Barbie of the Month: Funtime Barbie and the Gang

 

Funtime Barbie, Ken, and Skipper are the three Funtime dolls that were sold in Europe and Canada in 1975 (boxes marked 1974). 

#7192 Funtime Barbie

The beautiful #7192 Funtime Barbie is made from the true Barbie head mold.  She has long blonde hair, bendable legs, and a twist ‘n turn waist.  Her hair is parted on the side with two pony tails.

#7194 Funtime Ken wears blue swim trunks, has dark brown molded hair, and bendable legs.

 

Funtime Ken

#7193 Skipper, Barbie’s little sister, has long blonde hair, heavy make-up, and wears a yellow two-piece swim suit. 

Interestingly, Barbie and Skipper were made in Korea, and Ken was made in Taiwan.

They are marked:

Barbie: © 1966 Mattel, Inc. U.S. Patented U.S. Pat. Pend. Made in Korea

Ken: ©1968/Mattel, Inc. U.S. & For. Pat'd./Other Pats./Pending/Taiwan

Skipper: 1967 Mattel Inc. U.S. Pat'd. U.S. Pats. Pend. Made in Korea



Barbie and Ken Box markings

There is one additional Funtime doll with a darker rose colored box, who's name doesn’t appear on the back of Barbie, Skipper, and Ken’s box simply because she was only released in 1976.  She is #7381 Funtime Skooter.  This cute redhead with a twist-n-turn waist and bendable legs wears a blue two-piece swim-suit.  She is the hardest of the four dolls to locate. 
 

Funtime Skooter

Skooter is marked: © 1967 Mattel, Inc. U.S. Pat'd. U.S. Pats. Pend. Made in Korea



1976 Skooter and 1975 Skipper

Sold alongside these dolls in 1975 were Funtime sets, advertised as “today’s teens in outdoor scenes”.  I have not been able to locate a picture or even a description of these outdoor sets at the time of this writing.  If you have anything to add, please let our readers know!

 

Barbie, Ken, and Skipper were only available for two short years and Skooter for one year.  Since you could only get them in Europe and Canada, they are always much more difficult to find on the secondary market. 

 

Happy Hunting!

Be sure to visit My website: MyVintageBarbies.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doll of the Month: #7382 Barbie

The #7382 Barbie doll was released in 1976, and was only available in Canada and Europe.   

#7382 Barbie dressed in Shift into Knit (1969)

She had straight legs and was on a non-twist Korea made body with long-straight blonde hair. She was made from the Stacey head mold.  Barbie came dressed in a two-piece blue swim-suit, and was marked: “©1958 Mattel, Inc. U.S. Patented Us Patented Made in Korea”.

 

7283 Barbie (1976)

In 1977 everything was the same except her mark changed to read:  “©Mattel Inc 1958 Korea”.

7382 Barbie - 1976 (left) and 1977 (right)

 

In 1978, the #7382 Barbie with a new hot-pink one-piece swim-suit arrived.  Her face also had a bit of a change, as did her marking.  This year she was marked “©Mattel Inc 1958 Philippines”.  

 #7382 Barbie (1978)

The 1978 version’s packaging is marked "©Mattel, Inc. 1975. Hawthorne, CA 90250. Made in Philippines. Packaged printed in Hong Kong".  

Interestingly, the later vintage Barbie dolls that were produced from 1973 to 1978 were made in Korea.  In 1978 to 1988 they were made in the Philippines. This 1978 doll seems to be a bit of both!

The later #7382 Barbie's  have a different marking on their boxes which in part reads: “©Mattel, Inc. 1980, Made in Philippines”

1978 packaging (left) and 1980 packaging (right)

Sometimes determining which version you have can be a bit confusing, but it’s always fun to find these foreign dolls, and add them to your collection.  They are usually more difficult to come by, which makes their acquisition all the more satisfying!  

http://www.myvintagebarbies.com - 7382 Barbie

Happy Hunting!