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​Do you remember World of Love ​fashion ​dolls? Hasbro introduced this doll line in 1971 during the Mod Barbie era. ​Hasbro touted World of Love dolls as "She's what's happening. She's today's American teenager and she's part of the World of Love." These dolls have ​a hippie vibe and are aptly named for the era - Love​, Peace, Soul and Flower! ​They had a catchy TV commercial where the little girls say they want to be like the Love teenage dolls and rap "I got Love, I got Flower, I got Peace, I got Soul!" 

Each doll ​wears a colorful outfit to match their colorful world. These 9” dolls have​ ​rooted ​hair and ​eyelashes, a twistable waist​ and bendable legs.​ ​Two new dolls were added to the collection, Music #4420​,​ and ​a male doll named Adam #4425. Every doll needs her Ken!​ Or another Barbie. No judgment here. :)​ Word is that Adam was named after one of the doll designer's sons. 

Love ​#4400 is ​a blond​e​ while Flower ​#4410 is ​a redhead​. Peace ​#4405, ​Soul ​#4415, Music #4420 and Adam #4425 all don jet black hair. ​The first issue World of Love dolls came in cardboard boxes with lids. The second issue came in wider cardboard boxes with cellophane around them. All of the Love dolls have “MADE IN HONG KONG” ​marked on their back and “HASBRO/U.S. PAT PEND” on their lower body. 
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The Deluxe dolls were introduced in 1972. ​The dolls didn't change but each ​came ​wearing a​ personal t-shirt with her face imprinted on the front, along with an extra outfit. ​There's Deluxe Love #4402, Deluxe Peace #4407, Deluxe Flower #4412, Deluxe Soul #4417 and Deluxe Music #4422. Also in 1972, there was a 2nd edition Love doll wearing a different fashion. She remained product #4400. There wasn't a Deluxe version of Adam.

The World of Love dolls have a few playsets like Love's Favorite Places #4445, a carrying case, fashions and a Beauty Salon and Wig Set (their version of Barbie's styling head).

​Check out the slideshow below with images of Love's Favorite Places; a super-cool fold-out "house" that has a disco, record shop and boutique! Thank you to Cindy and Rex Butler for sharing these images with me. I had never seen this house before and Cindy is lucky enough to have one she saved from childhood.

​The dolls were also sold in Europe under the name of Miss Matchbox Disco Girls, who also produced Matchbox cars. ​​The Disco Girls are blonde ​Britt, ​brunette ​Tia, ​redhead ​Dee and ​African American ​Domino along with Tony. 

​The Beautiful Hair Bonnie Breck doll promoted Breck shampoo in 1971. ​​Miss Breck ​is made from the same mold as the Wolrd of Love dolls. Her dress ​uses​ the same material as Flower's ​dress ​but ​it's a different ​prairie style. “2/HONG KONG” ​i​s marked on her back and “HASBRO/U.S. PAT PEND” on her lower body.

Hasbro had another line of dolls that debuted in 1972 called Leggy dolls.​ ​These long-legged, super-skinny 10” vinyl dolls include red-haired Kate, brunette Nan, African-American Sue and blonde Jill. They are marked “1972/HASBRO/HONG KONG” on their lower body. 

#worldoflove #hasbroworldoflove #lovedolls #hasbrolovedolls #70sdolls #70slovedolls #love #soul #peace #flower #music #dolls #hasbro #lovesfavoriteplaces #souldoll #lovedoll #peacedoll #flowerdoll #worldoflovedolls

​References: 
http://plaidstallions.com/hasbro/love.html

#WorldOfLoveDolls #WorldOfLove #PeaceDoll #LoveDoll #MusicDoll #FlowerDoll #HasbroDolls #HasbroWorldOfLove #DollCollecting #70sDolls​
Love's Favorite Places "house" (all images provided by collector Cindy Butler)
Outside of Love's Favorite Places fold-out "house"
Love's Favorite Places Boutique
Love's Favorite Places Disco
Love's Favorite Places Record Shop
World of Love dolls Flower
World of Love dolls Soul
World of Love dolls Peace
World of Love, doll named Love
Promo booklet that shows Love's Favorite Places, carrying case and styling head
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Peace, Love, Soul, Music and Flower (l to r)

Peace, Love, Soul, Music and Flower (l to r)

Hasbro World of Love doll named Music. She is the 5th doll in the collection.

