Athena, Aubrey and Aurora

 

Barbieland mainly focuses on Mattel and all its litigations

The book is an easy read and
I finished it in three days.

When I got the book in February 2026,
it was already in its second printing.

The latest Barbie book is another non-fiction publication about the history of Barbie.  It is called Barbieland and is mostly about the lawsuits Mattel has been involved in.  It was written by a woman named Tarpley Hitt and was published in 2005.  (In the book, Tarpley explains the reason for using one of her middle names instead of her given name.)

Although Hitt skips back and forth, I would say that half of the book is about the litigation against Mattel, beginning with Rolf Hausser and Louis Marx and the Bild Lilli doll.  (Note that I italicized "Bild," because it was a German magazine called Bild, which means bold.)

Almost the entire third section of the book is about the complicated lawsuit by MGA Entertainment and the production of the Bratz dolls.  It gets repetitious, confusing and boring, and neither side wins.

The book ends with the 2025 comment about Donny Two Dolls.

The first section with the history is information I already knew, such as the introduction of Ken and Midge and Francie and Christie.  Surprisingly, the book even mentions Barbie's other early siblings, Skipper, Tutti and Todd.

I wish someone would write a book about the production of many of the various family and friend dolls that have been created over the years:  The naming of the dolls, the designs of the faces, why some friends were discontinued after just a few years, etc.

April 3, 1974, a good day for Barbie but a bad day for everyone else

Ruth, Barbara and Elliot Handler (center photo)
invited all of their co-workers to Barbie's birthday party in 1974.

I have a newer Barbie reference book called All Dolled Up, by Jennie D'Amata, published by Running Press in 2009.  What makes this book different from the others is that reproductions of various pieces of Barbie paperwork, including the first 1959 booklet, are included.

But what caught my eye is an invitation from Mattel for April 3, 1974, in conjunction with the release of Sweet 16 Barbie.  I think the party was for Mattel employees.  Mattel sent out invitations to a party at the Western Sales parking lot.  It included an agenda for a birthday breakfast or lunch, cake and a performance by the Hawthorne High School Band.

I had never heard of this party before, probably because something happened that day that was horrible.  The invitation freaked me out a little because of the April 3 date at the top.  If you were a Silent Generation member, Baby Boomer or Generation X-er living east of the Mississippi River in 1974, you should remember this day well.

This was the date of the Super Outbreak tornadoes.  If cable TV news had been available then, this series of horrible storms would have been the lead story for days.  As it was, it merited a few minutes on the national evening news.

Look up the Sayler Park tornado.  It formed in Rising Sun, IN, jumped the Ohio River one mile wide) into Taylorsport, KY, and then crossed back over the Ohio River again! It demolished about half of Sayler Park, then climbed a large steep hill into Mack, Bridgetown (where I still live) Dent and Monfort Heights.  I was 13; my sisters 11 and 8.  Mom looked out the window and saw the twister (later rated an F-5) and screamed at us to go to the basement and get under the table there.  It is the only time I can remember my mom screaming at us.  No, I didn't see the funnel cloud.  Mom pushed me away from the kitchen window.

Nothing happened.  The tornado, a mile away, ran parallel to the house and lifted up a few miles later.  Our house lost a few shingles.  I could write way more but it has nothing to do with Barbie dolls.

What's with the wings?

There were at least three ballgowns sold for Barbie in the 1980s that had wings, a shawl, ruff, whatever you want to call it.  I don't own these outfits because I wasn't fond of them when they were new at the store.  It's just been recently that I noticed this continuous theme.

In 1980 (booklet 0007-2750 B) we had Fashion Favorite 1429 Fresh N Cool.  This one had a shawl with three layers of ruffles.

In 1982 (booklet 0007-3130 G3), there was Fashion Collectible 3678.  In Europe this outfit was called Opera, and the wings are actually sleeves with three layers of ruffles.

Lastly, in 1984, Barbie wore Twice as Nice 4828 Party Pair in booklet 0007-4680-G2. In Europe this dress was called Sonfonia (Symphony).  This dress was light pink and blue.  There may have been a Kmart variation of this outfit.

I am just going to show you the booklet pages.

In 1980, Barbie had a ballgown called Fresh N Cool.
It is red in the booklet but it is actually more of an orange tone.

The 1982 gown called Opera is featured
on several of Barbie's cases for that year.

The skirt but not the ruffled top
could be switched inside out in 1984's Party Pair.

