Mad Men Barbie Dolls

The TV series Mad Men premiered on July 19th, 2007.

Set in 1960's Manhattan, the show chronicles the lives of the men and women of a fictitious Madison Avenue advertising agency. The first season was set in 1960, and each successive season maintains a realistic progression of time.

Mad Men is acclaimed for its historically accurate visual style. Costume designer Janie Bryant looks to old catalogs, sewing patterns, and women's magazines such as Vogue and Good Housekeeping for inspiration. She uses a combination of original designs, vintage items and outfits rented from costume houses for the show.

The summer 2010 issue of Mattel's own Barbie Collector Magazine.

In the spring of 2010, Mattel released a series of limited-edition collectible Mad Men Barbie and Ken dolls. The dolls are based on Don Draper, the show's leading man; his wife, Betty; one of his colleagues, Roger Sterling; and Joan Holloway, the agency's office manager.

Designed by Mattel doll designer Robert Best, the dolls embody the show's iconic 1960's aesthetic. Molded of Silkstone, a material that resembles the look and weight of porcelain, each doll comes with accessories true to their show counterparts.

The Betty Draper doll embodies the character's Grace Kelly-like glamour. In a Vanity Fair interview, Janie Bryant describes her vision of Betty:

"Betty is sort of a combination of my grandmother and Grace Kelly. And for her, it’s about always presenting that image of perfection. She’s changed, though. The first season her palette was very pale—the grays and the cool blues and pale yellows and all the creams and the whites. But then, for season two, I felt like her character was really transitioning and getting stronger and so you can see there are times when the palette is a lot brighter and stronger, like she’s wearing hot pink and the bright blue..."

Buxom bombshell Joan Holloway has an equally ravishing doll, though she's a contrast to Betty's glacial glamour. Says Bryant of Joan's wardrobe:

"I always design things for her that are very strong in palette because I feel like her character is very strong. She really commands that whole office. And so I really like using bold tones for that character. And I think her silhouette is about knowing that that looks great on her body and knowing where all of her assets are, which she uses to her advantage."

Barbie designer Robert Best's original sketches for the Mad Men dolls.


Haute Doll Magazine Photo Shoot

Prior to the release of the Mattel collection, the now-defunct Haute Doll magazine created their own "Mad-Men-meets-Barbie" photo spread for their March/April 2010 issue.

Not authorized by Mattel, these one-of-a-kind dolls were styled based on outfits from the show, and set in a miniature version of Don Draper's office... complete with cocktails and cigarettes!

Note the Pete Campbell and Peggy Olson dolls, 2 characters that were not produced for the Mattel line...

Prim Peggy Olson presenting her Popsicle ad campaign.

Peggy Olson and Pete Campbell.

Joan Holloway, the office vamp, in a signature jewel-toned dress.

From left: Mini Joan Holloway, Betty Draper, Peggy Olson.

images: (1 to 4) barbiecollector.com
(5 to 13) flickr.com

"Haute Doll" photoshoot:
diorama by Carloyn Allen
fashions by Natalia Sheppard
Barbie repaints by Vin Trapani
photos by Michael Williams

Expo 67 Hostess Doll

This is one of those collectibles which holds a special place in my heart.

Like the U.S. pavilion coat or the Michèle Richard record sleeve, I had been waiting to get my hands on this Expo 67 souvenir for years. Ultra-rare, I had only ever seen one of these dolls once before... at an exhibition on Montreal in the 1960's at the CCA in 2004. My luck changed when this beauty appeared on eBay last autumn.

Designed with children in mind, this 11½-inch doll is roughly the same size as Barbie. Impeccably detailed, she wears a tiny replica of the general Expo hostess uniform, designed by Michel Robichaud, complete with purse, shoes, and ubiquitous pillbox hat.

And, this little lady is still sealed in plastic!

The back of the box reads:

THE CHOSEN FEW

Your "Official Expo Hostess" is a very special person. She may come from one of the 70 countries with pavilions at Expo. She speaks several different languages and has an exceptional personality.

