Newport Barbie |
The #7807 Newport Barbie and #7808 Yellowstone Kelley were towards the end of the vintage
years and were only produced in 1974.
After the big boom of the sixties, with the Barbie doll and other
products making huge profits for Mattel, the seventies became quite a different
story.
Problems started arising in 1970. There was a devastating fire
which destroyed Mattel’s Mexico plant. July 1971 brought the crippling 130 day dockworkers
strike, which stopped shipments from coming into the United States from
Mattel’s plant in Asia. By 1973 Mattel’s
stock had fallen, and there were understandable concerns when it was discovered
that Mattel had released false reports over a two year period, uncovering a
thirty-two million dollar loss. This
eventually prompted an investigation by the Security and Exchange Commission.
By 1975 the investigation was complete, and Ruth Handler, the original creator
of Barbie and original owner of Mattel (with her husband Elliot), were forced
to resign and leave the company. Seymour Rosenberg, who was the V.P. and C.F.O.
of Mattel, was fired. Ruth and Seymour
pleaded no contest to the S.E.C. charges, and their sentences (which had included
jail time) were reduced to fines and five hundred hours each of community
service work every year for five consecutive years.
Mattel was looking for new ways to return to profitability,
but by 1973 the quality of the Barbie doll was deteriorating. No longer did we
see “real eyelashes”, and they began using more economical vinyl to make some
of the dolls. They were looking for fresh ideas to boost sales. The “fitness
craze” boom had started, and it seemed like everyone was doing something
athletic. Whether it was aerobics, jogging, biking, or just working out, it was
the thing to do! And what a perfect time to release these new energetic
sun-tanned dolls!
Newport Barbie, who came with long blonde hair and sunglasses
worn on top of her head, was the exact same doll as the #1067 Sunset Malibu
Barbie from 1973, who was stamped with the “Made in Taiwan” marking. She has a
twist-n-turn waist with bendable legs. In 1975, Mattel released the same line
of sun-tanned Malibu’s who were dressed in Olympic attire, just in time for the
1976 Olympic Games.
Back of the Box |
Newport Barbie and Yellowstone Kelley are both extremely hard to acquire. They are part of
the “Sports Set” dolls which are all very difficult to find. There were only
four sets of these active teens made; Newport Barbie, Sun Valley Barbie, Sun
Valley Ken and Yellowstone Kelley. Yellowstone Kelley (with long, straight red
hair with a suntan) was actually the only “new” doll in this line, as Sun
Valley Barbie and Ken and Newport Barbie were all Malibu dolls from 1973
dressed in different clothes.
Newport Barbie |
Newport Barbie came with two outfits in the box; a red and
white striped bikini and a pants ensemble that included a white sailor style
top with red trim along with white wide-leg pants with a built-in white belt
with red stitching. Her set also had a white windsurfing board with a red sail
(a few had a pink sail) for enjoying the beach in sunny Southern California.
Yellowstone Kelley |
Yellowstone Kelley wore a red long sleeved top with white polka dots and blue and white striped shorts. She also had a pair of pants in the same fabric. She wore white knee socks and white tennis shoes. She came equipped with all the gear she needed for camping; a back pack, yellow sleeping bag, camping mattress, camp stove, cooking utensils, pots and pans, and a brush and comb for her long hair.
Newport Barbie and Yellowstone Kelley came in two different style packages. They
were almost identical, but one had the large Mattel logo right under the words “the
Sports Set” on the front of the package, and the other had the logo in the
right hand corner of the package. Whichever package you find these suntanned
beauties, they'll always be a fun one to add to your collection.
Happy Hunting!
Yellowstone kelley beautyfull i covet her nfrb shes breath taking..wow..ozzie
ReplyDeleteI had Yellowstone Kelley when I was 11 years old (1974) and would love to find another since mine was lost in a flood at my mom's home. I just lost by a dollar on a bid for one that went for $161 on eBay in Germany. That would have been a great price!
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