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My Very Vintage Barbie

2/5/2014

5 Comments

 
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Here is my Barbie wardrobe case! I'm amazed at what good condition it's in.  The brittle plastic handle isn't even broken!  I can never give this stuff away, it was such an important part of my childhood.

But, I have to confess, I haven't been keeping it very tidy.
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I open it to find my original Barbie (circa 1962) and all the Barbie and Ken stuff I ever owned, very well played with.  Nothing here would sell in "mint" condition.

My daughter-in-law observed recently that the business model for Barbie in those early days was very much like the current American Girl Doll.  Everything was really well made. A child would own one or two dolls and buy clothes and accessories little by little.

For the first three years I owned one Barbie. She cost $3 ($23 in today's money) and came wearing nothing but a bathing suit. And then my older sister got me this very cool Barbie with WIGS!
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The acquisition of each new outfit was a special occasion.  And every new outfit came with a little booklet to remind you of all the other outfits you didn't own ... yet.  We would spend a lot of time looking at these books, dreaming of the ones we wanted.

Since I have a few of these books I can tell you how much Barbie's clothing sold for at the time.

The workmanship was incredible. Everything was made in Japan. That's were the cheap labor was in those days.


Look at the inside of this dress. The hem is slipstitched by hand!  And each outfit came with an official woven Barbie label.

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This dress I was given along with my first Barbie.  Here is the catalog page.  It cost $2 ($15.50).  When I look back now, I appreciate these gifts even more.  My father was a school teacher and my mother didn't work.  These were expensive gifts!
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Here's another great outfit. Not only did the pants have a working zipper and the coat had a matching lining ... 
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It came with a bunch of accessories, including a mini map of the United States, with the Mattel logo in the corner, of course.
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I owned the Barbie "Nighty-Negligee Set" and my favorite ...
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the Barbie Ballerina set, compete with a working zipper again and ...
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her very own sign to advertise the upcoming performance.
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Every outfit came with lots of wonderful accessories, including a bar of Barbie soap in the little black box.
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I never got the very, very expensive wedding dress.  My mother made me one, but I don't know where it is right now.  I do still have the underwear she made for my Barbie, though.
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Also, in this little book was an advertisement for the Barbie and Ken sewing patterns published by the Advance Pattern Company.

And, I was very surprised to find one of my first attempts, a shirt for Ken.  


So, tomorrow, I'll show you the good stuff I have for Ken!


But WAIT ... I'm adding Barbie's very first TV commercial ... fun!
5 Comments
Leslie
2/4/2014 10:46:52 pm

I had the Fashion Queen Barbie with the wigs and loved it. I was trying to see which Barbie you have, looks like either a 3, 4, or 5 ponytail. I always wanted that case and thanks to eBay, I do. Thanks for sharing your memories.

Reply
Terri Gower
2/5/2014 12:23:15 am

That brings back memories. I had the Barbie with the gold and white strip swim suit. I thought all of mine were gone but a few years ago my mom found my case hiding in the storage space under her steps. My dad was enlisted in the Air Force and my mom did not work when I was young, so most of my clothes were sewn by my mom too. I always loved the satin evening gowns that she made.

Reply
Sandra Crowell Barbie Collector link
4/19/2014 07:30:18 pm

Those Clothes are so pristine. I have not seen Vintage Barbie Clothes in that condition in years.

Reply
Diahn link
4/30/2015 02:51:16 am

Hi Andrea! I found your blog while searching the Internet for information about Simplicity 1183. I love your designs and have many of your patterns. I'm reading your blog entries starting from the beginning and am enjoying them thoroughly. This one, in particular, has me squealing with joy; it brings back such fond memories. Thank you so much for sharing and for all that you do.

Reply
Alina
12/20/2015 04:59:48 am

I read your story with a huge delight, and the pictures are just great! I live in Ukraine and here is it very difficult to get a Barbie from this period. I have only a repro.... But I appeciate such stories as yours very much!

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    From Andrea 

    I am a commercial pattern maker who is now "sewing over 50"!
    I love to sew and hope to encourage others to come back to sewing.
    The water is fine!!

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