4 fashionin' fun hair pieces. (In blonde only.)

One of the reasons I love vintage and mod Barbie so much is because of the era in which she existed. I have a thing for the 60's and especially the 70's. I also love kitsch. When you combine 60's/70's and kitsch, what do you get? Barbie! That's not to say I think Barbie is cheesy or lacking in artistic merit. Her looks and fashions from that time were of outstanding quality -- especially compared to modern Barbie. The dolls had a sauciness to them. A sense of fun and frivolity. And yet they didn't look like nimblenods who could barely rub two brain cells together to form a complete thought. In short, Barbie had personality. And spunk.

Today's focus is on mod Barbie, probably my favorite era in the doll's long history. Those large, side-glancing eyes, slightly opened mouth, and upturned 'do (or partial ponytail if that's more your thing), gave Barbie a younger vibe than her vintage forebears had. Where vintage Barbie was austere, mod Barbie was lively! This was in large part thanks to her unique Twist N Turn (TNT) body. Unlike later Barbies, mod dolls turned at the waist and neck at an angle. Such a small variance compared to other dolls, but it made a huge difference. Her poses were suddenly more lifelike, a tad more realistic. Barbie could wave, or look like she was running, or simply sit and turn with her hand placed delicately on her knee. Her slightly opened mouth gave a perpetual look of surprise or anticipation. As Mattel marketed the new doll at the time, "A girl on the move!" No longer the severe queen of the manor, Barbie was now a mod chick actively embracing life outside the mansion. You may think I'm being silly, and maybe I am. But with the introduction of the TNT body and face Barbie effectively changed not just her destiny, but that of the entire doll industry. You have to keep in mind that back then there weren't a million different doll lines in a million different styles. Barbie was a big fish in a small pond, and when she changed so followed the rest of the industry.

Besides the actual dolls, my favorite thing to collect when it comes to Barbie is paper ephemera. Back then, all dolls came with a booklet showcasing all the varieties of Barbie dolls available. This includes Ken, Skipper, etc. They also highlighted Barbies many, many fashions. And her houses. And her carrying cases. Today we're looking at the 1970 booklet. (Squee!).

Nice swimsuit, Barbie! Seriously, it's way cool. And you've written me a letter? Sweet!

For a short time there were "Living" dolls. Their bodies were very different from the standard and TNT bodies. They had a swivel waist, bendable elbows and knees, and roaming joints at the neck, shoulders, hips, and wrists. They also had flat feet. They were pretty short-lived. 

Check out Barbie gazing at and reaching for the butterfly. So pretty. Vintage Barbie would've had to lean back at the hips to see that butterfly. She could've thrown her back out doing that shit. Not worth it.

By 1970 Mattel was onto hair play and they came out with several lines focusing on it. Hair Happenin's would give way to Hair Fair (one of my favorite lines). Growin' Pretty Hair was super gimmicky but in toys a good gimmick can actually be pretty cool, if you ask me. I wish they would've shown the Barbie version in the booklet -- she's really pretty. 

Hi P.J.! Bet you don't miss being Midge's face! Care to tell us about that? You do "talk", after all. Also, check out Talking Julia's outfit. Love it! And as for you, Stacey -- soon you'll be the face of Barbie! Literally!

There's TNT Barbie in a blonde flip -- gorgeous. Although I have to say Stacey is owning the beachwear look a bit more. Take notes and move to Malibu, Barbie. Sidenote: Casey's outfit gives me life.

Go away, Tutti. You're annoying.

As the Shape-Ups fashion shows us, Living Barbie is a health freak.

P.J., whoever told you that suit looks good on you hates you. (How much you wanna bet it was Barbie?)

Maxi 'N Midi is such an awesome fashion. I wish it showed more of the dress here. It's so cool!

Another fail, P.J. Seriously, who's dressing you?

Ooh, you're on the comeback trail wearing Special Sparkle, though! But Stacey wins this page in Lamb 'N Leather. It's all about that belt.

And here's Skipper wearin-zzzzzz....

Francie! Yay! Holy crap you're totally rocking every single outfit on this page. Still got that notepad out, Barbie?

Even Bloom Zoom works, if you ask me. But why on earth would Francie need a wedding dress? (By the way Casey, you might think Francie letting you borrow her clothes is totally cool and sweet, but watch out. She's gonna gank that face of yours and flee to Malibu soon.)

Julia. Damn. Leather-Weather? Totally owns my soul at the moment. You look damn fine in it, Julia.

They made Ken clothes too. Whatever. Check out Barbie's house! So 70's it hurts (so good).

