In 1964 Barbie got a sister called Skipper. She was the first member of Barbie doll’s big family. (Just for the case if you don’t know it the family grew until 1999 when Krissy was born). I wonder how old Barbie’s mother was when Barbie was born and she was 40 years older when Krissy was born, a wonder of fertility !!!
No, just kidding a little bit. When Skipper came out in 1964 she was available in blond and brunette. Sadly not as a red haired version …
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram anMy “mint” (haha) Skipper also suffers from green tarnish from her original headband. I’m sorting my #skipperdoll collection tonight deciding which dolls most need a spa visit with @angiepangiepaints ?????? #vintageSkippers #barbiecollector #vintagebarbie #barbieskipper #skipperbarbie #vintageskipper #instabarbie #barbiegram #barbie #barbieaddict #barbiesisters #barbiegrammers
More changes in the 1970s
Until 1971 her look was not changed very much. The first change of her face I think came when she was available as Living Skipper. Her hair style also changed a bit. In her history her body was also changed several times. One of the most controverse Skipper dolls was the Growing Up Skipper (available, I did a little bit of research https://youtu.be/9LuI0W8SmzY) in 1975. She has a mechanism inside her body and when you twist her arm in the right direction her body grows and she gets breasts. From a technical point of view very interesting since this mechanism works in my Growing Up Skipper until today, so it must be a very simple but effective mechanism with a spring I think (just from the sounds I hear when I move her arms). Her body also changes a bit. She becomes taller.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram anGrowing Up Skipper 1975 #growingupskipper #barbieslittlesister #70s #1975 #fromagirltoayounglady #oldtoys #vintage_barbies #barbiefan #dollcollector #vintagebarbies #dollsofinstagram #paintinghobby #skipper #mattel #paintingbynumbers #mykonos
In the late 1970s Skipper changed again. She became known as “Super Teen Skipper” in comparison to Superstar Barbie. In the late 70s everything became “super”. She got a new face and a new body. I think there are hardly two Skipper dolls that have the same size in my collection. I don’t know the exact number of how often face and body were changed but the longer the dolls were available the more often face and body changed. The 80s finally brought us Hot Stuff Skipper with another face and body and in 1988 she got a new face again. She got her “Kulleraugen“-face as we call it in Germany. She got a face that reminded me of Japanese comics even before I knew how there were called. Nobody told us that when we watched Japanese comic TV series. These early series from the late 70s or early to mid 80s series came to us with a great delay but Skipper looked in a perfect way to what we all watched in TV back then. I really loved the comic like eyes of Skipper but in the mid 1990s her look changed again. The “Pizza Hut”Skipper got a new head mold and another body. This version was only used for a short time. I got her back then as “Phone fun” Skipper.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram anbaton twirling Skipper 1992 ???????#batontwirlingskipper #cheerleadingskipper #cheerleadingbarbie #barbieskipper #skipperbarbie #90sskipper #barbie #vintagebarbie #vintagebarbies #80sbarbie #90sbarbie #80skid #90skid #barbiefan #barbielover #barbiecollector #barbie80s #barbie90s #vintagetoys #mattel #matteldoll #barbiepassion #barbielove #barbieworld #barbiefantasy #barbiecollecrion #ilovebarbie #barbie1992
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram anMy childhood dream came true today. I had a tiny picture of the two phone fun girl when I was 11. I kept that tiny bit of paper for many years as a wishlist later as a good luck charm. But after many years the paper just gave up but I never forgot them. Today I received Skipper who was a great deal and she is in amazing condition. Getting Courtney will be a bigger challenge but I am hopeful. Now skipper is going to a glass cabinet in Kamilla’s future room ?? #phonefunskipper #dollymail #childhooddream
When Skipper became Teen Skipper
Shortly after we got to see “Phone fun” Skipper she suddenly grew up to the same size like Barbie doll. Her new name was Teen Skipper, again new head mold and new body. She somehow lost her outward appearance of a 13 year old girl and became at least 16 years. A very nice version of this Skipper can be seen of her in the Slumber Party Skipper. After the arrival of the year 2000 she suddenly disappeared from the screen for nearly a decade.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram anold photo of my #teenskipper #skipperdoll #dollstagram
Here’s a link to Slumber Party Skipper https://www.flickr.com/photos/151597660@N03/33570714055
After the year 2000
Then she was suddenly available again . In 2010 we saw her again in a gift set from Target, being a bridesmaid and in 2012 with colorful hair. It seems that she is available on a permanent basis again in 2019. When you google her, you’ll find her but it seems that she’s between 15 and 17 years now.
More about Skipper
She was born as Skipper Millicent Roberts. She was originally designed as a 12 or 13 year old teenage girl. She was requested by Barbie owners who wanted another doll to play with beside Midge and Ken. By the way Skipper was the door to younger girls who were maybe no teenagers at the time (Yeah, in the early 1960s lots of teenagers had Barbie dolls. I know this may sound strange to you. Nowadays Barbie becomes uninteresting when children leave the kindergarten and go to school.) Skipper had many friends during the different decades starting with Skooter and Ricky in the 60s , Courtney, Kevin, Nikki became later friends with her.