![]() ![]() Mattel’s Barbie dolls project toxic stereotypes that have shaped American girls’ ideas of body image since the 1960s. Although the actual dolls are out of scope for the Cotsen collection, it does have a handful of the authorized books about them. One shows that the gender expectations for Skipper, Barbie’s little sister, in the books did not quite align with the toys and accessories rom the very beginning. In the 70s, Mattel released Growing Up Skipper, who grew breasts when you. Skipper has been an enduring character in the plastic-fantastic Barbie world. Though well-intentioned, the doll created controversy when it was pointed out. Created in 1964, the doll was supposed to be the answer to fans requesting a mommy Barbie as a better role model for young ladies than the sexy career girl. Mattel decided in the mid-1970s that eight-year-old Skipper had to change and the new Growing Up Skipper doll, designed to bloom before its owner’s eyes, hit the market in 1975. Rotate the doll’s left arm counterclockwise and the torso grew an inch and petite breasts sprouted on the rubber chest. Such an interesting (and iconic) idea Apparently this skipper doll caused quite the controversy when she was released, many parents didn't approve of a doll. Hence the slogan on the box, “Two dolls in one for twice the fun.” The process of transforming the little girl doll into a willowy teenager, was demonstrated semi-graphically on the marketing videos, which are easy to find on the Web. In light of the controversy about the gimmick the newspapers and parenting magazines stirred up, giving Skipper a friend, Growing Up Ginger, in 1976 was not an especially astute move on Mattel’s part. ![]() The Mattel/Whitman paper doll/coloring book of 1978, which was published after the dolls were discontinued in 1977, presented Skipper’s maturation in a much more indirect and wholesome way. Although I didn't know it at the time, Growing-Up Skipper generated a certain amount of controversy upon her release. This pretty blonde doll wore a red tricot bodysuit with a flat red button to which her blue suede collar would attach. Experimenting with hairstyles for a new look for the first day of school, she discovers that her clothes don’t quite fit. Growing Up Skipper Doll View source 0.00 Product Code: 7259 Description Release Date: Original outfit. Mother, who instantly sizes up the situation, proposes that they go shopping the next day to address the crisis in the closet. Incidentally, none of the illustrations show that the long-waisted and impossibly leggy Skipper has filled out. Except for the merest suggestion of swelling on her right side in a few illustrations, she is almost, as was said in less enlightened times, as flat as a board. Growing up doesn’t change her, thank heaven. ![]()
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