World of Love Doll named Music. Hasbro produced a line of dolls called World of Love in 1971 - 1972. She is the 5th doll added to the collection.

1971 World of Love doll named Beautiful Hair Bonnie Breck
Hasbro 2nd edition World of Love doll, Love #4400 in 1972; same doll, different outfit.

Hasbro 2nd edition World of Love doll, Love #4400 in 1972; same doll, different outfit.

World of Love Dolls boxes/packaging
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1976 Ideal Tuesday Taylor doll #TuesdayTaylor #Ideal #doll #70s

1976 Ideal Tuesday Taylor doll

I love me some Mod Barbies but let's take a peek at another mod doll from the late 70s... 1976 Tuesday Taylor! She's often confused with Tiffany Taylor, but more on Tiffany later.

​Tuesday was advertised as a 'sophisticated city girl who goes to exciting places and has a fantastic career.' She has a few things in common with Mod Barbie; both are 11 1/2" vinyl fashion dolls with rooted hair and eyelashes and painted eyes. Both wear hip, stylish fashions. 
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Tuesday had a unique gimmick: you could rotate her scalp (see photo on left) transforming her from a sun-streaked blonde with short bangs to an exotic brunette - all with a quick twist of the top of her head.

​Hair play with dolls was very popular in the 70s. When you look closely at my photo, you'll see a line on the top of her head. That's the part you twist and she flips her hair colors. 
Ideal also produced an African-American counterpart, named Taylor Jones, with black and bright auburn hair. She's valued higher than the white doll. Ms. Jones reminds me of one of my favorite Barbie dolls, 1974 Malibu Christie.
The second iteration of Tuesday is 1977's posable Suntan Tuesday Taylor.  She still had the color-changing hair but her new gimmick is she tans. When you place little doodle stickers on her body and put her in the sunshine, cute tattoos show up when you remove the stickers - fun! The tan does go away after indoors for a while. Malibu Barbie has been known to say, however, 'A plastic tan never fades.' That line cracks me up every time! Suntan Tuesday is highly sought after with her vertical, oval-shaped sunglasses. A European version also had the same sunnies but came with a shorter, Marlo Thomas flip hairstyle (like Barbie's "Marlo Flip" Twist 'n Turn doll!)
The third model of Tuesday was 1978 Beauty Queen Tuesday Taylor (photo on right.) She does not have posable arms, wrists and legs like the first two Tuesday dolls. She only has blonde hair without the rotating scalp. Unfortunately, there was not a black version of this doll. LAME.
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The last and final edition is 1978's curly-haired Super Model Tuesday Taylor with her Fashion Stepper. A walking mechanism allowed her to walk like the Walk Lively Barbie dolls of the 70's. Like the Beauty Queen doll, she does not have rooted eyelashes or the rotating scalp and only comes in blonde. Her arms, legs and wrists are bendable unlike the Beauty Queen. Super Model Tuesday Taylor came in an African-American version but, this time, her name wasn't Taylor Jones. It stayed Tuesday Taylor. AGAIN LAME. 

Ideal designers expanded Tuesday's world with a convertible penthouse apartment that you can change from day to night with the backdrop (more chic than Barbie's Country Living home!), a two-level Summer/Winter Vacation Home (perhaps in Malibu?), a Skipper-like little sister, 9" Dodi, and a 12" tall yoked-out boyfriend, Eric. He has a pea-size head compared to his body, sooooo funny! Dodi and Eric didn't have any of their own fashions in addition to what they came dressed in. 