I need that Family House in my collection. I bet it goes for five gillion dollars on eBay. Sadface. Also, anyone know what that Ballet Box is? I know nothing about it.

Ugh, Barbie, you're just trying to sell me more crap in your "letter"! The disappointment burns. I thought you were gonna tell me about boys and where to shop and how to rule the world. Sigh.

The back cover is the mail-in fan club coupon. Fin.

I know I poked fun in my captions but I really do love these old-school Barbie booklets. They give us great insight into the Barbie of yore and offer a look at what doll fashion was in the 60's and 70's. Plus, silly advertising lingo! That's always good for a laugh!

Hope you enjoyed today's post! Til next time!

Sunsational!

Malibu Barbie, first released in 1971, has become one of the most iconic dolls of the entire line -- no small feat given Barbie's long history. It seems everyone has heard of her. What a lot of people don't know is that there have been many Malibu Barbies. That original line was actually called Sun Set Malibu, and throughout the 70's and early 80's the line would see regular redesigns, along with slight name changes. In 1979 it was Sun Lovin' Malibu; 1984 brought us Sun Gold Malibu. The dolls I want to talk about today are from the 1982 line, Sunsational Malibu.

From the beginning Malibu Barbie has had her friends along for the ride. Ken, Skipper, Christie, P.J. -- they were in all the lines right there next to Barbie. By 1982 Barbie was well into her Superstar phase and in this particular line she's probably the least interesting of the 11.5" dolls. Over the years Christie and P.J. -- the dolls I'm discussing today -- had seen some changes themselves, to the point that by the time Sunsational Malibu came along they were sharing the same facemold! This might seem kind of odd but the mold in question is Steffie so count me in.

Being beachwear dolls, Christie and P.J. both came in slim boxes and had a minimum of accessories. Mirrored sunglasses and a beach towel are pretty much all you get in the way of extras. Oh, they also included a booklet of then-current dolls and fashions. We all know how I am about paper ephemera. Obviously I love these booklets! I actually have a bunch of these from several different eras and will do a full post on them eventually.

Despite having the same facemold these two look completely different, and I'm not just talking about their skin tone. Christie has long, black hair in a middle part. It lands a little past halfway down her back with a thick curl. She has deep brown eyes and very light yellow eyeshadow. Her lips are a natural, muted pink; she looks like she's not wearing any lipcolor at all. Her cheeks are a blushy red, as if she's been out in the sun for a few hours. I absolutely adore this doll. I purchased her NRFB (and immediately RFB as soon as she arrived -- the horror!), so she's in excellent condition. Given her Steffie face there was never a chance I would find her anything less than beautiful, but the subtle makeup and sunkissed cheeks aren't hurting matters by any means. Her hair is thick and silky, the wave lush. Her overall vibe is eager and she seems a bit breathless somehow. In 1982 she was a "budget" doll, part of a swimwear line with few accessories. Today, especially compared to current playline Barbie, she comes across quite lux.

Like Christie I purchased P.J. NRFB then went about taking her right out of that box! She has straight, blonde hair in a sidepart. It's held in pigtails by multicolored beads and lands well past her shoulders. As I mentioned earlier she and Christie share the same facemold. P.J. is also a Steffie. Again, this alone goes a long way in putting her in my good graces. P.J. has really amazing, two-toned eyes of lavender and purple. She wears matching purple eyeshadow. Her lips are salmon while her blush is a deep-ish pink. P.J.'s skin tone is an orangey tan. Her swirling, double-colored eyes give her a heavy, ethereal feel. The high-color nature of her face makes her seem a bit whimsical.

Christie and P.J. wear contrasting one piece swimsuits. They're made of a silky, ribbed knit and framed with thick ribbon that ties behind the neck. There's also a metal snap above the rear. The only embellishment is a flower blossom applique on the bust. (Remember, less is more!) Christie's suit is golden yellow with orange-red ribbon; the applique comes in the same colors. P.J.'s suit is emerald green with mint ribbon and a similarly matching applique. The suits are made of nice materials and were manufactured well. These two came directly from their boxes so I can't say for sure, but I imagine they're pretty durable. They definitely look great!

So overall these are both fantastic dolls! I'm a huge fan of the Steffie mold and it's used well here. Both dolls wear just the right amount of makeup. There's not so much that it's overpowering but there's enough there to keep the dolls from looking plain. Christie's makeup looks very natural, almost like she's not wearing any at all. P.J. looks a little more "done up" but still very realistic for a playline doll of the 80's. These two put modern Barbie to shame, that's for sure! They are among a very small handful of 80's Barbies I own, and are two of my absolute favorites.