Umpteen variations of Drink Pepsi-Cola outfit fabric colors

I am close to completing my "Drink Pepsi-Cola" outfits collection.  I found Francie's slacks and Barbie's shirt and visor in the past few months on etsy.

Mattel sold outfits for Barbie, Ken, Francie and Skipper in 1974 with the logo for "Drink Pepsi-Cola" on the fabric.  Included with each outfit was a pop bottle and a hamburger.  Ironically, the pop bottle looked nothing like an actual Pepsi container, which should have been a clear swirly bottle.  I did a little research and discovered the bottle is similar to a 1950s Fanta bottle (thank heavens for Google!).

I obtained the Skipper outfit and two other 1974 Best Buys for her NRFB years ago.  I don't remember where I got them from or how much I paid for them.

I put the outfits on dolls from 1974.  I don't have a Francie specifically from that year, but I do have Quick Curl Tuli-Chan, so she is wearing the pants.  Tuli wears her original tulip pendant necklace and her original shoes and the blouse from Checkmates.  Sweet 16 Barbie looks wonderful in her outfit!  Sun Valley Ken wears the shirt and dickie to his outfit and his original polyester satin pants.

The outfits didn't come with shoes, but the clothing was made in Korea, so the shoes Barbie and Ken are wearing are also from Korea.  Yes, I have only one red Barbie clog!

The stock numbers are 7756 Barbie, 7761 Ken, 7766 Francie and 7700 Skipper.  No two of the red fabrics are alike, and even the print logo goes from cream to snow white.  The shirt that Ken is holding is odd.  Notice the white stitching along the edges.  Someone took two strips of Velcro and sewed them to the shirt to keep it closed!

Tuli-Chan, Barbie and Ken model their Drink Pepsi-Cola outfits
next to my rare NRFB Skipper slacks and halter.

Ken's choice of color for 1961 was yellow

Ken's favorite color in the early 1960s was yellow.  I have pictured here (clockwise from top left) the socks from 785 Dreamboat the shirt from 782 Casuals, the shorts from 783 Sports Shorts and the towel from 783 Terry Togs.  All the pieces are from 1961.

Doll show in conjunction with city-wide sale

I live just outside the city of Cincinnati and the city of Cheviot, both in Ohio.  Cheviot has a city-wide sale each year, and in 2025 it is Saturday, June 7, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Here is the link for Cheviot:

https://nextdoor.com/profile/01nNDq8Mr2DhkrtsD/?init_source=search&is=search&query=teri+adkin&referrer=nextdoor

I am doing something different this year.  Instead of a garage sale, I am having a doll sale to try and sell a lot of my merchandise accumulated over the years.  This is the ad I have written:

Doll show, Bridgetown, 4211 Turf Lane, Sat. Jun 7 8-3.  Barbie and family, Crissy, Dawn, Dusty, Liv, Tuesday, fashion doll clones, baby dolls. Allied Eastern, Hasbro, Ideal, Kenner, Mattel, Mego, Shillman, Uneeda. 1950s-1990s. Cash only.

My ZIP code is 45211.

10 heads to look at

70s 80s heads

70s heads

80s 90s heads

80s heads

 

These are the heads I have available.  L = length, W = width, C = circumference.  All items are in inches.

70s heads: Quick Curl Francie, L 1 3/4, W without hair 1, C plus hair 5; Talking Busy Barbie, L 1 3/4, W without hair 1, C 4 plus hair; two 1971 Malibu Barbies, L 1 3/4, W without hair 1, C plus hair 4.  Busy Barbie's head is hard as a rock. The Malibu dolls are missing a lot of hair.

70s/80s heads: Larger head, L 1 3/4, W without hair 1, C 4 plus hair; smaller head, L 1 1/2, W without hair 1; C plus hair 4.

80s heads: unknown Ken, L including neck 2, W 1 1/2, C 4; Barbie L 1 3/4, W without hair 1, C plus hair 4.  This Barbie is pale and could be Angel Face or Fashion Jeans.

80s/90s heads: L 1 3/4, W without 1, C plus hair 4 1/2.  The heads are the same and could be Rocker Barbie or Costume Ball Barbie.  Both heads have the neck knobs stuck inside.

Do I have a hand sample PJ?

I purchased this 1972 SunSet Malibu PJ with a bunch of other dolls from a seller on Etsy. Her left foot is torn off.  What happened to her left foot?

But the real mystery is: Is she a Mattel hand sample? I've never seen this style of Malibu before.

The flower decal could have been added later,

but it sure looks like it belongs on the swimsuit!

The flipped-up curls at the end
of PJ's hair are unusual.

