 1969 New 'N Groovy Talking P.J. #1113
P.J. dolls are one of my favorite - I just love her adorable pigtails! She was introduced in 1969 as Barbie’s new best friend, replacing Midge… ouch! The first P.J. doll was marketed as “New ‘N Groovy Talking P.J.” She wore a pretty pink and orange floral dress and used the Midge face sculpt, but P.J. was more hip and mod. She had long blonde pigtails with beaded, colorful hair bands, brown doe eyes, pretty blue eye shadow and long rooted lashes. When you pulled the string on the back of her neck, she’d say fun things like, “Oh, you’re the grooviest!” and “Help me get ready for my date". Talking P.J. that still speaks is a real find for collectors! There are also Talking versions of Barbie, Christie and Ken. The second P.J. to arrive was the 1970 Twist ’n Turn P.J. in her cute pink swimsuit.
Live Action P.J., the third P.J. to be produced, was movin’ and groovin’! A special stand allowed P.J. to dance with the touch of the “touch and go” stand. Her box highlighted her many skills like, “I dance to your favorite music,” “I dance more than ever before,” “Start the action, touch my touch ’n go stand,” and “There’s lots I do - just like you.” The final P.J. of the Mod Era was 1972’s Sun Set Malibu P.J. She used the Steffie face sculpt and wore a fab lavender one-piece swimsuit. She joined her other tan friends, circa 1971, Malibu Barbie, Malibu Ken, Malibu Francie and Malibu Skipper. Beach pal Malibu Christie joined the squad in 1973. P.J. wore the same size clothes as Barbie so they could share closets. The only fashions that have a P.J. label are her swimsuits and the items from her two gift sets. Mattel tells us the initials P.J. don’t stand for anything, that it is simply her name. I find that odd so I like to think it stands for Penny Jane! What’s your guess?
Values from The Complete and Unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls, Hillary Shilkitus James, 2nd Edition, 2011 #pjdoll #pjbarbie #tntp.j. #liveactionpj #sunsetmalibupj #70spjdoll #barbiesfriendpj
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Growin' Pretty Hair Barbie is now with her friends in my collection! I was so excited to win this minty Barbie on eBay for just $95! Isn't she lovely? As a child, the reason I fell in love with Growin’ Pretty Hair Barbie was because I could lengthen or shorten her hair with a little tug! I thought this was ingenious. I also loved my Crissy doll for the same reason – do you remember her?! Growin’ Pretty Hair Barbie #1144 came with cute hairpieces – curls and braids – and accessories to complete her fun look. You could also style her blonde hair yourself with her little hair tools. The 1971 version was blonde with a side part, wore a pink dress and had pink ribbons on her hair accessories. The 1972 Growin' Pretty Hair Barbie wore a peasant / empire dress and the bow on her hairpieces was blue.The latter Barbie is worth more to collectors.
Baby dolls lost their popularity in the early 70s to fashion dolls like Barbie and Dawn. Children loved the hair play options with fashion dolls. Barbie’s retractable ponytail embraced this hair play craze. Aspiring hairstylists loved this Barbie because it provided hours of practice and dozens of hairstyle possibilities. Some children did more than just crimp and curl Barbie’s hair though. Barbie’s life span could be, umm… cut short with a deadly snip of scissors. Uh oh, now a real stylist had to be visited to fix the damage! It was a great idea for Mattel to sell a Barbie with many hairdo possibilities, rather than the somewhat surrealistic Hair Fair Barbie #4043 issued the same year. Hair Fair wasn’t even a doll! She was a head sold with accompanying wigs and accessories. However, in 1971 Mattel also released Hair Happenin’s Barbie #1174 who had hair options to add to her short, titian (red) hair. This Barbie was different than Barbie with Growin’ Pretty Hair because Hair Happenin’s came with red (titian) mini curls, midi swirls, and a fashion fall. She is considered by collectors as one of the most beautiful , rare and desirable dolls of the Mod Era. She can fetch upwards of $2,000 when Never Removed From Box! References: The Best of Barbie: Four Decades of America’s Favorite Doll, Sharon Korbeck (2001) Barbie: A Rare Beauty, Sandi Holder (2010) 1971 Growin’ Pretty Hair Barbie - Values: $300 - $375 NRFB; $150 - $225 mint/no box 1972 Growin’ Pretty Hair Barbie - Values: $475 - $550 NRFB; $275 - $350 mint/no box Values from "Vintage Barbie Dolls" by Hillary Shilkitus James (2011)  Vintage / Mod era: 1968 Talking Barbie #1115 in Wedding Wonder #1849
In 1968, Talking Barbie found her voice! New technology allowed her to talk with a pink flower pull-string behind her neck - although Barbie actually spoke through a voice box in her chest. She suggested fun things to do to inspire hours of play. Barbie said things like, "Let's go shopping," "I have a date tonight," "What's playing at the cinema?" and more. She chats about fashion, prom, shopping, parties and dates. Collectors score when they find a vintage talker than can still speak!
