Skipper (Barbie)

"Skipper Roberts" redirects here. For the baseball player (1888–1963), see Skipper Roberts (baseball).
Skipper Roberts

A vintage straight-leg Skipper doll with red hair wearing her original swimsuit.
First appearance 1965
Created by Mattel
Information
Relatives See: List of Barbie's friends and family

Skipper Roberts was a doll created by Mattel in 1964 to be Barbie's younger sister, as well as to oppose controversies directed at Barbie. Since Skipper was introduced, she has changed immensely. When she first came out, she was 9.25 inches in height (compared to Barbie's 11.5 inches), and then as newer versions were released she gradually became taller with an older appearance, eventually turning out to be almost as tall as Barbie. At first, Skipper was available with three different hair colors, but is currently only available with her hair colored black and purple. Usually, Skipper dolls had blue eyes.

The doll appeared as a character in several Random House novels and Marvel Comics. A fictional biography was developed for her from these, as well as from the backs of the boxes which held the dolls that were sold. Several celebrity and fantasy dolls were produced at the Skipper size, most recently a pair of twin dolls from the Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses line.

Vintage (1964–1974)

Skipper was created, along with Midge, to counteract criticism that claimed Barbie was a sex symbol. Midge's facial appearance was gentler than Barbie's, whereas Skipper was a response to requests that wanted Barbie to have children; however, instead of having a married, pregnant Barbie, which would make her too domestic, Barbie would babysit Skipper.[1] As Barbie's little sister, Skipper was Barbie's first family member sold. Since their introduction in 1964, Skipper dolls have changed drastically.[2]

Vintage versions

1964
1965
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974

Vintage fashions

1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971

Vintage fashion packs

1970
1971

Modern (1975–present)

In 1975 Growing Up Skipper was released. The gimmick of the doll, which led to much controversy in the newspapers, was that if Skipper's arm was rotated, the doll would become an inch taller and small breasts would appear on her rubber torso.[3][4] In 1979 Skipper's entire appearance changed. She was advertised as "Super Teen Skipper". She had a new body mold which included small, permanent breasts, and a different head mold that made her look slightly older.[2] In 1985 Hot Stuff Skipper was released, which had another new head mold that included the addition of dimples and a longer face.[2]

Skipper changed again in 1988 with the release of Teen Fun Skipper. Her new body mold was taller and more graceful. Her waist was more flexible and her breasts were slightly bigger. Her eyes were also enlarged, giving her a cartoon-like look. At this stage she appeared to be somewhere between 13 and 15 years old. Later, Skipper had a new head mold with smaller eyes in a Pizza Party line, but with the same body mold.[2] Many collectors believe that the "Pizza Party" head mold was the most popular, if not the prettiest, version of Skipper. Dolls with the "Pizza Party" Skipper head mold or the 1960s head mold are the most sought-after Skipper dolls by collectors.

Finally, in 1997, Teen Skipper was introduced. She again had a new body mold and was now almost as tall as her sister Barbie. This was mostly because of her legs, which were now long and lanky. Most notable of all, however, was Skipper's new face mold. She no longer looked like a child, but more like a girl on the brink of becoming a woman, appearing to be about 14 years of age. Skipper and Barbie now are teenagers. They are close to each other's age. Skipper also appeared to have larger breasts which continued the controversy over her sexualization that has dogged Skipper in the past.[2]

Modern versions

1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2007
2009
2010
2011
2013

Reproductions (1994–present)

In 1994 the first vintage reproduction Skipper was produced specifically for collectors to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Skipper's introduction. Instead of the usual vinyl, the dolls were made of porcelain. She wore a blue reproduction ensemble from 1965, known then as "Happy Birthday".[5] In 2007 Mattel released its second vintage 1964 reproduction Skipper doll, this time wearing her "School Days" ensemble and sold in a gift set along with a reproduction of a vintage swirl ponytail Barbie doll wearing the matching "Knitting Pretty" ensemble.[6]

Reproductions

1994
2007

Popularity

Skipper Madison Roberts was the original little sister of Barbie, and has been quite popular over the years.[7] When she first came out, she was an alternative for parents who did not approve of Barbie's adult figure. The first vintage Skipper dolls now have a value of US$195 MIB (Mint In Box). The brass headbands alone that came with these dolls have a value of $20. While vintage Skipper dolls, clothes, and accessories can sell for a lot of money, modern Skipper dolls usually only have a value of $10 to $20 MIB. If they have no box, the value may be only $5 or less.[8]

