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Post by Lexica on Jul 22, 2023 5:19:33 GMT
My best friend and I played with our Barbies daily every summer. I was raised by a single mom for a portion of my childhood so we didn’t have money for any of the fancy clothes or accessories that some kids had.
I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I got cardboard boxes and made my own house with separate living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms so that her best friend could stay over, and a bathroom that just had a sink and shower in it. For some reason, even though my Barbie had a kitchen with a table and pretend food, she never needed a toilet.
I used Mom’s wrapping paper and wallpapered the rooms and some of the furniture. I used some old dresses to cut up and make curtains, a bedspread, and pillows for the couch. My best friend who lived 2 doors down and I spent weeks making and furnishing these houses. Then I took my shoe skates and turned them into her sports car by just tying a string to the bottom of the laces and pulling her around. She looked so funny sitting in the white shoe skate with her arms sticking out straight. We drew chalk streets and parking lots all over the driveway. I even made her a small garage. I so wish my mom would have taken pictures of these houses.
There was a girl down the street whose parents had money and she got the Barbie dream house and real Barbie clothes. We made our dresses out of Kleenex. Back in those days we still had Kleenex in pastel colors. With some scissors, glue, clear tape, and imagination we made beautiful full dresses for our dolls. By the time we were done, the kid with all the real stuff as asking to play dolls with us and making Kleenex dresses alongside ours. The only thing I couldn’t make were those high heeled shoes for our Barbie. We ended up trading the kid with the real stuff for two pairs of shoes in exchange for a couple of ball gowns. Everybody was happy.
Several years later, we were still using our homemade doll houses. I guess my mom’s sister felt sorry for us because for Christmas that year, we all got the Barbie Dreamhouse suitcase from my aunt. Honestly, it was not as cool as our homemade houses. I just took out the furniture and put it into my homemade house. I did use the suitcase to store all the stuff we made to play with our dolls.
When we finally finished building everything, we started playing with the dolls. But for some reason, whenever one of them talked, we made them jump up and down. I don’t know who started it, but we all did it. Not a very high jump, but just enough so we knew which doll was talking.
So when you played with your dolls, whether you had the real Barbie accessories or made your own like we did, how did you show that they were speaking to each other? Anybody else do the little jumps?
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Post by Zee on Jul 22, 2023 5:25:49 GMT
My sister and I used to take them outside on "safaris", where they rode my Breyer horses into the ferns, went camping and smashed tomato hornworms into paste for dinner (to my dad's delight, he was quite a gardener), took dips in the wading pool, and did things like search for treasure. They had a tent and my mom made them sleeping bags and things.
Sometimes they rode the neighbor's dog attached to his collar. They stalked the cat and spooked him while he was hunting. I'm sure some rodents appreciated our interference.
They got tossed into holes like a little girl version of Cornhole. Then they came inside into the bathtub and got makeovers.
It was such fun.
I think the one talking probably got shaken a little, like you said.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 22, 2023 10:50:48 GMT
So when you played with your dolls, whether you had the real Barbie accessories or made your own like we did, how did you show that they were speaking to each other? Anybody else do the little jumps?Oh my gosh! Memory unlocked!
I absolutely did the little jumps.
Looking back, I think it was because the talking Barbie's hair needed to bounce and move, to show enthusiasm, right?
My little girl brain certainly thought so.
Also, I was very much of the era of handmade Barbie stuff for the majority of my stuff.
You could make a pretty sweet long formal dress out of the fancy white socks with the lacey ruffles at the top.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 22, 2023 12:34:42 GMT
I made my own Barbie houses, too. My parents gave me some heavy duty boxes I turned on their side and stacked 2 or 3 high for different rooms. They scrounged up some wrapping paper and carpet scraps for me.
Of course my dolls had to jump a bit when they talked!
What fun memories.
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Post by librarylady on Jul 22, 2023 12:48:21 GMT
I think that moving the doll who is talking is universal. I have observed many little girls doing it.
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Post by katlady on Jul 22, 2023 13:17:06 GMT
I loved playing with my Barbie dolls. Skipper was actually my favorite. I had small accessories for them but I never had the car or house. My cousin had the car and house, but she never let me play with her toys. She came over all the time and played with our toys, but hers were off limits to us. Whatever. Lol! I made “houses” with empty boxes too.