I was five years old when I got my first Barbie and it was the 1968 Talking Barbie. I was mesmerized by her beauty. My first love! Well, there was Benjamin when I was 3 years old but that's another story, haha. Now, many (many!) years later, I'm still in love with all things Mod Barbie. The photo I posted is of my current Talking Barbie, wearing Wedding Wonder, in front of my Christmas tree. Fashions can be worth as much as the dolls, as you can see at the end of this post. 1968 Talking Barbie #1115 has two Talking friends who also were introduced in 1968: 1. Talking Stacey #1125 / She is Barbie’s British chum and she spoke with a British accent. 2. Talking Christie #1126 / She is historically important because she is the first African-American friend of Barbie. In 1969, Talking Barbie, Talking Christie and Talking Stacey are identical to the 1968 editions but have a new color box. Also in 1969, three additional Talking dolls debuted: 1. Talking Ken #1111 / He is the first new Ken doll, Barbie's boyfriend, issued since 1967 since Mattel didn't offer a Ken doll in 1968. Ken and Barbie were "on a break." haha 2. New ‘N Groovy Talking P.J. #1113 / She is identified as Barbie's best friend. She uses the Midge face sculpt, has brown eyes, rooted eyelashes, and pale blond hair pulled into two sections tied with beads and worn with bangs. Oftentimes the cute beads are missing because children pulled them off. The beads are one of my favorite traits of P.J.'s! 3. Talking Julia #1128 / She is a personality doll depicting Diahann Carroll, star of the NBC show Julia which aired from 1968 - 1971. I have this doll still in the box and just love her! She's wearing a groovy gold and silver jumpsuit. In 1970, the Spanish-speaking Talking Barbie came out. She was sold in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States. There are two versions of English-speaking Talking Barbies in 1970. One is a rare variation using the Stacey head mold and can fetch upwards of $600+! Talking Brad #1114 debuted in 1970 and is Christie's boyfriend. The only Talking Barbie produced in 1971 was Barbie herself and she now has side-glance eyes. The last of the Talking dolls were produced in 1972; Talking Busy Barbie #1195, Talking Busy Steffie #1186 and Talking Busy Ken #1196. In addition to Spanish, Mattel strategized to expand the Talking Barbie audience by marketing this doll as French-, German-, Dutch- and Italian-speaking. All of the Talking Barbies have bendable legs and the same head mold as the Twist ‘n Turn Barbie. The first Talking Barbie in 1968 has a side-parted, twisted pony with three pink ribbons and is available in blonde, brunette and a redhead. A few years later in 1970, Talking Barbie debuted a new short hairstyle called the “nape curl.” I actually prefer the long pony! Of all the Talking Barbies, the 1968 Barbie is still my favorite with Talking P.J. coming in a close second. Interesting tidbit about P.J. – Mattel declares her initials don’t stand for anything, it’s simply her name! Who’s your favorite?! 1968 Talking Barbie - Values: $475 - $550 NRFB; $275 - $350 mint/no box Values from "Vintage Barbie Dolls" by Hillary Shilkitus James (2011) 1968 - 1969 Wedding Wonder #1849 - Values: $400 NRFB Values from Barbie Doll Fashion by Sarah Sink Eames (2001)
Live Action Barbie brings me back to when my mom went to Woodstock. In fact, this Barbie is often referred to as "Woodstock Barbie." I purchased Live Action Christie for just $99 on eBay. Isn't she gorgeous?! I was a little nervous because there was only one fuzzy photo of her on eBay. The seller said she was in very good condition but I'd say she's mint! Her head and hair were wrapped in cellophane and the outfit is perfect and complete. I'd say I scored on this one!