1978 Beauty Queen Tuesday Taylor

1978 Beauty Queen Tuesday Taylor

Now, Tiffany Taylor! In 1974, Ideal's Crissy doll was a bit dated and phased out. Ideal wanted to jump on the "dolls that do stuff" trend so created an equally large doll, Tiffany Taylor, from 1974 - 1976. At 19" Tiffany is much larger than Tuesday. Tiffany was the same size as Crissy doll but they are not part of the same family.

Tiffany has rooted hair and lashes, blue eyes, non-bendable arms and legs and was a competitor of Super Size Barbie of the same size. Tiffany's eyes are half-closed giving her a 70s "stoned" look (lol!) and her eye makeup is much heavier than Tuesday's. Tiffany also came in a black model. Initially, Tiffany was a great idea but since Barbie was the Queen Bee, Ideal reused Tiffany's gimmicks on a smaller doll, more like Barbie's size. That's how Tuesday was born! 

#TuesdayTaylorDoll #TuesdayTaylor #TiffanyTaylor #TiffanyTaylorDoll #70sDolls #SuperModelTuesdayTaylor #SuntanTuesdayTaylor #DodiDoll #DodiTuesdayTaylorDoll

Source: Collectible Doll Fashions: 1970, Carmen Varricchio (2003)
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​Updated July 2024

​One of Skipper's friends from the early 70's is Dramatic New Living Fluff #1143. I'm so excited to add her to my collection. Fluff dolls are very hard to find and she's in minty condition!

Dramatic New Living Fluff was introduced in 1971 and was the first friend of Skipper's since Skooter and Ricky "retired" in 1967. Skipper followed big sis Barbie everywhere so she told her to make new friends, ha! Dramatic New Living Skipper and Living Fluff are only available as blondes. Fluff styles her hair in two pigtails held in place with orange hair bows, and she has bangs with cute pin curls on the sides.  She dons a colorful yellow, orange and green striped one-piece jumper with a bright orange vinyl skirt that has two yellow buttons and attached shorts. She has pretty brown eyes with rooted eyelashes.

Fluff had a new face mold, which she shares with 1972 Pose 'n Play Tiff. Fluff came with a yellow skateboard showing off her athletic skills and prowess! Her body is identical to Dramatic New Living Skipper and has the same body markings. 

​Here's a great video describing Fluff and Tiff: (click here) from Kewpie83.

A little bit on Pose 'n Play Tiff, dubbed Skipper's tomboy friend. She came out in 1972 and, like Fluff, was only produced for a year. Tiff is very rare and goes for big bucks on eBay. She's on my wish list! Tiff and Fluff both came with skateboards. The only difference between the two is that Fluff has rooted eyelashes and Tiff does not, plus the different hairstyles. Tiff has long, straight red hair. She's super-cute! Note on skateboards... I tried skateboarding on a plastic yellow skateboard in 1976, fell on to my butt on the sidewalk, and never tried again. Bruised ego mostly, haha. Skipper's next friend wasn't until 1976, Growing Up Ginger. 

In 1971, a Sears exclusive "Living Fluff Sunshine Special" gift set #1249 debuted. It came with a Living Fluff doll (with what appears to be lighter blonde hair) with the same markings as the original Living Fluff. She wore her original playsuit but also came with a cool five-piece fashion ensemble with Skipper labels. The wardrobe included red velvet pants with yellow and blue rickrack, a knee-length ruffled skirt with a matching red head scarf, a gold velvet vest with red trim, coordinating opaque gold tights and a white peasant blouse with yellow, red and blue rickrack. The set also includes flat gold shoes and her infamous skateboard. This set is VERY hard to find. 

