OT: Barbie doll clothes

Has the size of Barbie dolls changed over the years? I have patterns from sewing for my younger sister's dolls (early 60's) and my daughter's dolls (mid- to late-70's). I'm wondering if clothes made from those patterns will fit DGD's Barbie's. Or have the dolls' proportions changed enough over the years so that they won't fit?

Julia in MN

Reply to
Julia in MN
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Do you mean is she getting older, heavier, droopier.....like the rest of us? :)

Reply to
Alice in PA

I'm thinking you'd better buy a new Barbie (your DGD can't have too many, you know) and be certain that your patterns fit. It does seem to me that they have changed some. One year we bought a gaggle of Barbies at the thrift shop, cleaned them up, did their hair, stitched new clothes and delivered them to the Salvation Army's violence shelter. FWIW I'm thinking it was No Tears baby shampoo that we used for skin care on the dolls - worked great. Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

I guess I could do that. I'm thinking maybe she'd like a Brownie Scout uniform, as DGD is a Brownie.

Julia > I'm thinking you'd better buy a new Barbie (your DGD can't have too

Reply to
Julia in MN

Reply to
Taria

I just googled around and found a chart:

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like there have been 3 Barbie shapes/sizes.HTH, Taria

Reply to
Taria

I seem to remember hearing about a change in sizing as a result of the controversy about Barbie being an unrealistic figure for young girls to emulate, that was made by various of our more militant feminist sisters back in the 1970's, and later. And with good reason, I might add. You might check and see what size doll the intended girl has, and go with that. Anything probably would work, but if it was a fitted outfit, it would look better than almost fitted. Now If it was something made for Ken, there is a fellow in need of a complete makeover. John

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John

s.eternal-september.org...

Reply to
Ginger in CA

Thanks, Taria! I thought I had read something once about Barbie's changing proportions.

Julia > I just googled around and found a chart:

Reply to
Julia in MN

Just this past week I found a large box of Barbie clothes in the attic. They were the ones I sewed and crocheted for my daughters who are now 34 and 29. My youngest daughter has a little girl, 4, and she spent the entire weekend playing with those clothes and some dolls. It seems like the crocheted ones fit the newer dolls just fine and the sewn ones depended on how fitted they were. Everything was good enough to wear though.

Good thing we found them because Grandpa had Veronica as well as her little brother Vinnie, 2, for the whole weekend while I had a girls weekend away with our daughters. He did a wonderful job with the kids and the girls and I loved our cabin hideaway and all the talking, wine, chocolate, laughing, scrapbooking and reading we got to do.

Veronica is getting an American girl doll from us this Christmas and she got a pretend one last year. I really enjoyed making clothes for them since I'm older now and dealing with the itty bitty Barbie size is getting more difficult. Moni

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Ramona Walker

Reply to
Roberta

I just recieved an on- line ad from K-Mart that Barbie Dolls are on sale. I did not see a price. Barbara in FL "

Reply to
Bobbie Sews More

Howdy!

I still have my Barbie, ca.1962, blonde bouffant ala Jackie Kennedy; some of her original "outfits" are here, as well. Loved my Barbie, still do (altho' those cheap mattel earrings turned her lobes green and a mouse ate one of her tiny pinky fingers). Lots of us played w/ Barbies; when we had sleep-overs (slumber parties) we ALL brought our Barbies. None of us, not one single girl, every thought of looking like Barbie; she was a toy, a piece of childhood fiction; she was a Good Time Girl, and weren't we all? My best friend was such a show off: she had Barbies, Midge, Skipper and that goofus, Ken. My Barbie preferred G.I. Joe (my brother's), and they dated extensively. Then my young sons played w/ Barbie for a little while; she was just another doll to them. Barbie clothes: mine was a devotee of the Dorothy Lamour style, the sarong. These gals could wrap a terry cloth towel (wash cloth, in Barbies case) or a canvas tarp around themselves & look high-fashion enough to hit the nightclubs. Just take a lovely piece of fabric, square, oblong, wonky, and wrap it, honey, wrap it around Barbie, then tuck in the edges, or pin w/ a lovely brooch or hat pin (Barbie is very forgiving of slight pin pricks and stings), and Voila! The height of loveliness. No patterns necessary. She can dress this style up or down, diamonds or denim, leather and lace. A gold necklace for a belt, a diamond sash, an emerald strap over the shoulder - oh, Barbie, you are such a doll!

Btw, the mattel folks "borrowed" the Barbie image from Germany; Bild Lilli "inspired" them... that's a nice way to say it; anyway, she wasn't always such a good girl. But she was our girl, and we "played Barbies" for hours. And none of us flung ourselves off a cliff because we don't look like her.

Cheers!

R/Sandy - feels pretty much the same way about clothes, now, as I did in my Barbie era

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On 11/14/10 7:19 PM, in article snipped-for-privacy@s11g2000prs.googlegroups.com, "Ginger in CA" wrote:

Reply to
Sandy E

I took on sewing Barbie clothes for a charity org. that provides toys for poor children. OMG. It was fun and I got really into it. My "models" were my old barbies, and I did notice that the 1960's-70's patterns fit them much better than the new patterns. So yes, I do think Barbie's measurements have changed. They still fit the newer dolls, but were not as tightly fitted.

Sherry

Sherry

Reply to
Sherry

------------------------------------- Yes, Barbie's measurements have changed. Her bust is smaller now and the waist is thicker. Older patterns can be used on the new Barbie body type, just watch the tight waisted clothing. You may have to add a bit to the waist line.

Reply to
Roxie5166

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