I've had Live Action P.J. and Live Action Barbie in my collection for a while so they're happy their last sister Christie joined them. Can you say Dance Party?!
 1970 TNT Barbie #1160 Ah, yes. The ever popular question, "How much is my Barbie doll worth"? I once read a Barbie is worth... whatever someone is willing to pay for her!
I'm old school and start my research with Barbie reference books. The book I always reach for first is "Barbie Doll Photo Album - 1959 to 2009 Identification and Values" guide. I find it has the best, most professional photographs for easy ID and the Barbie doll values seem comparable to the listings I see on eBay. I'm surprised to see a number of published Barbie ID books to have such out of focus and unprofessional photos. Were they taken with a 70s Polaroid? : ) Another good place to look for #BarbieValues is on eBay. You can "follow" Barbies to find out what they sold for. I set up a daily search so every morning eBay emails me all the new, vintage (wait, is that an oxymoron?!) Barbie listings that meet my criteria. To set up a daily alert, go to eBay.com and in the search bar enter Mod Barbies (or whatever you're looking for). Search results will appear. From there, in the top right corner, you'll see the word Advanced. Click on it and this is where you enter your search criteria. When done select Search. When your results show, right above the first doll, select Follow This Search. Then go to My Ebay/Searches You Follow/More Actions/Edit Email Options. Check the box that says, "Email me daily when new items match my search." Voila! It's a fantastic way to start your day with the latest Barbies you covet up for auction! The Internet posts a plethora of Barbie values as well. A good site is What is it Worth. Earliest Barbies from the late 50s and early 60s are the most valuable, and have shown the greatest value increases over the past 10 years, says a new index launched by justCollecting. Most valuable Barbies in the justCollecting Barbie Index 1. Barbie #1 Brunette (1959): $9,000 2. Barbie #1 Blonde (1959): $8,250 3. Barbie #2 Brunette (1959): $8,000 4. Barbie #2 Blonde (1959): $7,500 5. Roman Holiday Outfit (1959): $5,000 I learn a lot about Mod Barbies and values in Facebook groups such as Groovy Barbie, Crazy for Mod and Barbie & Friends Fashion Doll Guide. Group members share photos and stories, and post Mod Barbies for sale from their personal collections. It's a great forum to discuss our beloved obsession. Um... I mean hobby. : ) Where do you go to find Barbie values? I'd love to hear from you! xo, Lynne
Hi Dolls! How's your summer so far? Are you indulging in fruity umbrella drinks with wide-brimmed hats and cool retro shades at the pool with a good book like me?! With the arrival of bikini season, I'm going to feature one of my favorite dolls (I know, I say that about all of them!) from my personal collection, Malibu Barbie's cousin, sun-kissed Malibu Francie #1068. And there is a rare brunette Japanese Sun Sun Malibu Francie also produced in 1971. The Sun Set Malibu group of tanned friends also included Malibu P.J., Malibu Skipper and Malibu Ken. In 1973, Malibu Christie #7745 was introduced and I thought she was one of the prettiest dolls I had ever seen. I was lucky enough that my family purchased all of these dolls for me! I grew up in Wisconsin, but with my strong affinity towards these dolls, I knew I was destined someday for SoCal. And voila, I've lived in San Diego for almost 20 years now! The introduction of the Sun Set family was an off the charts hit but, as Stephanie Deutsch (author of Barbie the First 30 Years) notes, it sadly marked the beginning of the end of the "Golden Time of Vintage Barbie dolls." The following mass-produced, low-budget Barbies lacked the quality (lashes, elaborate hairstyles) and flair of the early Barbie dolls that collectors love so much. 1971 Sun Set Malibu Francie - Values: $175 - $225 NRFB; $50 - $75 mint/no box
