lower left is #3301 Model of the Year,
and came with the biggest hat ever made for Barbie,
which is not part of the paper doll set.

Here is the actual Model of the Year gown and hat.

Why is everybody grimacing?

The 1988 Perfume Pretty paper dolls are not at all attractive.  Both Barbie and Whitney are frowning and Ken's smile looks forced.  The stock number is 1500.

I also think the separate line of Perfume Pretty Barbie clothes were too mature for little girls and were definitely aimed at adult collectors.  They look like outfits a madam in a late 1800s Western brothel would wear.

 Barbie goes steampunk saloon girl
in her Perfume Pretty dresses.

 

The strips on either side of Whitney aren't stands,
they are cardboard bracelets for a little girl.

I can hear Barbie sighing, "Alas! Woe is me!"

Like the Jewel Secrets paper doll set of 1987,
it came with a cardboard necklace to wear.

The cover of Perfume Pretty has a vaguely Gothic feel.

Even Jewel Secrets paper dolls have odd details

I thought the 1987 Jewel Secrets dolls were beautiful.  Except for one detail.  I didn't have a problem with Ken's cape being a drawstring bag, but I HATED the girls' skirts that were drawstring bags.  The dolls could never stand properly in them!

The Western/Golden Jewel Secrets paper dolls, stock number 1537-1, also dated 1987, has a weird detail too.  Ken's hair is reddish brown and Whitney has auburn highlights, although both real dolls were brunettes.

The girl dolls are in their bodysuits (they are most definitely NOT bathing suits!) but Ken is in a tank top and boxers based on his tuxedo.  Their clothes are their full original costumes plus the separate outfits that were sold for each of them.

Did you know that these dolls were meant for Mardi Gras?  Their accompanying storybooks mention Rio de Janeiro and Carnival.

Don't have Jewel Secrets Whitney and can't afford her?
Try her paper doll version instead.

The little girl could cut out this cardboard choker
to have one like Barbie's.

The bows are also removable.

Paper doll Whitney will return in 1988.

The yellow gown is a Whitman design for Skipper
and the red gown is #1859 Ruby Rose of Rio.

old bulbs identification

 

The swimsuits are real-life colors but the bird has gone albino!

Miko joined Barbie's group of friends in 1986, both as an actual doll and as a paper doll.

Tropical Barbie, Ken, Skipper and Miko, the first of the swimsuit dolls after the Malibus were discontinued, were sold by Western in 1986, stock number 1523-1.  All four dolls wear their original swimsuits.

Also included was Barbie's macaw Tahiti (no, it's not a parrot).  The actual bird was red with multicolored wings but the paper bird version is white.

The clothes are all Whitman designs, not Mattel's.  A number of outfits with Hawaiian prints are included.

A piece of trivia about Miko:  In the book Mystery of Mermaid Bay, written by John Braden and published by Kid Stuff Records in 1987, you learn that her last name is Morrison.

On the back cover are Tahiti and its totem perch.

As far as I know, Mattel has never sold Aloha shirts
for Barbie and friends.

The actual Tropical Skipper was still a girl,
but the paper doll looks more mature.

For once, the paper dolls are wearing
the real dolls' swimsuits.

The paper doll rendition of Miko is much more Asian looking
than her actual doll counterpart.

Numerous Great Shape dolls out there, including paper dolls

The Great Shape line featured
the most athletic Barbie dolls ever.

It would have been nice if the actual dolls
had been able to do these stretches!

Skipper wears #4876 Pool Party
and Barbie is in a swimsuit
based on #4817 Jazz Dancing.

Ken is in his original outfit.
Note those six-pack abs!

Although the paper dolls were sold in 1985
the clothing pictured here is from 1984.

You can add the Great Shape paper dolls to the long list of variations of the 1984 Great Shape Barbie doll.  The doll herself came in various ethnicities, with various accessories, in two completely different outfits in America and Europe, and was a character in Toy Story 3.

Western sold the Great Shape paper dolls, Barbie, Ken and Skipper, in 1985, with stock number 1982-49.  The outfits are Mattel's, an assortment of 1984 Twice and Nice, Active and My First fashions.