Friends

Skipper's friends at the vintage stage were Skooter (1965), Ricky (1965), Living Fluff (1971), and Pose N' Play Tiff (1972).[9][10] Skooter and Ricky had their own head molds, and both had freckles. Skooter was available with the same three hair colors as Skipper had, but Ricky was only available with molded red hair, similar to Midge's boyfriend, Allan Sherwood.[11][12] Fluff and Tiff shared a head mold which many collectors considered adorable, with a contagious smile.[13] Most of Skipper's first friends were never seen after the lines they were produced for, but another Skooter doll, called Fun Time Skooter, was produced for the European market. She had auburn hair, a Twist N' Turn waist, and bendable legs. However, she had the head mold of the oldest version of Skipper, not the older Skooter doll, which many collectors found strange.[3]

Skipper's friend for the controveral Growing Up line was the brunette Ginger, made in 1976. However, after this line, Ginger was never seen again.[9] Skipper's first boyfriend, Scott, was created in 1980, and was introduced the year after Super Teen Skipper came on the market. Scott sported puffy, brown 1980s-style hair.[9] Skipper gained two new friends after Teen Fun Skipper was first introduced. They included the brunette Courtney, made in 1989, and her second boyfriend Kevin, created in 1990.[9]

After Teen Skipper came on the market, her first African American friend appeared. Her name was Nikki, and she was made in 1997.[9] Teen Skipper was originally going to have a third boyfriend, Zach, who would have joined her in the "Totally Yo Yo" line, but for reasons unknown, he was never produced. Parents speculate that Zach would be too much of a sexual influence on Skipper and children. However, the head mold for the unreleased Zach Doll was later used for Generation Girl Blaine, the token boy in Barbie's "Generation Girl" Doll line.[14]

Acquaintances

Acquaintances
Celebrity friends
Disney friends
Fantasy friends

Skipper's fantasy friends were all produced in 1993.

Biography

According to the Random House novels of the 1960s, Skipper is the second oldest child of the fictional George and Margaret Roberts of Willows, Wisconsin, their first child said to be Barbie. In these novels, she attended Baker Elementary, while the Marvel Comics of the early 1990s had her at Central Junior High School. The box of the first Kevin doll, Skipper's second boyfriend, that was sold, "Cool Tops Kevin", described Skipper as "the most popular girl in school". Like her sister Barbie, she has had numerous "acquaintances", celebrity friends, fantasy friends, and Disney friends that were produced at her size. Some of these other dolls include Chocho, sold only in Japan in 1974, made with the Quick Curl Skipper body;[4] Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, introduced in 2000, made with the Teen Fun Skipper body; the Peppermint Rose dolls from 1993, also made with the Teen Fun body; and numerous versions of Ariel from The Little Mermaid, sold in either the Teen Fun or Teen versions. The Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses line sold two dolls named Isla and Hadley who were the size of Teen Fun Skipper dolls, but with a new appropriately-sized "belly-button" body.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ xroads.virginia.edu. "Why Skipper and Midge were created". Retrieved September 22, 2006.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kattis Dolls.net. "About and versions of Skipper". Retrieved September 22, 2006.
  3. 1 2 Bubblecut.de. "Detailed information on versions of Skipper". Retrieved September 22, 2006.
  4. 1 2 DollReference.com. "Information on various Skipper dolls". Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  5. ↑ BarbieCollector.com. "30th Anniversary Skipper". Retrieved May 25, 2007.
  6. ↑ About.com. "Information on the vintage reproduction Skippers". Retrieved May 25, 2007.
  7. ↑ Ebay.com. "Summary of information on Skipper". barbie. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  8. ↑ Kennedy, Paul (2003). Warman's Barbie Doll Field Guide. Krause publications. p. 61. ISBN 0-87349-627-2.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Barbie Collector.com. "Skipper's friends". Archived from the original on April 15, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
  10. ↑ DollReference.com. "Information on Skipper's friends Fluff and Tiff". Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  11. ↑ DollReference.com. "Information on Skipper's friend Ricky". Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  12. ↑ DollReference.com. "Information on Skipper's friend Scooter". Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  13. ↑ Kattis Dolls.net. "Details on Skipper's friends.". Retrieved September 23, 2006.
  14. ↑ Man Behind the Doll.com. "Information regarding Skipper's would-be boyfriend Zach". Retrieved September 22, 2006.
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