When did Malibu PJ get bangs?

 

First of all, this PJ has beautiful side swept bangs.  And although you can't really see it, the hair just past the bangs are feathered.

Her hair is unusually thick. You can see the part in the back for her ponytails. Her hair is curled/flipped up at the end rather than being straight.

PJ's ears are pierced. None of the girl Malibu dolls had pierced ears.  These are not the holes where the sunglasses were sewn in, as those holes are farther back on the head.

Her swimsuit has an attached decal.

I realize that all of these details could have been done by a previous doll owner, except for the thicker hair.  But the previous owner would have had to spend hours revising the hair, making the bangs stay flat and the ends curled up.

The doll was probably given away after her foot tore off, but I doubt the owner would have done so if she'd worked so hard on the hair!

Talking Kens have survived much better than Talking Barbies

Here are four Talking (or not Talking) Kens, three from 1969 and one from 1973.

Ken on the far left, in his original swim trunks and cover-up, is my sister's doll which she received in 1969.  He was made in Mexico.  Over the years part of his hard plastic neck broke and his head is hard to keep in place. His right arm eventually fell off and is taped in place.  I can't even pull the string out of neck--it's frozen in place.

The second Ken, in 1428 Breakfast at 7 from 1969, was probably the first Talking Ken I picked up when I started collecting in the mid-1980s.  He, too, was from Mexico.  He is in much better condition than my sister's doll.  I can pull out his neck string but it retracts very quickly.

The third Ken is a Baggy from 1973 in 7706 Suit up for Safari & Adventure.  Look closely at the back of his neck on the nude doll photo.  You can see the hole where the string went; however, there are no indentations for his voice on his back.  This doll, surprisingly, was also from Mexico.

Ken #4, in 1431 Guruvy Formal from 1969, is the same as the second Ken, made in Mexico, with a quickly retracting pull string.

The Talking doll holes in their backs are in a square with rounded edges and triangular holes at the corners.  No idea why.

I wanted Guruvy Formal, on the right, as a little girl,
and it was one of the first outfits I bought as a collector.

I have Ken's other slipper
for Breakfast at 7 somewhere!

The heads of Talking Kens faded very quickly.

Although much has been written about the hole arrangements on the backs of Talking Barbie and the other girl dolls, I've not found anything about Talking Ken.

.

Jelly Bellys added to list of Barbie foods

Barbie sure got a lot of new foods with her name attached in 2024.  Of course, none of them have any redeeming nutritional value.  Jelly Bellys are the latest I've found--I received two little bags for Christmas.

The flavors are Jewel Bubble Gum, Strawberry Cheesecake, Very Cherry, Strawberry Boba Milk Tea and Cotton Candy.  The containers come in various sizes of both bags and gift boxes.  Here is a link to the web page.  

https://www.jellybelly.com/search?query=barbie&sortBy=

Jelly Bellys seem to be the offspring
of Good N Plenty candies and jelly beans.

1970s dolls visit 1978 Dream House for Christmas

I wrapped a string of small electric lights around the roof of the 1978 Dream House. That was the easy part.  Picking out the dolls and outfits to be at the house for a Christmas party was much more difficult.

For some years, such as 1970, I have umpteen Barbies, Barbie friends and Barbie winter clothes.  The only friend I have for 1975 is Quick Curl Cara, and her limbs will not stay attached for anything!  I have neither a Barbie friend nor a winter outfit, except for the ballerina outfits, for 1976.

There were a few outfits, such as Simply Elegant Blue Party Dress, that came with shoes but I don't have them.  The Best Buys didn't come with shoes, but I Googled the outfits and discovered that all three of them came from Korea, so the footwear is from Korea as well.

I've always liked the winter coats and clothing the most for all of my dolls.  Setting up this display showed me where I need to fill in some gaps.

Here is my list of the dolls and outfits.

On the top, left to right:

1970 Standard brunette Barbie in 1797 Ski Scene (My sister Joan received this doll as a child.  With the doll's hard straight legs, it is much easier to pull the vinyl ski pants over the legs than with a bend leg or Living Barbie.)

1970 Walking Jamie in 1799 Maxi N Midi (I wanted this outfit as a little girl, and it was one of the things I bought almost immediately after I started collecting.)

