Here’s some Skipper and Ken fashion i got a couple of weeks ago!
The first outfit i got is Skipper Fashion Fantasy « Smooth Sailing !» from 1982 Ref #5810.
It’s very cute with blue shorts, stripped top, white bucket hat and the traditional white sneakers!
It’s part of an 8 fashion outfits collection ref from #5810 to #5817 and one Ref #4275.
On the back side is a coupon for you to fill your information to become a Barbie Fan Club member. It says after signing in you will receive :
- a Barbie sun vision
- a Barbie fan club letter four times a year
- An autographed picture of Barbie
- A poster to color
- A membership card
- An iron-on transfer
- and a 5$ rebate coupon for your parents
I remember being a fan club member as a kid and the transfer iron-on shirt ring a bell… but it was later. I remember i got a cool calendar with Midge Ski Fun on it so i guess it was around 89.
The second outfit i got is Skipper Fashion Fantasy « School Days! » from 1983 Ref #4877.
It’s again a three pieces outfit with a jean skirt, a white t-shirt with a drawing of a boat and white coton tights. Oh and the shoes again! ;)
It’s part of a 6 fashion outfits collection ref from #4876 to #4878 and #4880 to #4882.
The back side shows a picture of the collection.
The last outfit i bought is Ken Twice As Nice « Handsome Pair » from 1983 Ref #4889.
It’s a white trouser with a reversible tshirt : one side is striped and the other is gray. It also got elegant white shoes.
I always loved the Twice as Nice collection. I used to have playing cards showing the whole collection and used to watch it for hours (unfortunately i lost it). I have more twice as nice fashions from my childhood which i will show you eventually.
It’s part of a 6 fashion outfits collection ref from #4885 to #4890.
The back side shows a picture of the collection.
here’s for my new acquisitions.
I hope to use them in a diorama soon!! so.. stay tuned :)
Unfortunately i didn’t have time to post anything the last two months and the following post introducing a lovely gal from Germany was supposed to follow my last article on Munich. Well, better late than never right?
She’s the 16th doll from the DOTW Collection, released in 1986 and referenced #3188.
She’s not hard to find as you can easily buy her on the internet so i guess not especially valuable, but that doesn’t make her any less gorgeous!
She’s even close to perfection for me as she has the perfect Barbie face in my point of view.
Steffie head mold and quite a soft make up on the eyes (compare to some dolls released later). Her beautiful red lipstick is a perfect match to her jacket and her blond hair still feel quite natural.
She wears a blue bonnet with touch of green, red and gold glitter, her red jacket is gorgeous in a « velvety » fabric with white lace and she has a coton skirt with flowers covered by a white apron, also with lace. She also has long white socks and flat black shoes.
The final touch to her outfit that reveals her closeness to the mountains and nature of Baviera is the flower attached to a ribbon she wears around her neck.
On the box in front we can see a picture of the Neuschwanstein Castle built by Ludwig II which i was lucky enough to visit this summer (see previous post).
On the back, some facts about Germany, sorry « West Germany ». Since the doll was released in 86 it was before the fall of the Berlin wall that separated Germany in 2.
So we find out about celebration like Christmas and Oktoberfest and their dancers and musicians dressed in their lederhosen (leather shorts), traditional foods and Konditorei (traditional cafés and pastry shops), local sports and most off all, the music heritage from the great composers like Beethoven and Wagner.
Finally some german vocabulary to learn (Dog = Hund).
One side of the box shows a picture and a map of West Germany, a passport, a guide and deutsche marks for Barbie to buy a little souvenir for her friends back home?
This is a bit weird actually because German Barbie is supposed to be German no?, this is why she teaches us about her country and language. So why does she need a passeport and a guide? oh well… :D
I leave you now with some pictures Barbie made during her time in Munich and Füssen!
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Barbie in front of the National Theater and The Residence in Munich
In front of a Typical tavern in the Center of Munich
On the bridge over Neuschwanstein Castlenear Füssen
This summer i went to Bavaria, in Germany, on vacation. I mostly went there to visit the castle of Neuschwanstein built during the reign of Ludwig II, king of Baviera.
It was unbelievably beautiful, i was truly amazed. For those who don't know, this castle was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle, and kinda felt like Aurora visiting it!
