Saturday, March 5, 2016

Barbie of the Month: Walking Jamie

In 1970 Sears released the exclusive #1132 Walking Jamie doll.  She was never available in the Mattel Catalog.
 



Jamie came with a choice of three hair colors; blonde, brunette and titian, which was styled in a shoulder length flip.  She had brown eyes and rooted eyelashes.  On Jamie’s back she had a button.  When pressed, her legs would move, her arms would swing, and her head world turn as she walked. 


Button on Jamie's back

 


 
Jamie is marked: ©1967 Mattel, Inc./U.S. Patented/ Pat' d Canada 1967/Other Pat's Pend/Japan
 
Original Box

In her original box, she was dressed in a yellow, pink and orange knit mini dress, with a matching belt, yellow panties, and orange calf length boots.  A sheer pink nylon head scarf tied in her hair completed the outfit.  There was a clear plastic X stand as well as a fashion booklet.  She originally retailed for $4.97 in the Sears catalog.
 
 

Walking Jamie



Jamie also had two gift sets which included a Jamie doll.
The first was #1584 Jamie Furry Friends Gift Set (1970-71) which retailed for 8.99 in 1970 and $7.99 in 1971.  The stand-alone Jamie doll was reduced by $1.00 in 1971 as well.  The set came with a fuzzy orange coat with attached belt, matching hat, her original outfit (dress with belt, pink head scarf, yellow panties, and boots) gray poodle, pink collar and leash, dog dish, white bone, box of dog food, and pink bow shoes. 
 
Jamie Furry Friends Gift Set


Sears Ad

 
The second set, #1247 Jamie Strollin' in Style Gift Set from 1972, is not listed in the 1972 Sears catalog.  That makes me to believe it may have only been available at Christmas time in the Sears store (the stand-alone doll wasn’t listed in the catalog in 1972 either, but I did read the doll was available by mail-order through the fall).  The gift set included the doll wearing a red, blue, and yellow knit dress with crocheted blue belt, matching red calf length boots, and a blue sheer nylon head scarf.  Also included in the box was a second outfit which consisted of blue bell-bottom knit pants, with a matching blue and yellow knit top.  Blue pilgrim shoes completed the outfit.  Jamie also had a white poodle with a blue collar and a blue and yellow ball.


Walking Jamie Strollin' in Style Gift Set
Not shown: Blue pilgrim shoes. (Photo courtesy of Catherine)
 

Strollin’ in Style is by far the most difficult of the two gift sets to find complete, and it usually commands a higher price on the secondary market.
The only clothing that was made specifically for Jamie were the items packaged in her gift boxes, and the clothing she wore in her original box.  Fortunately, Jamie was the same size as Barbie and could wear all her beautiful fashions as well.
 

 



Jamie did have two Sears exclusive doll cases that were made for her in 1971; Jamie’s Party Penthouse, which was a luxury apartment that also could hold four dolls (it retailed for $9.99), and Jamie’s Studio Apartment, which opened into a room of her own, and could store one doll (it retailed for 4.49).


Jamie's Party Penthouse
 
Jamie's Studio Apartment Case



 
With the decrease in price after only one year, Walking Jamie probably wasn’t the doll kids were asking for.  But forty-six years later she is the doll collectors are wanting!