Values from "Vintage Barbie Dolls" by Hillary Shilkitus James (2011)
 Titian red, blonde and brunette New Dramatic Living Barbies In 1970, Mattel introduced the first fully posable Barbie doll, Dramatic New Living Barbie. She could tilt her head, bend her knees and elbows, pose her ankles, rotate her wrists, swing her arms and swivel at her waist. She could even do the splits! She was available in blonde, titian red or brunette hair (see below) and wore a beautiful gold and silver metallic one-piece suit with an orange fishnet cover-up. In 1971 "New" was dropped from her name and was shortened to "Dramatic Living Barbie." She was packaged in a new box and came in a polka-dotted swimsuit with a matching wrap. Another difference between the two is that the 1970 doll had side glance eyes whereas the 1971 doll had centered eyes. Dramatic New Living Barbie's advertisement touted that she "twists left and right and bends at the waist like a willow." Huh? Bends like a tree? No matter, I had hours of fun with these two! She has pretty, extra-long lashes (no falsies here!). These dolls aren't super-popular with collectors unless it's a Living Barbie produced in Japan rather than Taiwan. I tried reading the stamps on the bums from my collection but my old eyes cannot decipher the small imprint! I watched an eBay bid for a Dramatic Living Barbie (1969) today and it sold for $184 NRFB, and another mint/no box 1970 Dramatic Living Barbie which went for $89 - both great deals for the winners! 1970 Dramatic New Living Barbie - Values: $260 NRFB; $120 mint/no box 1970 Dramatic New Living Skipper - Values: $110 NRFB; $60 mint/no box Values from "Vintage Barbie Dolls" by Hillary Shilkitus James (2011)
 Hi Dolls!
I'm just starting out with my Mod Barbie blog and decided to share photos of Barbies in my personal collection and a bit of their history. This post features Twist 'N Turn Barbie #1160. She got a new look in 1969; a new hairstyle, the "Marlo" flip style... a shoulder length flip, inspired by the hit TV show "That Girl" which aired from 1966 to 1971. I remember it being one of my grandma and my favorite TV shows - along with Laugh In! This Barbie is often referred to as TNT Flip or TNT Marlo. She wore a new diamond-print one-piece swimsuit with a yellow collar. Values: $525 - $600 NRFB; $285 - $375 mint/no box; $175 - $300 average She's wearing Loop Scoop #1454 (1970). This sleeveless, yellow cotton dress features a skirt with colorful rows of braids below the dropped waist. The dress has built-in panties and comes with yellow chunky shoes. This outfit in mint condition is worth $125. I also have the 2007 Red White 'n Warm Vintage Barbie Reproduction doll which features the TNT Barbie doll with a flip hairstyle. It is a Gold Label Collectible Barbie doll (limited to 11,100 dolls worldwide) from the Vintage Barbie Reproduction Collection. She's wearing a reproduction of the Mod ensemble, Red White 'n Warm #1491 (1969 - 70). It includes a white vinyl coat with faux fur, a fur trimmed hat and white boots w/ gold ankle chains. Underneath it is a sleeveless color block dress in orange and hot pink. The original outfit in mint condition is worth $250. Barbie's fashions in 1969 were super mod minis, midis and maxis in bright colors and crazy prints. Barbie's wardrobe also fit her friends Christie, Julia and Stacey. 1969 brought Barbie 36 new outfits and 16 that were repeated from 1968. Values from "Vintage Barbie Dolls" by Hillary Shilkitus James (2011)  Barbie's history It sure can be confusing figuring out Barbie’s genealogy! So I pulled together a list from various sources to come up with a quick cheat sheet of how the Barbie family and friends are related to one another. And if you’re particularly interested in a particular doll, check out the individual tabs under “Barbie & Friends” (coming soon)! Their stories are a work in progress for me but, as I discover more, I will continually add to these pages.