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Post by scrapalotomous on Jul 22, 2023 13:44:51 GMT
I had the barbie camper van which I loved. We played Barbies for hours. Setting up homemade houses and different scenarios we developed for their lives.
My mum wouldn’t buy me a Ken doll. I can’t remember her reasoning but I got one of my other Barbies ( I only had a few) and chopped off its hair and drew in a beard with permanent marker.
When I was about 5 my great aunt Kath gave me a shoe box of hand knitted and crocheted clothes. This was the 1970’s. I remember there were knitted trousers, jumpers and even elaborate crocheted ball gowns. Man I wish I still had them. They were amazing. She died not long after that and it is one of my only memories of her.
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Post by Neisey on Jul 22, 2023 14:26:16 GMT
I had a fold out 3 room house, ski lodge and pop up camper but also made furniture and accessories out if what ever we had on hand. My neighbour and I played until we were 12-13. I remember I got my first Barbie as a grading present when I was 5. Miss America Barbie (I’m Canadian lol) and she came with a curling iron to curl her coarse, wiry hair.
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,042 
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Post by artbabe on Jul 22, 2023 14:46:07 GMT
Barbie is how I started to suspect there was no Santa Claus.
When I was a little girl one night I couldn't sleep so I got up and went to the family room where my parents were watching tv. My mom was sewing Barbie doll clothes. Hmmmm...
I liked the dolls from all over the world. I had a Barbie that was supposed to be from India and one that was Inuit.
As an adult I bought an art teacher Barbie. I ran into a new version of that the other day but I didn't buy it. I think I might try to find it again.
When it came to stuff like making houses or whole villages I was a Fisher Price Little People girl. My sister and I could fill the large bedroom floor creating a whole town. I loved those things so much and that was back when they were really primitive.
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Post by quinlove on Jul 22, 2023 15:16:37 GMT
I loved playing with Barbie. I had the one with black hair and black & white swimsuit. The only clothes I remember having for her was the black, flared evening gown. My neighbor had everything Barbie and I went to her house and played Barbies with her. It was so much fun.
Lexica, I well remember the pastel Kleenex. We used to make flowers out of them. Did that for years.
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RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,737
Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Jul 22, 2023 15:28:06 GMT
No Barbies when I was a kid, but my next door neighbour had Sindy dolls. After she had cut their hair, broken them and been given new ones for birthday or Christmas, she gave the old ones to me. I crocheted or sewed hats for the bald ones, or wigs made of yarn. I made houses and furniture for them out of cardboard boxes.
NDN was horse-mad, and was even given an expensive Sindy horse one year, and she broke one of the legs off at the knee. I made a new leg out of Daz modelling clay, painted it and attached it with pipe cleaners and a paperclip.
Another relative went on holiday to Spain and brought me back one of those donkeys. I made a stable for it out of a box, and I cut up yarn for straw, crocheted a water bucket, saddle, blanket, tack, grass. Then I had to make dolls small enough to ride it, because the Sindys were too big and not bendy enough. I used pipe cleaners, plasticine and wool, with heads made from papier maché.
NDN played with her dolls, made up stories, and drew pictures of their adventures. I didn't really play as such, just made things for them.
I'm sure our dolls jumped or wriggled when they "spoke"! Fun times.
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Post by lisae on Jul 22, 2023 15:32:33 GMT
You were very creative! My grandfather was a retired cabinetmaker but I could not get him interested in making me mini cabinets for my Barbie house. I also made my own house from a piece of masonite for the base and leftover mat board for walls. I had access to discontinued wallpaper and carpet samples so I could fix up Barbies house in style or my interpretation of style at the time. I had a set of wicker doll furniture to use.
I was lucky to have an aunt who sewed Barbie clothes for me from leftover polyester fabric she used on my clothes. She fussed about making those clothes and when I was older I understood why. I attempted once to make some for a young girl and quickly gave up. Such fiddly sewing.
My best stash of clothes and a large armoire for Barbie's clothes came from a garage sale we went to when visiting my aunt in the midwest. It was like a treasure.
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Post by auntkelly on Jul 22, 2023 15:39:44 GMT
I used to play Barbie for hours with my best friend.
We always started w/ a wedding. The bride, Malibu Barbie wore a beautiful white wedding gown. Poor Ken had to wear his bathing suit to his wedding because he didn’t have any other clothes.
The couple’s get away car was my brother’s G.I. Joe Jeep.