The Expo 67 symbol depicts the theme of Expo: "Man and his World". Many years ago, before our alphabet was invented, man was shown by simple drawings called cryptograms, a vertical line with outstretched arms. When these drawings form a circle, it becomes a symbol of all men around the world joined together in friendship.

Your Hostess will direct you to the exciting world of Expo 67, including La Ronde, which is the popular entertainment centre. Here, you can ride in an ostrich-drawn cart or see a zoo with newborn lions, giraffes and elephants.

You will never forget your fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime visit to Expo 67, Montreal, Canada.

images: author's own

Elvis and Priscilla Barbie Dolls

Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu on May 1, 1967.

The private ceremony was held in one of the most grandiose suites at the Aladdin Hotel, in Las Vegas. The bride wore a beaded white gown, with a tiara mounted on her (fab) dyed black beehive. Elvis wore a black brocade suit. Priscilla's sister Michelle was her maid of honor, while Memphis Mafia members Marty Lacker and Joe Esposito acted as Elvis' best men.

Upon Elvis' request, the word "obey" was removed from the wedding vows. Despite the couple's notoriety, the ceremony took all of 8 minutes to conclude!

Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last long. The couple were seperated in 1972 and officially divorced in 1973.

Mattel (the makers of the Barbie doll) have just released a Graceland-approved box set to commemorate Elvis and Priscilla's wedding. Earlier this month, select fans gathered for the dolls' unveiling at Elvis' defunct home (now a museum) in Memphis, Tennessee.

These die-hard fans were treated to slices of wedding cake and orange juice served in champagne glasses.

images: (1-2) source unknown
(3) virginmedia.com
(4) source unknown

Fashion Queen Barbie, 1963

 

In the late 1950's, the designers of the orignal Barbie doll had not anticipated the importance of hair play in the toy's conception. As a result, early Barbies had a stiff, fixed ponytail hairdo, which discouraged children from playing with or restyling the doll's hair.

Within a few years of Barbie's introduction, hairstyling would take on an important role in high fashion and popular culture (think Jackie-O). Competing hair play themed dolls in the early 1960s also pointed to Mattel's mistake. Always innovative, Mattel would strike back in late 1963 with the ultimate Barbie doll: Fashion Queen Barbie.

Glamorous, luxurious and expensive, Fashion Queen Barbie's distinctive feature was her molded hair that enabled her to wear wigs. Dressed in an eye catching gold and white striped swimsuit and matching turban, the doll was accompanied by 3 stylish wigs: a platinum bouffant, a brunette pageboy, and an auburn flip.

Fashion Queen Barbie was packaged in a large, open front display box, a style normally reserved for gift sets. Her release coincided with an intensive advertising campaign, meaning that despite her $6.00 selling price (twice that of a normal Barbie), she quickly became a must have with children. Two gift sets were also produced, featuring the Fashion Queen doll, accompanied by her best friend Midge, and boyfriend Ken.

 

images: (1) personal collection
(2) barbiecollector.com, montage by author
(3) flickr.com

The Barbie Doll

Barbie made her debut at the American International Toy Fair on March 9, 1959.

The doll was the idea of Ruth Handler, the wife of a co-founder of the Mattel toy company. She was inspired by watching her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls, giving them adult roles. It occured to Ruth that the toy market lacked an adult-figured fashion doll. Initially, her husband didn't like the idea and neither did Mattel's board of directors.

On a trip to Germany in 1965, Ruth Handler discovered the Bild Lili doll in a shop window. The adult-fugured Lili was exactly what Ruth had in mind. Lili was modeled after a sassy comic strip character in a daily German newspaper. Interestingly, the original Lili dolls were cigar store items aimed at an adult male audience.

Ruth Handler brought 3 Lili dolls back with her to the United States. She reworked the doll's design and named her after her daughter Barbara.

Barbie, the teenage fashion model, was born.

The late 50's and early 60's is my favorite era of the Barbie doll. The dolls and clothes of this time were of superior quality, with tiny buttons, zippers and an amazing attention to detail. In fashion, this was the Jackie-O era, and this look is reflected in the Barbie dolls of that period.




images: (top) morganhilltimes.com
(bottom) personal collection