According to Hillary James, author of The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls (2nd edition,) a Dramatic New Living Fluff doll never removed from the box (NRFB) is worth around $275 - $350, mint with no box can garner $75 - $125, and. the average doll, in the range of $50 to $75.
1972 Pose 'n Play Tiff, Skipper's friend

1972 Pose 'n Play Tiff, Skipper's friend

1971 Dramatic New Living Fluff #1143

1971 Dramatic New Living Fluff #1143

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​Hi dolls! The newest addition to my Mod Barbie collection is Busy Barbie (#3311) who debuted in 1972; the year maxi dresses, mini skirts, knee socks and patterns happened in a big way!

Her "busy" hands can hold a number of accessories including a phone, record player, color TV, travel case and a soda set of a brown tray with two glasses. Her hands can bend and turn at the wrist, and also grasp and carry. 

While the innovations on this doll were designed to make Barbie more active and powerful, with her gripping hands, she ultimately didn't last long. Production costs were prohibitive, and the doll's joints a bit too fragile to survive a lot of play. Personally, I'm not a fan of the mechanical-looking hands.

Busy Barbie has bendable legs and elbows, a twist-n-turn waist, and painted lashes. She's wearing a blue denim halter top with attached white panties, a patchwork gingham long skirt with a ruffle on the hem, white pilgrim shoes and has a pretty brass barrette in her hair.

Seven Busy Barbie dolls with the holdin' hands feature were released in 1972. There are three talking versions; Talking Busy Barbie #1195, Talking Busy Ken #1196 and Talking Busy Steffie #1186. The four who couldn't talk are Busy Barbie #3311, Busy Ken #3314, Busy Steffie #3312, and Busy Francie #3313. A European Busy Francie was released at the same time, German Busy Francie.

Talking Busy Barbie has short blonde hair and real lashes, not painted lashes like #3311. She wore blue satin hot pants, a red tricot top with a chartreuse belt and knee boots. Talking Busy Steffie said things like, "I dig having my own TV," "The new fashions are wild" and "That music is groovy."  

According to Hillary James, author of The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls (2nd edition,) a Busy Barbie never removed from the box (NRFB) is worth around $475 - $550, mint with no box can garner $275 - $350, and. the average doll, in the range of $175 to $275.
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​The latest edition to my Barbie collection! Dressed in a tricot tangerine one-piece swimsuit, the 1977 "Barbie and Her Super Fashion Fireworks" gift set #9805, was a Kresge (Kmart) exclusive. Each pack had four colorful outfits, and with three fashion packs produced, added up to twelve cute outfits. One set included fashions #9552, 9559, 9560 and 9561; a. second set had #9550, 9553, 9556 and 9558., and the third set included #9551, 9554, 9555 and 9557. In 1976, they were called Sweet 16 fashions. 

​She was included in another gift set in 1977, "Barbie doll Plus 3," #9953. Barbie came with three Best Buy fashions, #s 9153, 9160 and 9161.. This was an exclusive set sold at the dime store, Ben Franklin. Who remembers Ben Franklin?! It was the BEST place to score all types of candy!
1977 Barbie and Her Super Fashion Fireworks Gift Set #9805

1977 Barbie and Her Super Fashion Fireworks #9805

1977 Barbie and Her Super Fashion Fireworks (#9805)
  • NRFB $120 (value given from 2010 so probably worth more now)
Values from Barbie Doll Photo Album 1959 to 2009, J. Michael Augustyniak
#BarbieSuperFashionFireworks #FashionFireworks #KresgeBarbie #BenFranklinBarbie #KmartBarbie
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  • The 1976 European Barbie #7382, like a number of other 70s Barbie dolls, looks similar to the infamous and highly successful 1971 Malibu Barbie - such as the 1974 Italian (European) Twist 'n Turn Barbie, 1975 Gold Medal Barbie #7233 and 1974's (the sports set) Sun Valley Barbie skier #7806. 
  • This 1976 - 1977 Barbie was only released in Europe and Canada. She was also known as the "pale or pink skin" Malibu Barbie. She was a simple doll, made inexpensively with straight (no-bend) legs and a no-twist waist. She used the popular Stacey head mold and wore a blue two-piece swimsuit.
1976 European Barbie doll #7382

