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!