* The year denotes when the doll was created. Barbie Millicent Roberts (1959) – The first Barbie doll was described as a “Teen Age Fashion Model” and her parents’ names are George and Margaret Roberts. Barbie grew up in fictional Willows, Wisconsin. (I love this little fun fact since I also grew up in Wisconsin!) Midge Hadley Sherwood (1963) – She was Barbie’s best friend and the third character introduced to the Barbie line, following Barbie and Ken. She was paired with Allan Sherwood, Ken’s best friend, when Allan was introduced in 1964. Skipper Roberts (1964) – Skipper was the first character added to the line as part of Barbie doll’s family. Skipper is Barbie’s younger sister. Skipper’s best friend’s name was Skooter (1965) and Skipper’s boyfriend was Ricky (1965). Tutti and Todd Roberts (1965) – Younger twin sister and brother to Barbie and Skipper. Tutti and Todd had a female friend named Chris (1967). Francie Fairchild (1966) – Francie is Barbie’s cousin. In the March 1966 issue of Barbie Magazine, Francie was the daughter of Claude and Lily Fairchild. Some believe that the Francie doll may have been based on the character “Gidget,” whose real name was Frances Lawrence (sometimes called Francie). Francie was such a smash hit that she led the way for Barbie’s makeover and MOD debut in 1967. Casey (1967) – The second doll in Francie’s size, Casey, was issued as “Francie’s Fun Friend.” Twiggy (1967) – Twiggy was based on the famous fashion model, Lesley Hornby Lawson, of the Mod era. Twiggy resembled Casey but with heavier painted-on makeup. The Twiggy doll was made through 1968, and Casey through 1970. Stacey (1968) – Stacey was Barbie’s “British chum,” part of the new group of Talking dolls in 1968. She was later issued as a Twist ‘N Turn version. These are the only two types of Stacey dolls ever made. Christie (1968) – Christie was Barbie’s first African-American friend. P.J. (1969) – P.J. was a friend of Barbie’s and initially marketed as “New ‘N Groovy Talking P.J.” To date, Mattel has declared that the initials P.J. don’t stand for anything, that it is simply the character’s name. Julia (1969) – She was based on Diahann Carroll’s character from the TV show Julia. Jamie (1970) – Walking Jamie was a Sears exclusive doll. Steffie (1972) – She was available as Busy Steffie, Talking Busy Steffie, and Walk Lively Steffie. Though the character was discontinued after only a year, she is notable in that none of the three Steffie dolls featured the same eye color/hair color combination.  Mod Barbies from the 60s and 70s Hi Dolls! I’m Lynne and I’ve been into Barbies for as long as I can remember! I’ve been collecting vintage Barbies for a few years now. I decided to create a Barbie site and blog focusing on my favorite years ~ the MOD era from 1967 – 1972. My friends tease me about my Barbie passion (obsession?!) I’ve discovered a lot about Barbie over the years, and I’d like to share my knowledge with you. As I’ve been researching Barbie and her friends, I wasn’t able to find the information I was looking for in one place. I was pouring through books and guides, and searching online for hours.
My goal is to provide an easy to navigate, one-stop forum where we can share our Barbie stories, thoughts and photos. And, well, to just talk Barbie! I’m going to provide Barbie news, Barbie doll values, history, doll and fashion info, and more! As I’m developing this site, I’m very interested in the types of things you’d like to read about regarding Barbie and her friends. You can reply to this blog or email me at ModBarbies@gmail.com. I will leave you with an interesting tidbit about us collectors. “Mattel estimates that there are well over 100,000 avid Barbie collectors. Ninety percent are women, at an average age of 40, purchasing more than twenty Barbie dolls each year. Forty-five percent of them spend upwards of $1,000 a year.” I will admit that I fall into that category, haha. What about you? Let’s talk! xo, Lynne |
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