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Post by hopemax on Jul 22, 2023 16:13:36 GMT
My Mom worked at Sears, and so she used to stalk the catalog returns for deals. So I had the Dream Cottage, Dream House, Corvette and we got the Camper van at a garage sale. A piece was broken on the Cottage, and there was an accessory or something missing on the Dream House, but she got them for a much better price with her discount and marked down for being returns. One year for Christmas, my Grandma sent me a whole thing full of homemade clothes including a Wedding Dress, and my favorite... a square dancing dress. My best friend didn't have all the accessories, but had several dolls including the Peaches & Cream Barbie, whose dress I just adored. When we had sleepovers she'd always bring her dolls. I had one Ken, and one Skipper. My earlier Barbies got their hair trimmed, but later on I had the Tropical Barbie with the extra long hair and I would practice braiding hair with her.
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Post by roundtwo on Jul 22, 2023 17:41:46 GMT
My sister and I had Barbies but I wasn't all that interested in them. Like RedSquirrelUK , I liked making things for them, though. We didn't have the big accessories but we did have a case that opened out and had shelves and hooks which became the walls of Barbie's bedroom. I think my sister felt hard done by in the Barbie department when we were growing up because she bought my kids all the things - cars, houses, boats, horses and so many Barbies! My mom made clothes for our Barbies from scraps after making clothes for our family. I would not have had the patience to deal with such small pieces! I have a few of them still.  The pleats on the back of the jacket.  |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Jul 22, 2023 18:05:39 GMT
I was on the older end of having a Barbie. I got her for Christmas 1959 so I was 11. I had the original with the black and white striped bathing suit. She didn't have any things like the dreamhouse or car as they weren't out yet. I *played* with her until I was in the 8th grade. I loved fixing her hair up and dressing her with the clothes that I had. Playing with her ended when our dachshund chewed her head off.  In retrospect, it was probably time. |
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edie3
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,473
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Post by edie3 on Jul 22, 2023 19:41:49 GMT
I used Reader's Digests Condensed books as walls for my dolls. So many patterns to choose from! Whenever I see them in a vintage shop, I smile.
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Post by gizzy on Jul 22, 2023 19:51:53 GMT
This discussion brings back such sweet memories. I wish I'd kept the dresses that my mom and grandmother had crocheted.
Whenever I get a whiff of something that smells like the barbie cases, it always puts a smile on my face.
Does anyone remember the skipper doll that you'd turn her arm and her hair and boobs would grow? None of my friends do. If I still had that doll, I wonder how much it'd be worth?
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Post by Gem Girl on Jul 22, 2023 20:59:06 GMT
This discussion brings back such sweet memories. I wish I'd kept the dresses that my mom and grandmother had crocheted. Whenever I get a whiff of something that smells like the barbie cases, it always puts a smile on my face. Does anyone remember the skipper doll that you'd turn her arm and her hair and boobs would grow? None of my friends do. If I still had that doll, I wonder how much it'd be worth? Growing Up Skipper. Mattel got a good bit of flack for that endeavor; I guess that the hair would have been okay, but including the boobs was...a stretch? Below includes links to YouTube vids showing how it worked. collection.museumoffailure.com/growing-up-skipper/ |
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Post by Ramona on Jul 22, 2023 21:19:33 GMT
My first doll was Tammy, then her sister Pepper. Later Tressy with the growing hair and Francie the Barbie doll. I remember playing outside on a blanket with my cousin, Dixie. We would make the dolls clothes with scraps from Mom's sewing. I loved those dolls.
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Post by Lexica on Jul 22, 2023 22:35:41 GMT
This discussion brings back such sweet memories. I wish I'd kept the dresses that my mom and grandmother had crocheted. Whenever I get a whiff of something that smells like the barbie cases, it always puts a smile on my face. Does anyone remember the skipper doll that you'd turn her arm and her hair and boobs would grow? None of my friends do. If I still had that doll, I wonder how much it'd be worth? I have never heard of this! Certainly none of my friends owned one. I wonder how many they produced. |
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Post by piebaker on Jul 22, 2023 23:01:18 GMT
I don't feel ancient, just old. LOL
I had Barbie, Ken, Midge and PJ. I still have PJ in her orange and pink mini dress, minus the pink heels and the original seed-bead ponytail holders. I had the wedding outfits, the camper, a horse (Dancer), and a wig set(because I was a brunette and wanted her to match me.)
