Bring back Midge! aka Barbie turns 50- Part 1

Like any girl born within the last 50 years or so, playing with Barbie dolls was a huge part of my childhood. I remember afternoons spent with playmates filled with adventure, laughter and of course- hundreds of Barbie wardrobe changes.

And though some don’t agree that Barbie is the best icon for a little girl to grow up admiring ( too thin, too unrealistic, too anti-feminist) I don’t ever remember her having any negative effect on my girlhood- except of course the time my brothers’ G.I. Joe took one of my Barbies hostage and attempted to blow her up with a firecracker… that memory I must admit will forever be etched in my mind.

For me Barbie was what being a girl was all about in the 1970′s….feminine, capable and driven by the dream that a girl could have it all. Barbie sure did… she had a dream house , cool car, fun best friends and the best accessory a girl could have- Ken, a boyfriend who was always there for her when she needed him and never hassled her when she just wanted to hang with the girls or asked him to get dressed up just to go for a drive through the backyard.

How much would Barbie’s three story Malibu home be worth today? Check out this fun article from Forbes.com about the world’s most expensive fictional homes

When I realized the other day that Barbie was turning 50 this year… my thoughts went straight to color ( what a shock-right)… what a fun way to look back at how colors have changed over the last half of a century via Barbie’s hair, makeup and wardrobe.. because if Barbie is anything- she’s a genius when it comes to being on trend.

Introduced to the world in 1959 as the ultimate ‘teenage model’-Barbie spent most of her time in the 1960′s finding her identity…I was shocked to discover how many different incarnations she went through in just one decade!

When she first hit the scene she was classic in black and white.  Her lips and nails bright red, her sunglasses and eyeshadow both tinted in the palest blues to showcase her ‘come-hither’ side side glance. Her critics said she was ‘too mature’ and that little girls would not relate ( thus why you should never pay attention to critics!). Sold with a choice of hair color since the beginning- throughout the decades though blonde Barbies have out sold there darker counterparts 5 to 1.

Her first wardrobe was inspired by Parisian Couture and in 1960 when the ‘bubble cut’ hairstyle was all the rage Barbie shed her signature swirly high ponytail ( already Barbie was the ‘ultimate’ trend follower/setter’) for her own version. (Though with this Jackie O inspired hair- Barbie passing as a teenager takes about as much suspended belief today as it took me to believe that Stockard Channing was of high school age in the original movie of Grease.)

Right away-I couldn’t help but notice that the signature ‘hot pink’ we associate with Barbie today was not really part of her wardrobe in the early years… I would say that actually the colors blue and red were the most commonly used color- red especially for swimsuits ( which they were mostly manufactured wearing) of the earliest dolls ( Ken, Skipper, Midge et all ).

And speaking of Skipper and Midge… since I had much older sister’s ( sorry I just had to mention that, heh, heh ) as a child of the late 70s- my arsenal included all of their 1960′s hand-me-down dolls.  And though the fellow 7 year olds of my youth knew who Skipper was- I can assure you ( at least in my hood ) that none were aware of Barbie’s best friend Midge.

Midge was very important to me because 1. she was red headed and freckled faced and 2. she was Barbie’s original best friend… but after the 60′s Mattel stopped production-what happen to her?  Did they have a falling out?  I beg Mattel to bring her back…a woman turning 50 needs to be surrounded by her most cherished lifetime friends-don’t you agree ( who else will take her out dancing to ring in the big milestone- Ken?- I think not.)

Okay I’m done venting- back to color.

Wow if you didn’t think the British Invasion changed the face of fashion before… check out how different Barbie changed in just a few years.  Silver go-go boots, metallic greens and sherbet pinks, a mesh bathing suit…from couture to mod practically overnight-

-perhaps it was Mattel’s choice to give Ken the ability to talk in 1968 that lead Barbie to need to feel a little ‘free-er’… what every the reason Barbie’s 60′s wardrobe was an explosion of at times ‘clashing colors’.

Out with 60′s and in with the 70′s… a time when a golden glow signaled a ‘healthy lifestyle’ and Barbie officially becomes independent when she moves from her hometown in Wisconsin to Malibu.

I have to say Malibu Barbie is really the image I think of in my mind when i think “Barbie”… she’s the prettiest-her fresh face and straight long hair influenced an entire generation of girls wishing to emulate her ‘California cool’ lifestyle and how fab is that high necked bathing suit!

to be continued….

Barbie images from Mattel at BarbieCollector.com

Barbie clothing images from Fashion Doll Guide.com