Toy Captain

Meet Midge Hadley! Midge was created by Mattel in 1963. She is Barbie’s best friend. She is the same height as Barbie, but has a softer, gentler looking face. Since the dolls are the same height Midge and Barbie are able to share all the Barbie Doll clothes and accessories. Midge is available in Red, Blonde and Brunette hair colors. Her hair is shoulder length and flips up at the ends. She usually has freckles on her face. There is a version of Midge that does not have freckles and has longer hair. This style of Midge is hard to find now. Another version of Midge that is hard to find now is a version of Midge with teeth. Wigs Wardrobe Midge was a Midge head with short, molded hair and 3 wigs. This version did not come with a body, just the head. Midge was available until 1967 and then no Midge dolls were sold until 1988. Shop for Vintage Barbie Midge

Links to other Vintage Barbie posts:

1.  Barbie

2.  Skipper

3.  Skooter

4.  Francie

5.  Tutti

6.  Todd

Barbie was the creation of Ruth Handler. She was first introduced as a Teen-age Fashion Model by Mattel in 1959. Ruth wanted a doll that girls could play with and give adult roles to. At the time the only dolls on the market were infant dolls. The very first Barbie doll was dressed in swimsuit that was black and white zebra striped. She had a ponytail that sat at the top of her head and was available with either blonde hair or brunette hair. The original Barbie‘s eyes did not look forward but made her appear to be glancing sideways. In 1971 her eyes were changed to have her looking forward. The first year that Barbie was introduced about 350,000 dolls were sold. There was a lot of controversy over Barbie‘s appearance when she was first introduced. Many people felt that the Barbie doll’s body gave an unrealistic idea of what a body should look like. Many critics felt that the young girls who played with a Barbie doll would become anorexic in an attempt to look like Barbie. Barbie, however has withstood all her criticisms. There are estimates that over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold in more than 150 countries.

Links to other Vintage Barbie posts:

1.  Midge Hadley

2.  Skipper

3.  Skooter

4.  Francie

5.  Tutti

6.  Todd

Check out the auctions listed below to find Vintage Barbie dolls and accessories!

[ebay campaignid="5336515482" keywords="vintage+barbie" RDS" rows="3" columns="3" pagination="yes" vertical="yes"]

Skipper Roberts is Barbie‘s younger sister.  She is the first family member created for Barbie.  Mattel introduced her in 1965.  She was created as an alternative for parents who were unhappy with Barbie‘s adult figure.  When she was introduced she was shorter than Barbie and was available in three different hair colors, blonde, brunette or red head.  Later a bendable leg version Skipper Barbie doll was introduced.  Other versions of the Skipper Barbie doll are Twist and Turn Skipper and Malibu Skipper.  In 1975 a controversial version of Skipper was introduced:  Growing Up Skipper.  When Skipper was first introduced she was 9.25 inches tall (shorter than Barbie‘s height of 11.5 inches) and was supposed to be about 10 years old.  Later she was a young teenager and her height increased until she was almost as tall as Barbie.   Skipper was resculpted and had many different body styles until she was retired in 2003.

Links to other Vintage Barbie posts:

1.  Barbie

2.  Midge Hadley

3.  Skooter

4.  Francie

5.  Tutti

6.  Todd

Please check out the auctions listed below for Skipper Barbie Dolls and Accessories!

[ebay campaignid="5336515482" keywords="barbie+skipper" RDS" rows="3" columns="3" pagination="yes" vertical="yes"]

In 1965 Mattel decided that the Skipper Barbie doll needed a new friend. They introduced Skooter as Skipper and Ricky‘s friend.

The Skooter Barbie doll is 9 1/4 inch tall and has freckles, pigtails and brown eyes. There are 3 hair colors available for Skooter: blonde, brunette and titian.

Skooter doll versions: She was first introduced as a straight leg doll but later was available in a bendable leg version. Since Skooter and Skipper are the same size they are able to share clothes and accessories. Skooter was available until 1968.

Blonde or Brunette or Red Head:  The Skooter Barbie doll is pictured to the left as a blonde Barbie.  However, Skooter Barbie also was a brunette Barbie doll.   The Brunette Skooter Doll below is a straight leg version of the doll and is in excellent condition.  There was even a Red Head Version of Skooter back in the 1960′s that was a Sears exclusive.

Links to other Vintage Barbie posts:

1.  Barbie

2.  Midge Hadley

3.  Skipper

4.  Francie

5.  Tutti

6.  Todd

Please check out the auctions below for the Skooter Barbie doll and accessories.

[ebay campaignid="5336515482" keywords="barbie+skooter" RDS" rows="3" columns="3" pagination="yes" vertical="yes"]

One of Barbie‘s friends is Francie.  Francie is a beautiful doll with wonderfully full, thick brunette hair. Francie was first introduced in 1966 with as a straight leg Barbie and a “bend leg” Barbie.

In 1967 “Twist ‘N Turn” Francie Barbie dolls were released. Also introduced in 1967 was “Colored Francie“. This doll is sometimes called the first African American Barbie, however she lacked all African American characteristics except for dark skin. Most people consider the first African American Barbie to be Christie who was introduced in 1968. Over the coming years many variations of the Francie Barbie doll were introduced.  These include the  ”Hair Happenin’s Francie” Barbie doll, the “Growin’ Pretty Hair” Barbie doll, and a “Quick Curl Francie” Barbie doll.

The next Francie Barbie doll to be introduced was the “Busy Francie”  Barbie doll.  This Francie had a hand that was able to grip small objects. The last Francie Barbie doll to be released was in 1975.  Her name was “Baggie Francie“.

Links to other Vintage Barbie posts:

1.  Barbie

2.  Midge Hadley

3.  Skipper

4.  Skooter

5.  Tutti

6.  Todd

6.  Todd

Check out the auctions below for Francie Barbie dolls and accessories.

[ebay campaignid="5336515482" keywords="barbie+francie" RDS" rows="3" columns="3" pagination="yes" vertical="yes"]