My daughters had one Barbie each, but they are from the Beanie Baby, American Girl era.
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Post by Zee on Jul 22, 2023 23:07:54 GMT
I don't feel ancient, just old. LOL I had Barbie, Ken, Midge and PJ. I still have PJ in her orange and pink mini dress, minus the pink heels and the original seed-bead ponytail holders. I had the wedding outfits, the camper, a horse (Dancer), and a wig set(because I was a brunette and wanted her to match me.) My daughters had one Barbie each, but they are from the Beanie Baby, American Girl era. I don't know Dancer, but I had Dallas and Midnight along with my Breyer horses! |
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Post by Zee on Jul 22, 2023 23:09:36 GMT
This discussion brings back such sweet memories. I wish I'd kept the dresses that my mom and grandmother had crocheted. Whenever I get a whiff of something that smells like the barbie cases, it always puts a smile on my face. Does anyone remember the skipper doll that you'd turn her arm and her hair and boobs would grow? None of my friends do. If I still had that doll, I wonder how much it'd be worth? I have never heard of this! Certainly none of my friends owned one. I wonder how many they produced. Yes a friend had one. I'm not sure any survived with the rubber material still intact to let the boobs grow, lol. That material tends to break down over time. I think she was called Growing Up Skipper or something like that. ETA: apparently there are plenty that still work on eBay! |
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 22, 2023 23:17:19 GMT
I was a tomboy, and almost never played with dolls. But.... I did want a Barbie doll one year, because everyone had one. Instead my mum bought me a Sindy doll. Her reasoning was that Sindy was better than Barbie because you could bend her arms and legs at the elbows and knees, whereas Barbie was stiff. I parroted that line to my friends when trying to explain why I had a Sindy and not a Barbie, although deep down I was disappointed. Looking back, mum was right, Sindy really was better!
I also remember making clothes for a friend's old dolls when we were in grade 5 or 6. We were too old to be playing with dolls at that stage, but we loved sewing the clothes.
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dexter
Full Member
Posts: 233
Nov 28, 2016 15:57:15 GMT
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Post by dexter on Jul 22, 2023 23:24:11 GMT
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Post by Lexica on Jul 23, 2023 3:03:45 GMT
That same link had a new suitcase Barbie Dream House with all the cardboard furniture still flat and original for $360.00. That is the one my aunt gave us that wasn’t as much fun as our cardboard box houses. |
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Post by lesserknownpea on Jul 23, 2023 7:17:59 GMT
I was wondering if someone else would bring up the smell of those cases. That would surely bring those memories back.
my stepsister taught me to sew when I was 9 using my Barbie. I remember it clear as day, one of those light bulb moments in life. It was a simple gathered skirt with a waistband and snap closure, and a blouse with set in sleeves.
and I was off running. My mom had lots of fabric scraps and pretty soon I had the best dressed Barbie on the block.
oh! And about making cardboard houses, a cleaned up sardine can made a great sink. One in the powder room, with an aluminum foil mirror, and two for a double kitchen sink.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 23, 2023 12:48:53 GMT
I had the barbie camper van which I loved. We played Barbies for hours. Setting up homemade houses and different scenarios we developed for their lives. My mum wouldn’t buy me a Ken doll. I can’t remember her reasoning but I got one of my other Barbies ( I only had a few) and chopped off its hair and drew in a beard with permanent marker. When I was about 5 my great aunt Kath gave me a shoe box of hand knitted and crocheted clothes. This was the 1970’s. I remember there were knitted trousers, jumpers and even elaborate crocheted ball gowns. Man I wish I still had them. They were amazing. She died not long after that and it is one of my only memories of her. What great memories your aunt Kath gave you! My brothers made us a Ken doll, not to be nice, either! The pounded her breasts flat with a hammer and drew on a beard. It is memorable, I guess, LOL. |
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Post by meriannj on Jul 23, 2023 12:53:06 GMT
I made my own Barbie houses, too. My parents gave me some heavy duty boxes I turned on their side and stacked 2 or 3 high for different rooms. They scrounged up some wrapping paper and carpet scraps for me. Of course my dolls had to jump a bit when they talked! What fun memories. my barbie room was a box that was wrapped in wall paper. a neighbor made one for each of us girls (3) so we could stack them to make our "dream house" she make furnture from all kinds of stuff , thread spools, buttons bottle tops etc.. I loved that box room so much. |
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In retrospect, it was probably time. 