Anyway, during our trip we also stayed a couple days in Munich and it gave me the opportunity to visit the toy museum there. I like to visit toy museums when i travel. If you sometimes see similar vintage dolls or trains etc, you also get to see specific toys related to the country's history and i always find it interesting.
For example, one of my first post here Tack!was about the toy museum in Stockholm, and i found Pippi Longstockings dolls there, remember?
The toy museum in Munich is called the Spielzeugmuseum and it's located in the old town, in the old City Hall.
There are three floors in a small tower.
On the first floor, are some lovely doll houses and furniture. Even though most of them are too small, i thought some items could easily be used for Barbie diorama and it would be so beautiful!
These in particular were pre-1875 and apparently made by a company called "Rock and Graner". You can easily find pictures of this company's doll furniture on the internet. It's gorgeous and very expensive!
In the next display, were old tin toys. I looove tin toys! I think they can tell so many stories and they're simply just so beautifully made.
Some of them here were made by french manufacturer Charles Rossignol at the beginning of the 20th century.
This particular toy got my attention and was made by a german manufacturer. The little bird was filled with soap water and by blowing through the tube it would flap its tail feathers, move his head back and sing as a nightingale as soap bubbles came out of its beak. Isn't it great?!
At the back of the first room, was an old time favourite of mine : the train!
This one is from Märklin (1891-1918) and was presented for the first time at the Liepzig fair. Clearly the ancestor of the modern electrical trains we now play with!
The last display of the first room was a presentation of some mechanical dolls made in Germany. The walking and talking (it says "mama") doll was made in 1855 by Nicolas Steiner and the ballerina was made in 1880.
I had no idea what to expect in this museum, so i had a lovely surprise when i arrived at the second floor !
Hello Barbie !! I'm no vintage Barbie expert as I'm an 80's girl but it says "the first complete classical series of 21 pieces of clothing from the year 1959".
Seems like the display was put together for B's 50th birthday as we can read a little text explaining how Barbie was a "model" and not a "discouragement" as some people would say.
I especially love the one with the beige wool coat, brown beret and green purse :)
I couldn't take too much close up pictures as many people were interested in the display!
In the back of the room you could also find different types of toys including miniature farm and zoo animals. Animals are important in Munich, as the worldly known Steiff Bear was created in Germany, in Giengen Ar Den Brez near Munich, and also because the Munich Zoo (opened in 1911) was the first "modern zoo" in Europe.
It presented for the first time animals in enclosures that were from the same biotope in the wild and had "Africa zone" and "Asian zone" instead of "all big cats" or "all monkeys" from all over the world.
Anyway, being an assistant veterinary as well as a toy lover, I'm into those :)
The bear that you see in this first picture is very rare and known as the first clown bear, it's from 1909.
So i think this is a good introduction to the third floor : The bear floor !!!
If you want to know more about the Steiff bear, it was created by Richard Steiff in 1902 and presented at the Leipzig toy fair. When an american trader bought 3000 and brought them back to America, it gave him the name Teddy (like president Roosevelt). The Steiff bear is the world's first stuffed toy bear!
It seems Richard's inspiration came from the circus and bears that were shown at the time. It's the reason you could also find toys and stuffed bears with a muzzle.
Finally, i headed back to the entrance at the gift shop, enjoyed the last displays, but most of all, this crazy Martin Luther paper doll!! ahah.
That's it for Munich's toy museum, hope you enjoyed it!
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(stay tuned for the little gift i made to myself when i got back :)
Last week i finally went to the big Barbie exhibition taking place in Paris at "Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs".
Even though the "Musée de la poupée" often takes Barbie as the subject of their exhibitions, it's the first time that it's taking place in a "big museum", so i was pretty excited, knowing that it would have to be great. And I wasn't disappointed!
I went with two close friends who also loved playing with dolls as kids... the more the merrier right?
So after getting our tickets, we find ourselves at a bottom of a stairs leading to a big Pink door inviting us to enter Queen B's world.
We are then directly immersed, as we are surrounded by recent Barbie dolls dressed by designers (photo above). The set up is beautiful as they light up one at a time.
The next room takes us back into time for a little bit of "history of the fashion doll through the years".
