1971 talking dolls breakage continues

I have two talking dolls from 1971 that are falling apart, both Talking PJs.  

The Talking PJs were made in Hong Kong and like the Talking Barbies, have broken hips and the only way I know to repair them is to use sealing tape to tape them on.  Fortunately, you can't see the tape when the doll is dressed.  The doll not wearing sunglasses also has a broken neck knob and I had to super-glue her head to her neck.

I still believe that the reason the talking dolls were sold with vinyl underpants or cotton shorts is because Mattel already knew in the late 1960s that the joints that attached the legs to the hips would break off easily.  The pants were there not just for modesty or style, but also to keep the legs on!

Two notes about PJ: (1) The Twist N Turn versions and the early Malibus are indestructible.  (2) Talking PJ is not wearing a minidress or long tunic with shorts underneath.  The outfit is a baby doll nightgown, hence the lace on the shorts.  And wearing night clothes matches her name.  However, I cannot explain why she needs sunglasses at night!  The nightgown is tagged, "PJ™/©1969 MATTEL, INC/HONG KONG".

1971 Talking dolls still have 29 holes
on their backs for their speakers.

I hope to sell 1/6 scale items at doll show

I am setting up a sale table at the doll show at EnterTrainment Junction this Saturday, Aug. 17. I am doing something different this time. I am bringing 1/6 size items that aren't toys but that Barbies and same size dolls can use. I have two couches that are actually jewelry boxes, a Christmas tree and a bunch of ornaments and a bookend that looks like a bookcase. I am also bringing a number of doll storybooks. 

This will be the last doll show at EnterTrainment Junction,
as the property has been sold.
The club is looking for a new venue.

Barbie's first dog is suspicious of her!

The box says "1000" but I counted, and there are 984 pieces.

For the first time ever, I completed a 1,000-piece puzzle by myself.  (Well, my nephew's wife put in one piece, but I did the other 999.)  In the past, I've always worked on large puzzles with someone else.

I had received a Barbie puzzle for Christmas, and put it together last week.  It took me a week to complete.  I have three of the dolls and outfits pictured.  

The puzzle was by Ravensburger and made in Germany.  It is 26 inches wide by 20 inches high, and fits on the card table very well.  The puzzle pictures seven haute couture Barbies and one Ken. There are 36 pieces horizontally and 28 pieces vertically, for a total of 984 pieces.

You will notice that the blonde Barbie on the left has a bit of a smirk for her smile, like she knows something we don't know.  What I find amusing is that her dog--the poodle from 1613 Dog N Duds from 1964--is looking up at her like he doesn't entirely trust her.  I think that the dog is thinking, "she's up to something!"

Also in the picture is the orange Irwin Austin Healy from 1962.  Look closely:  Barbie is driving, not Ken, and they are both wearing their shoulder belts, which weren't included in cars until 1968.

Yes, I have the boater hat from Ken's Dreamboat,
but I don't know where it is.

The Barbie Learns to Cook dress in the puzzle has the flower print,
but not the Barbie logo.

From left to right are: blonde sidepart bubblecut in 1606 Garden Tea Party from 1964,
redhead bend leg in 1634 Barbie Learns to Cook from 1965,
blonde bend leg in 1668 Riding in the Park from 1966,
light brunette bend leg in 1650 Outdoor Art Show from 1966,
blonde ponytail in her zebra swimsuit from 1959,
straight leg brunette Ken in 785 Dreamboat from 1961,
blonde bend leg in 0957 in Knitting Pretty from 1964,
and blonde ponytail in 989 Ballerina from 1961.

The storage box isn't very big, and when I opened it,
it was filled to the top with puzzle pieces.

I wish i found rare items more often, but then they wouldn't be rare!

About once every five years I will find a rare Barbie or family item for just a few bucks.  Sometimes it is mixed in with a bag or case of a bunch of other stuff.  Yesterday I found the 1967 #1818 Barbie Velveteens jacket in with a bag of other clothing items at the Lawrenceburg antique show.  I am listing it for $100 on etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1758985069/rare-barbie-1967-1818-velveteens-red-or?click_key=7c26587c3303face9a54899f32408cc043f138cf%3A1758985069&click_sum=457c6447&ref=shop_home_active_1

I hope it sells quickly!  I have to get a cavity filled on Wednesday and I don't have dental insurance.  Even if it takes a little while to sell, it will help with the bill.

Tote bag found in the attic

 

This valise/suitcase belonged to my father, who was stationed in Germany in the 1950s.  He died in 1974.  My mother died in 2023.  She insisted for years that there was nothing in the attic.  Last year, I went through her dresser and chest of drawers, her closets, her cabinets, boxes, the basement and the garage, but I was unable to get into the attic.

I had someone go up there in 2024, mainly to see if there were any holes in the roof or siding.  He found this case, which I do not remember at all.  I have no idea how long it was in there.  All that it contained were those springs, which I believe are for a garage door opener track.  The valise leather was very hard and ripped and the zipper was broken, so there was no value to it and I eventually put it out for the trash.  There was nothing valuable inside, such as money or jewelry or stock certificates like you see in the movies.  We looked!  We even felt through the lining!

The luggage freaked me out, because I never knew it existed and there is no one left on my father's side of the family to ask about this.  I felt like I'd seen a ghost!

Colorful, frilly dress common native outfit in Brazil

"Lembrança do Rio" is Portuguese for "Memory of the River."

My mother wasn't fond of my doll collecting, but in the 1980s a friend of hers brought her a small souvenir doll from when he visited Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The doll is what is known as a dress-me doll.  Mom's little 6-inch-tall doll would probably be considered stereotypical and politically incorrect today, but she is still very pretty and colorful.

All that is on her feet is a pair of burgundy straps, while the soles are glued to a wooden stand.  She wears lacy underpants and there is a stiff net slip under her skirt.  The main problem is her arms, which are attached to her shoulders by a rubber band running through the top of her torso.  The arms come loose very easily.  There are no markings on what I can see of her body.

 

Instead of pantaloons like most souvenir dolls,
she wears lacy underpants.

The tag on the bottom of the stand simply says, "No 8."
I don't know if that is the model number of the doll or the price in cruzados.

Her clothes are glued onto her rather than sewn.

My collection started with a Korea souvenir

The back of her hair and her dress
are just as elaborate as the front.

My doll wears the hanbok,
a gown worn at festivals in Korea.

We went to the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN, during summer 1982.  I don't remember much of it, except that I bought a souvenir charm the shape of a flame and a souvenir glass, both of which I still own.

I also still own a souvenir doll from the Korea exhibit.  She was the first doll I bought as an adult collector, a year or two before I started buying Barbies.

My doll is 9 inches tall and is made of papier-mache or a heavy fabric.  She is posed on a wooden stand.  There is nothing written on the stand.  I don't know if there are any markings on her, as her clothes are sewn and glued onto her.

Every souvenir doll from Korea wears a shawl or a shirt with the same multicolored stripes and a gown called a hanbok.  I wrote about her in a previous column, which you can read here:  https://skippercollector.blogspot.com/2014/07/my-korea-souvenir-doll_12.html