1969 Talking dolls had great variation

There were seven Talking dolls sold in 1969:  Barbie, Ken, Christie, Brad, Stacey, PJ and Truly Scrumptious (Sally Anne Howe).  I will write about Ken in a future article.  I own three 1969 Talking Barbies, one additional Barbie head and one Talking Stacey, so the article will focus on them.

I don't know if this is true of all of this year's dolls, but my 1969 Talkers have much more hair than their 1968 counterparts.  Note that Barbie's ponytail is always on the right while Stacey's is always on the left.  The bodies were made in Mexico.  The dolls of earlier in the year had heads from Japan and wore the 1968 pink sleeveless sweater and pink plastic panties.  The dolls later in the year wore an orange bikini and a lacy coverup, and their heads were from Hong Kong.

The dolls' backs had 29 holes.  I am assuming it was a cost-cutting measure in eliminating the process to make more holes.

Yes, I had to wrap sealing tape around one doll's hips to make her legs stay on.

Three holes were eliminated in the back for the girl talkers.

Talking Stacey dolls seem to be sturdier than Talking Barbie,
as I have not yet seen a Stacey in pieces.

Banana yellow was the "in" color in Willows in 1969.
The outfits are, from left to right, (unnumbered) Smasheroo,
 1484 Yellow Mellow with the 1864 Close Ups half slip peaking underneath the skirt,
1477 Hurray for Leather, and 1862 Country Capers.

The sleeveless coverup/vest that was sold with the 1969 Talking Barbies
confused many collectors (including me).
The lack of a Barbie tag, only a Hong Kong label
lead people to believe that it is a Shillman or Mego article of clothing.

I have a 1969 brunette Talking Barbie head but no body.

Mod Talking dolls beautiful but fragile

The dolls sold between 1968 and 1976 are of two types: those that are indestructible and those that fell apart within a year or two.  Most of the Twist n Turn dolls and the Malibus would survive being run over by a tank.  Beginning with the Talking dolls in 1968, however, their survival rate is another story.

My first article on this subject will be about the 1968 Barbie talking dolls.  My sister, Barb, got Talking Barbie for Christmas and I received Talking Stacey.  Poor Talking Barbie lost her legs within two years.  I don't know whatever happened to my Stacey; I think I gave her away since with her white hair I thought she was a grandmother doll.  (Barb got a Living Barbie and I received Twist n Turn PJ as replacements in 1970.) Ironically, their original outfits and their plastic stools are still with us, impossible to kill.

The Talking dolls' bodies and heads varied over the years.  In the first year, the bodies were made in Mexico and their backs had 32 holes.  The heads were made in Japan, and their pink plastic panties had Japan tags.

The problem with a 1968 Talking Barbie begins with her torso.  The plastic is much harder than other dolls and quickly becomes brittle.  The knobs that connect the arms and legs break off.  In recent years, the neck rims of my dolls have also broken off.  The used dolls I've picked up at flea markets have had unusual surgery to repair the limbs.  The owners must have had an awl to pierce the hips all the way through.  One has a nail through her legs and groin; the other has had elastic sewn through the upper legs and lower torso.  I've heard of having a pin in one's hip but this is ridiculous!

My own solution has been sheer sealing/packing tape for the limbs, plus I have Super-glued the heads to the necks.

I've often wondered if Mattel was aware of these problems with the limbs even when production first began.  I know that the hips were made looser so that Barbie could cross her ankles modestly.  The panties that came with the first Talking dolls (Barbie, Christie and Stacey) are form fitting and they help hold the legs in place.

Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch!
The brunette on the left
has a nail through her hips;
the light brown doll on the right
has had her hips sewn to her torso!!

The first Talking dolls came with plastic seats.
Left to right are the seat for Barbie,
an extra head I have and another seat.
On the right are the seat I still own for Stacey
plus her swimsuit and another swimsuit bottoms I have acquired.

Note that the right leg of the Barbie on the left
is a little on the diagonal.
When she sits, her left leg will cross over it.

Trailblazers on the left looks better
on a doll than just by itself.
On the right is one variation of Dressed Up!
and is perfect for a Christmas party.
Both outfits are from 1968.

1968 Talking dolls have 32 holes
in their backs as speakers.