1971 SunSet Malibu Barbie in Red for Rain and Zig Zag Bag

1971 Live Action PJ in 3429 Cold Snap and 3401 Fringe Benefits

1972 Talking Busy Barbie in 3491 Suede N Fur and 3341 Long N Fringy

1972 Walk Lively Steffie in 3338 Mainly for Rain and 3337 All-American Girl

On the bottom, left to right

1973 Quick Curl Barbie in 8687 8687 Pink N Furry plus a hairpiece from 8640 Hair Originals, clogs from Korea

1973 Quick Curl Kelley in 8682 New Fashion Coat and 8681 Chic and Proper, boots from Korea

1974 Newport Barbie in Sears Red Gown

1974 Yellowstone Kelley in 7840 Simply Elegant Blue Party Dress

1975 Gold Medal Barbie in her original ski outfit

1976 Ballerina Barbie in 9329 Princess Aurora

1977 Ballerina Barbie in 9835 Brocade Shine for TV Time

1977 Sweet 16 in 9742 Six to Mix, Match and Pack

1978 SuperStar Barbie in Best Buy 2560, boots from Korea

1978 TV’s Star Women Cheryl Ladd in 2483 Interview at Home

1979 Hawaiian Barbie in 1010 Disco Dazzle and the wrap from 2595 Fur and Jewels Safe

1979 Recording Star Debby Boone in her original outfit

I never realized how many red winter outfits Barbie has!

I've placed boxes in front of the feet
of Quick Curl Barbie, Malibu Barbie and Yellowstone Kelley
to hid the fact that I don't have shoes for them!

The topiary and the Santa Claus boxes are from the 2000s,
but the Nativity set is from the 1960s.

I've always loved 1970s fake fur coats.

Last but not least

Last but not least: about the clothes rack.  I purchased this from a seller on etsy who had made it out of wood.  I've wanted a Barbie clothes rack for a very long time.  Everything but Lacey Charmer and Party Timer is from 1978; Skipper's blue gown is from 1977.  On the left are Skipper outfits, and Jimmy's and Ken's jumpsuits.  On the right are Barbie's clothes, with Kitty's, Cheryl's and Kate's original outfits on the front end.

1978 Barbie Dream the way it is supposed to be used, part 2

Here are what are now inside the 1978 Dream House.  All items are from 1978 unless otherwise noted.  The outfits that Barbie, Ken and Skipper are wearing are Best Buys that did not come with shoes.  Barbie's and Ken's clothes are from Korea, so their shoes are as well.  Skipper's outfit was made in the Philippines, so her gym shoes are as well.

There weren't any Jimmy Osmond-size outfits, so he has borrowed a shirt and pants from the 1993 Kevin doll.

Accessories/Furniture

Barbie 2302 Flowery Delight is Party Right theater program

Fashion Photo Barbie photographs

Ken 2459 Shoes and Cases felt bag

1981 Barbie jewelry box used as a chest of drawers

1983 1478 Dream Furniture Patio Barbecue, plus accessories

1983 1480 Dream Furniture Patio Recliner and Serving Cart, plus accessories

1983 2478 Dream Furniture Commode and Towel Rack, plus accessories

2024 handmade wooden rack which I purchased on etsy

Clothing

SuperStar Barbie original fuchsia glitter gown

SuperStar Ken original blue jumpsuit

Teenage TV Celebrity Jimmy Osmond silver jumpsuit

TV’s Star Woman Cheryl Ladd original red jumpsuit and cape

TV’s Star Woman Kate Jackson original red halter and pleated cream skirt

TV’s Star Woman Kitty O’Neil original yellow jumpsuit

Barbie Best Buy 2218 yellow dress

Barbie Best Buy 2219 red and blue star print long dress

Barbie Best Buy 2224 red print halter top, blue and print ruffled skirt

Barbie 2303 Lady in Blue, a Romantic View

Barbie 2483 Interview at Home

Barbie 2486 Season Premiere Party

Barbie Best Buy 2553 orange jumpsuit

Ken Best Buy 9700

Skipper Best Buy 2232 long yellow gown with black stripe print

Skipper Best Buy 2233 red and blue star print jumpsuit

Skipper Best Buy 2234 red and white flower print halter gown

Skipper Best Buy 2235 yellow dress

Skipper Best Buy 2236 pink halter gown

Skipper 2307 Flower Girl in a Party Whirl

1977 Skipper 1977 9746 Skipper Lacy Charmer and Party Timer

1993 High School Kevin 2471 splatter print shirt and gray and black slacks

Dolls

Rosebud Baby Bettina in her original blue gown

SunSet Malibu Skipper in Best Buy 2232

SuperStar Barbie in Best Buy 2553

SuperStar Ken in Best Buy 9700

Teenage TV Celebrity Jimmy Osmond in Kevin High School outfit

TV's Star Woman Cheryl Ladd in Interview at Home

TV’s Star Woman Kitty O’Neil in Best Buy 2224

TV's Star Woman Kate Jackson in Season Premiere Party

Baby Bettina is too young to attend the housewarming party.