1976 European Barbie doll #7382 | courtesy of Barbie List Holland

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I'm so excited about the newest Barbie in my collection! I was having a not-so-great week, coming down with pneumonia. To cheer myself up, I looked at Barbies for sale on eBay lol! I came across a beautiful doll that the seller didn't know the name of. I was lucky this Barbie came across my search! I thought she was a perfect Yellowstone Kelley Barbie so I felt I scored, purchasing her for $150. When she arrived, I realized it wasn't Kelley. I blame it on my pneumonia brain, haha! ​

I did some research and discovered that she is a #8587 TNT European Barbie - wow! She was also sold in Canada but the red-haired version was only sold in Europe. I have the red-haired European Barbie (Italy); she looks like a hybrid of Yellowstone Kelley and Malibu Barbie. ​

She has the Stacey head mold, wears a one-piece turquoise swimsuit (the same maillot 1971 Malibu Barbie wears), and bending legs. She was produced in several versions from 1971 - 1976, like this this doll. In 1974, she wore a yellow swimsuit. According to Stefanie Deutsch's book, "Barbie, the First 30 Years," the Barbie I purchased is worth $150 - but this value was given in 2003. I'm hoping she's worth more now! She came in blonde and red hair, the latter being hard-to-find.
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My doll came dressed in 1975's "A Busy Girl’s Ready-Set-Go Clothes! #7242." According to Mattel, Barbie® doll's bright crayon color mixers included striped tricot halter, long scarf, and knee socks. These pieces accented the woven yellow skirt and jacket with red stitching. The skirt had a yoke at the waist, and the jacket had pocket flaps placed vertically along stitch lines. The bottom was banded. Red woven knickers with an elasticized waist and yellow chunky shoes completed the look.

She KINDA looks like Yellowstone Kelley, right?!
1974 European (Italian) Twist 'n Turn Standard Barbie #8587 with strawberry blonde hair
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1973 Quick Curl Miss America and 1972 Walk Lively Steffie

1973 Quick Curl Miss America and 1972 Walk Lively Steffie from author's collection

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Here she is, Miss America! Naturally, if your career starts as a teenage fashion model, and you're smart and want to make the world a better place - why not showcase those traits in a pageant?! Mattel came out with two different Miss America dolls using Barbie's body and the popular Steffie head mold; 1972 Walk Lively Miss America (#3200) and 1973 Quick Curl Miss America (#8697). You could curl and straighten her hair with the help of a special curling wand, comb and brush. Quick Curl Barbie capitalized on the popularity of hair play in the 70s. 1973 Quick Curl Barbie wears the same fashion as 1972 Walking Miss America but Quick Curl Barbie had painted lashes and Quick Curl hair. Quick Curl Miss America was produced from 1973 to 1979. All Miss America dolls are brunette with the exception of Quick Curl Miss America - the only blonde.

A fun fact... from 1973 on, outfits for Barbie were no longer named. Fashions are now known only by their numbers. Well, that's no fun! Bring back Glimmer Glamour, Intrigue, Movie Groovie, and Stripes are Happening!

Walk Lively Steffie (#1183) is one of three in the Walk Lively series (there was also a Walk Lively Ken and Barbie). The Walk Lively dolls came with a special Walk n' Turn stand which allowed the dolls to move their head and limbs when pushed. Barbie's same-sized friend, Steffie, was introduced in 1972. Steffie used a gorgeous new head mold that would be used for numerous Barbie family dolls over the years.

