Mattel's Sweet 16 from 1976 is hard to define. Is she a Barbie friend, or an acquaintance, or, as some have suggested, Mattel's own Barbie knockoff? (I am not using the word "clone" because that term in regards to Barbie didn't exist in 1976. The competitors at that time were referred to as knockoffs.)
Sweet 16 has a hard plastic, straight-legged body, like the Bubblecuts and Ponytails of the 1960s and the Standard Barbies of the early 1970s. The doll was not made in Japan, as those earlier dolls were, but in Korea. Sweet 16's markings on her backside say MATTEL™/1966/KOREA.
I've never been sure what the deal is with Sweet 16's hair and face. Her tresses are straggly just-past-her-shoulders straight and pure white. Her face is also very pale. Despite her name, is she supposed to be an older woman? Or does she have albinism? Her facial features and large eyes are said to be the same as the Living Eli Barbie friend sold only in Japan in 1970, but I've never seen a resemblance.
Twelve outfits, similar to Barbie's Best Buys, were sold for Sweet 16 in 1976. Most of them were Barbie outfits made in different fabrics. So if you find a mid-1970s Best Buy in a color variation, it is not a rare item, it's just one for Sweet 16. None of the outfits were sold with shoes, but if you want to be correct for the time period, have the doll wear shoes or boots from Korea.
The doll was sold in an orange one-piece nylon swimsuit. Now here is where it gets confusing. In 1977, Kmart had three exclusives called Barbie and her Super Fashion Fireworks.
One set came with Sweet 16 outfits 9551 (yellow blouse and orange striped slacks), 9554 (peach baby dolls), 9555 (long blue peasant dress) and 9557 (long pink dress and white apron). A second one included 9559 (white slacks, yellow halter, blue jacket), 9552 (striped shirt and orange skirt), 9560 (yellow skirt and halter with red flowered trim) and 9561 (long red orchid print dress). The third was sold with 9550 (orange dress with yellow stripe in front), 9553 (long yellow flowered jumper and white blouse), 9556 (green print jacket and pink bell bottoms) and 9558 (red print flowered peasant gown and white apron with matching ruffle). Barbie was a straight-leg straight waisted doll and she, too, wore the same orange swimsuit as Sweet 16. Her backside has the same markings as does Sweet 16, but in a slightly different arrangement.
You can find lots of pictures in books and on the Internet of Sweet 16 in her box, and her outfits still in their packaging. What you won't see is her wearing them, and that is the purpose of this post. I have some of her outfits but many aren't complete. When I started collecting in the 1980s, Sweet 16 and her fashions were easy to find, both in and out of packaging. Now they 9552 are rare.
I wish I had more of the following outfits so that you can compare them yourselves. Here is a list of the 1975 Barbie Best Buys, followed by their corresponding Sweet 16 outfits from 1976.
7206/9559
7208 Romantic Look/9558
7210 On Vacation/9560
7420/9550
7421/9551 The slacks and cap are the same in both sets. Barbie's shirt is orange with long yellow raglan sleeves, while Sweet 16's is simply a yellow T-shirt.
7422/9522
7423/9553
9006/9561
9008/9554
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| I decided that since Sweet 16 looks older, I would dress her as a 1970s woman in her 60s. I pulled her hair into a bun and dressed her in Barbie's 9155 At the Supermarket, from 1976. |
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| I personally consider Sweet 16 a Barbie acquaintance, and most definitely NOT a knockoff. |
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| This is 9559, which is supposed to come with a yellow nylon halter which I don't have. So I turned her blue shirt around to make it a turtleneck. |
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| The green flowered fabric of the 9556 jacket was used for a number of Barbie and family outfits. |
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| My favorite of the Sweet 16 outfits is the peasant dress 9555. |
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| I wish that this baby doll set, 9554, came with panties, as Sweet 16 doesn't dare sit down! |
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| All I own for 9552 is the blouse. |
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| On the left is the jumper for 1975's 7423 and on the right is 9553 from 1976. |
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| Fashion Fireworks Barbie stole all of Sweet 16's clothes a year later. |