In the 18th century, the fashion doll wasn't a toy for kid. It was only a way of showing new fashion trends, with replicas of the latest dresses from Paris, for example. The dolls would travel to England or Russia so everyone at the royal court would dress like the richest women in France.
So only the outfit mattered, which explains why the dolls had strange proportions sometimes.
These fashion dolls stopped being produced when real flesh and blood models appeared around 1860.
The dolls faces got a bit more juvenile and their proportions got a bit more real. But in the 19th century they were still not quite appropriate for kids to play with. Too precious, too fragile, they're more of dolls to be looked at.
In 1873, the "unbreakable baby Jumeau" is manufactured with carton and wood to strengthen the porcelain.
People who couldn't afford them played with raggedy dolls. If they weren't as beautiful, at least they could be played with endlessly !
It's in the beginning of the 20th century that fashion dolls with the same size as our Barbie girl appeared. The fashion doll Lafitte-Désirat (made of wax, i think they are absolutely gorgeous) in the 10-20's and the dolls from le "Théâtre de la mode" in the 40's, for example.
Now it's time to close this chapter from the past and find out more about the one and only : Barbie !
We start the tour by a little explanation on where Barbie comes from. How Ruth Handler found out about Lilli on a trip to Germany, and got her husband and partners at Mattel to start producing similar dolls.
An interview of Ruth and Elliott explains the whole story from the creation of Mattel to the success of Barbie.
Bild Lilli / 1952 - 1964
Ruth and Elliott Handler
Mattel first successfull toys : Futureland Grand Toy piano 1948 - Uke-a-doodle 1947 - Tin music box carrousel 1953
After walking by the very first Barbie, we discover a panel of different dolls showing us the evolution of B's face and body through the years. From the 60's to the new Petite, Curvy and Tall ones.
Petite Blue Brocade, Curvy Chambray Chic and Tall White and Pink Pizzazz / 2016Turning around, we get a wonderful view on dozens of dolls from all time period, some of them standing next to a screen showing a commercial.
Here we find : Barbie Rock Star/1985 - Barbie Pet Doctor/1996 - Barbie Fashion Editor/1965
I can't name the others sorry, too recent for me i guess.
Beautiful Barbie Astronaut from 1985
Barbie as a fashion designer in the Busy Gal outfit from 1960
Barbie as a business woman in two Day-to-Night fashion from 1984
In the background, two Barbies running for president in 1992 and 2000
And Barbie Artist obviously dressed as a french girl! from 2008
In the background, Barbie as a Basketball champion from 1998
The last room on the first floor is a presentation of how a doll is made. From the choice of fabrics for the clothes to the choice of hair, head mold and body, introducing the new line of Barbie fashionistas: Petite, Tall and Curvy
On the second floor, after passing a presentation of different types of Barbie boxes, we discover a beautiful diorama representing the creation of a fashion line, from the studio to the final runway show. I loved it! I really wish it was my job to do stuff like that !!
The next room is about how the creators of Barbies were influenced by pop culture: Film, Music or Tv series (From Superheroes to Elvis or Mad Men) or even history and religion (like the creations of artists from Argentina Pool&Marianela)
Other big influences on Barbie's creators and designers, apart from career, pop culture, princesses etc. are : hobbies, travel and leisure. Barbie likes to ride a bike, sail or ski, go camping, to the beach or to a concert. If some of the dolls make us dream of what we could be, these dolls gives us the opportunity to identify to Barbie and are great to play with and easy to invent story for. The rockers collection are definitely big favorites !
Finally the last segment of this wonderful exhibition is about the first and favorite passion of Barbie : Fashion !
Barbie's first job was fashion model, and many designers, from Chanel to Versace or Dolce & Gabbana have dressed her. For example in the 80's, Oscar de La Renta designed a whole clothes line for her and BillyBoy made two beautiful dolls.
But she also became an inspiration to them. In their adverts, displays or even fashion lines, the face of and style of Barbie always spoke to people in search of glamour.
So, this is by far the longest post i've made here, but it's also by far the best Barbie exhibition i've been to and it gave me lots of ideas for future posts. My friends and I stayed 3 hours there and it felt like 15 minutes!!
I hope you get the chance to go and if not, maybe this "little post" will make you feel like you went!
