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.

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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.