It took only 16 years, but Barbie, whose first house was in 1962,
now has a bathroom in her house.

Note that Ken has the tongs to the grill in his pocket.

The horror!  Kitty O'Neil and Kate Jackson have shown up
wearing dresses made of the same fabric!

Cheryl Ladd is admiring the second floor, which Skipper is showing her.

Barbie is so proud to greet everyone at the front door.

The side of Jimmy's face resembles his real-life counterpart
much more so than from the front.

1978 Dream House the way it is supposed to be used, part 1

One can find umpteen articles on the Internet about restoring or remodeling or adding to the infamous red, white and yellow 1978 Dream House.  However, I haven't found any articles about using the house for what it actually was designed for, the late 70s dolls and accessories.

I want to show you the Dream House with period-appropriate Barbie and friends actually in the house.  Everyone calls it an A-frame, but I think it looks more like a California bungalow, 1 1/2 stories and long overhanging eaves.

I obtained the Dream House at a yard sale about 10 years ago.  I could barely fit it in the back seat of my car!  The house had its outer walls, roof and floors, but many of the smaller pieces, such as windows and doors and pieces to cover the corners, were missing.  I didn't care.  I paid only $20 for the house and some non-Barbie furniture, which I believe is the cheapest that this sold for in the past decade!

About five years ago, I was out driving one day when, at a corner near by Mom's house, the homeowner had left one side section of the Dream House out for the garbage.  I yelled, "Barbie stuff in garbage!" and pulled over suddenly, annoying the driver behind me.  I joked later that it was the car that yelled out and that it pulled over automatically, and that I had trained my car to do that.

Both the house and the section were put in the basement, but life intervened and I never got around to my plans of taking some of the pieces from the side section and putting them on the whole house.  Last summer, I had my nephew finally bring up the house and section from downstairs and set it on a table in the glassed-in patio.  Lots of daylight and room to move around.

I wiped off the house with a damp rag, and then I started taking the section apart.  I had gotten advice from a Dream House remodeler on how to remove and install parts--use a hot blow dryer on them to make them pliable!  It worked!

In the 1980s I had purchased some of the furniture for the house.  These were meant for the Dream Cottage or the later pink and white version of the house.  I got them out and placed them in the house, plus a 1981 Barbie jewelry box that was the perfect size for a chest of drawers in the bedroom.

Now the dolls could move in.  All of the dolls I put in the house were sold in 1978, the second year of SuperStar Barbie and the first year of SuperStar Ken.  I redressed all but one of the dolls. I own the Barbie celebrity dolls from 1978 and a Rosebud, plus a Malibu Skipper, but I don't own either a PJ or Christie from 1978, the only Barbie friends that were sold that year.

Here is the first photo of the house.  I know wall sections, windows, doors, flowers and covers for the frame pieces are missing.  And I haven't tried to restore the house's original white pieces that have yellowed.

The furnishings that I have for the 1978 Dream House are a bed and its covers,
the toilet and towel stand plus towels, the stove and oven, a refrigerator, a rolling cart and a grill.

1970s Francies have problems too

Not even sealing tape will hold Francie's arms on.
On the left is 1970's Francie with Growin' Pretty Hair
and on the right is 1973 Quick Curl Francie.

I've long since given up trying to keep Francie's arms in place.

The problem with limbs falling off isn't just with Barbie-size dolls.  The situation also extends to cousin Francie.

I have two 1970 Francies with Growin' Pretty Hair dolls.  The one seen in the photo is actually my sister's, who received the doll as a Christmas gift that year.  I have another Gro Hair Francie that I acquired recently, and she does not have the problem with the arms breaking off.  Gro Hair Francies were made in Japan.

The other doll in the yellow dress is Quick Curl Francie from 1973.  Out of all the Barbie dolls ever made, the Quick Curls are the worst when it comes to arms and legs.  I've read many times about Talking Barbies whose legs have come off while still in the box, but no one has ever mentioned how bad the Quick Curl dolls are.  Quick Curl Francies were made in Taiwan.

One detail I have figured out, though, is this: If you have a doll with disabled legs, make sure it is wearing underpants or a swimsuit before you dress it.  As for the arms, the doll must wear a form-fitting shirt or dress with sleeves.