1972  Brunette Walking Miss America (#3200)
  • NRFB $275 - $325 
  • Mint/Complete $100 - $150
​1972  Brunette Miss America  - Kellog's Special (#3194)
  • NRFB $275 - $325 
  • Mint/Complete $100 - $150
1973  Blonde Quick Curl Miss America (#8867)
  • NRFB $175 - $225 
  • Mint/Complete $75 - $125
1972 Brunette Walk Lively Steffie (#1183)
  • NRFB $225 - $300 
  • Mint/Complete $75 - $125
Values from The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls, Hillary Shilkitus James, 2nd Edition, 2011
#WalkLivelySteffie #MissAmericaBarbie #QuickCurlBarbie #WalkingMissAmerica #QuickCurlMissAmerica #Steffie
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1970 Dawn doll by Topper

Original 1970 Dawn doll in Blue Pouf

Blog post updated OCTOBER 2023

If you enjoyed playing with Mod Barbies as a child, you probably remember the tiny doll stars of the early '70s, Topper's Dawn dolls. Topper Toys released Dawn dolls in March 1970. Compared to Barbie, these dolls were much smaller at 6 1/2" tall. Like Barbies of that era, they had rooted hair and rooted eyelashes. Three friends of Dawn were also released in 1970 - her girl squad Angie, Glori and Dale. Dawn and her besties were glamorous fashion model dolls with the most beautiful fashions. The initial line included 44 groovy outfits. 
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The (anything but!) basic Dawn was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll with straight, waist-length hair parted in the middle. Her eyes glance to the left but there are some variations including brown-eyed Dawn dolls, side-parted hair, strawberry blonde hair and eyes looking forward or towards the right.

Dawn's friend, brown-eyed girl Angie, also had waist-length straight hair but in a dark brown shade. 
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Dale is a groovy African-American doll with brown eyes and a black bubble cut hairdo, very popular in that era. Dale variations include many different eye colors and different lip colors. My favorite Dale has the rare green eyes - which I have in my collection. 
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Another gal pal of Dawn's, Glori, is most commonly a redhead with straight, waist-length hair and cute bangs. Some Glori dolls have side-parted straight, waist-length hair without bangs and others have side-parted curly or wavy hair. Other Glori variations have blue eyes or no bangs. 

​The second wave of Dawn dolls in 1971 included three men: Gary, Ron and Van, plus Jessica the flight attendant and Longlocks with, you guessed it, long hair! Jessica had short side-parted blonde hair (I need to add her to my collection so I don't have a photo of her) and Longlocks showed off her extra-long auburn center-parted hair that went below her waist.

​Also in 1971, Head to Toe Dawn was introduced. These cuties had a short bubble cut hairstyle with bangs and came with wigs; a floor-length fall, a sausage-curled ponytail and a long braid. Head to Toe dolls became so popular that in the following year, 1972, Head to Toe Angie and Head to Toe Longlocks were introduced. These dolls were inspired by Crissy and Velvet dolls who had hair that "grew" from the tops of their heads. I had Crissy and loved playing with her hair!
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​1971 Flower Fantasy dolls are hard to find so mint in box dolls are highly sought after by collectors today. I have one in my collection that is so pretty (see above). There were four styles; a yellow pot with red flowers, pink pot with pink roses, blue pot with orange and yellow flowers and a pink pot with purple flowers (this is the one I have). Only Dawn dolls accompanied the flowers, not any of her friends. ​
The Dancing dolls were a hit in 1971 - 1972! You could move their arm and the doll's head and waist would twist, appearing to dance. Almost every fashion on a Dancing Doll is trimmed with fringe or a chain that would swing while they danced. 

The Dancing dolls included Dawn, Angie, Glori, Dale, Longlocks,  Jessica, Kevin, Gary, Van and Ron. Dawn's Dance Party set came in three options: First, Dawn's Dance Party featuring Fancy Feet and secondly, Dawn's Dance Party featuring her boyfriend, Dancing Kevin. Kevin was only produced for the Dance Party play sets.

The third set, Dawn's Double Dance Party, included both Fancy Feet and Kevin together. Alternatively, the two single sets could be attached to form its own double stage! The stage was battery-operated and had a handle of the side so the doll could move around on the stage. The dance party stage is yellow hard plastic with a pink, blue, yellow and white polka dot stage. 

