Every time I would see a Barbie outfit with multicolored polka dots, something would nag me at the back of my brain. I knew there was a children's book I was thinking of, but the title and topic were buried deep in my subconscious and I couldn't dig them out.
About six weeks ago, I figured out the book. It is Robert Lopshire's Put Me in the Zoo, originally published in 1960. It's still in print. I must have read it at some point although I never owned a copy. The book is about a polka-dotted mastiff-like creature who can do all sorts of tricks with his spots.
I borrowed the book from the library recently and then compared the cover with some of my polka dot outfits. What you see pictured is the book with Quick Curl Barbie in #7703 Authorized United Airlines Stewardess Uniform, both from 1973, and Mrs. Heart and Megan Heart from 1985 in #3197 Raincoats from 1987.
A warning note about the vinyl raincoats. I bought the set new in 1987, removed the coats and accessories from the box, and placed them in a Ziploc bag. When I took out the coats today, their vinyl had started to meld with the plastic bag. I will not put them back in the bag as they have deteriorated badly.
Some other multicolored polka dot outfits I know about:
1966 Barbie #1649 Lunch on the Terrace.
1968 Francie #1213 Pazam!
1968 Skipper #1958 Patent N Pants.
1988 Teen Fun Party Teen Skipper's original outfit.
1991 One of the Skipper Trendy Teen outfits has a skirt with this pattern.
There are also umpteem bicolored polka dot outfits; that is, the background is one color and the spots another. I'm only writing about clothing with more than one color of dots.
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