​Click here to find your Dawn doll on eBay!!
​
1971 Fancy Feet Dawn doll
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Dawn had a plethora of fun play sets. The most popular set was 1970's Dawn's Fashion Show. Dawn and her friends sashayed down the battery-operated revolving stage. The girls could practice modeling the latest fashions on the runway. Dawn had an aqua Action Car that could do turns. Dawn's Beauty Parlor play set (see left photo) kept Dawn looking her best. Dawn also had a Music Box and the Dawn 'N Me Pocketbook which was a purse with a long gold shoulder chain. If Dawn was inserted correctly, her head peeked out from a sliding window on the front.

​Dawn introduced 8 new play sets in 1971: Dawn's Beauty Pageant which allowed the dolls to walk the runway,  turn and walk back along the other side. Also introduced was the DeLuxe Beauty Pageant (added a gold cape and Gary doll dressed in a tux), Dawn's Dance Party (3 versions), Dawn's Dress Shop, Dawn's Floral Stand, and Dawn's New Car in hot pink with flowers.
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The last run of Dawn dolls was in 1972 which introduced two collections - the Majorette Dawn dolls and the Dawn Modeling Agency dolls. 

​The Majorettes included Dawn, Kip and Connie (originally named April). The bodies were made with a set of hard plastic arms that would stay straight and help the doll twirl her glow-in-the-dark baton. Maybe these dolls inspired me to be a Twinkie Twirler when I was 5 years old back in the day, haha!

​The 1972 Dawn Modeling Agency dolls are among my favorites. There were five different dolls with unique hairstyles and fancy clothes that oozed glamour. Each model came with an evening bag, jewelry and a plastic portfolio that was color-coordinated to match their outfit. Each portfolio held a strip of 6 black and white photos of the model.

​Daphne is a redhead with her hair in a pony with two sausage curls. 

Denise is a blonde with her hair in a bun on the top of her head. 

Dinah is a platinum blonde doll with two long braids tied with pink ribbons.​
1972 Daphne from Dawn doll Modeling Agency
Maureen from 1972 Dawn doll Modeling Agency
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Melanie from 1972 Dawn doll modeling agency
1972 Dinah from Dawn doll modeling agency
Maureen is a side-parted brunette with a curled ponytail on the right side of her head, tied with a gold ribbon.

The final Modeling Agency doll is Melanie, a dark brunette with a curled ponytail on the back of her head. If you ask me, Maureen and Melanie are hard to tell apart. You really have to look at the hairstyle. I've been able to collect all of the Modeling Agency dolls!
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Initially, Dawn dolls were very popular because Topper invested heavily in TV advertising, the dolls were easy for retailers to display, while the low price attracted the consumer. Also, at this time, Barbie sales weren't doing that great. She was suffering from an identity crisis and her quality wasn't as good as earlier years. Think Malibu Barbie vs Twist 'n Turn Barbie!

Sadly, Dawn Dolls were discontinued in 1973. They had a good run for a few years anyway! Dawn's popularity was short-lived because Topper went bankrupt in 1973 and they were not able to innovate such a small doll. 

Checkerboard Toys reissued the dolls in 2000 making reproductions of Dawn, Glori, Angie and Dale as a 30th year anniversary commemoration. Checkerboard also released three new dolls in addition to Dawn; redhead Shannon (aka Maura), brunette Macy and African-American Denise in a line called Fab Fashions Fun. Their catchphrase was, "It's Groovy to be a Girl!" Then there were the Karma Cool Dawn dolls (Dawn, Denise and Macy. There was Shannon. She must have left town haha). They had super-long hair with colorful streaks. Dawn, Macy and Denise also came out in Go 'n Glo versions. Checkerboard produced other Dawn dolls too; bridal and holiday dolls,  and special edition dolls like Totally Golden Macy and Seriously Silver Dawn dolls (photo from my collection). The dolls didn't really catch on and, due to a lagging economy, Checkerboard made its last Dawn dolls in 2003. Toy-O-Rama (the re-organized Checkerboard Toys) tried to revive the Dawn dolls in 2004 by repackaging the liquidated Checkerboard dolls but it was short-lived. 

The advent of eBay catapulted Topper Dawn back into the consciousness of the youngest Baby Boomers and the oldest Gen Xers, referred to as Generation Jones (that would be me!). The Gen Jones are born from 1954 to 1967 and became the target market for Dawn dolls.

In 1972, England's Palitoy produced Pippa, another pocket-sized doll who looked shockingly similar to Dawn. Some refer to her as Dawn's British cousin! They produced over 30 different Pippa and friends. Her first three friends were Marie, Tammie, and Britt. To reflect Britain's diverse ethnic population, Pippa later had an Asian friend named Jasmine and an African-American girlfriend, Mandy. More friends were added to the line - Gail (she looks like a small Malibu Barbie!), Emma, Rosemary, Penny and boyfriend Pete. The Pippa line outlived Dawn by seven years.

In 1971, Mattel produced Rock Flower dolls in response to Dawn dolls' popularity, but they came nowhere near Dawn doll sales. The squad including Lilac, Rosemary, Iris, Doug and Heather. Each doll came with a 45 record. The records featured a solo song written for each doll with the flip side showcasing a group performance. The line was discontinued in 1974.

If you love Dawn and collecting her, there are many groups on Facebook - just search on Topper Dawn Dolls. There is also an annual Dawn Doll Convention. 

Which were your favorite Dawn Dolls?! Would love to hear from you. Talk soon, dolls!

​xo, Lynne

Stop by my influencer Amazon storefront  at amazon.com/shop/influencer-e50a405a! I receive a commission from Amazon.

#dawn #angie #dale #glori #dawndoll #vintagedawn #70sdawn #dancingdawn #headtotoe #longlocks #jessica #flowerfantasy #modelingagency #fancyfeet #daphne #melanie #maureen #denise #70sdolls #majorettes #kip #pippa #topper
Sources: The Dawn Spot, A Little Bling and The Spruce​
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1974’s Yellowstone Kelley (#7808) was one of my favorite Barbies to play with as a young girl. I loved her tan, her cute pink lips and pretty red, shiny hair! She remains a difficult doll to acquire. Mattel used the very popular Steffie head mold for Kelley. She came with blue and white striped camping shorts and pants, a red and white dotted shirt and adorable knee-high socks with sneakers. Kelley also came equipped with lots of fun gear to go on her camping adventures; a backpack, yellow sleeping bag, camping mattress, camp stove, cooking utensils, pots and pans and a brush and comb because a girl can only “rough it” so much!

Barbie dolls in 1974 were a shout-out to sports and physical activity. With the ‘76 Olympics just two years away and sports more popular than ever, Mattel created a Barbie sport series called the Sports Set. These dolls camped, sailed and skied their way into the hearts of children. There were only four sets of these active teens made; sailing Newport Barbie, skiing Sun Valley Barbie and Ken and camping Yellowstone Kelley. She was the only “new” doll in this line, as Sun Valley Barbie and Ken and Newport Barbie were 1973 Malibu dolls just dressed in sports fashions (sneaky!).

​The only other Kelley (Barbie) doll produced was Quick Curl Kelley #4221 from 1973 - 1976. 
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Barbie’s clothing in 1974 was influenced by the economic times and were less elaborate, featuring the Best Buy Barbie Fashions. Depends on who you ask, but many think 1974 was the last year of the “Mod” Barbie. I could also see it as 1972 or ‘73 when you consider their hairstyles and fashions. What do you think?

xo, Lynne

​Click here to find your Yellowstone Kelley on eBay!!

1972 Yellowstone Kelley (#7808)
  • NRFB $375 - $450 
  • Mint/Complete $200 - $275
Values from The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls, Hillary Shilkitus James, 2nd Edition, 2011

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