52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #7

Week #7 – Toys

Week 7: Toys.  What was your favorite childhood toy? Is it still being made in some form today?

This was a no-brainer!

What was my favorite choldhood toy???

Barbie!!!!

I spent hours, day after day playing with Barbie!

And I probably had every item you could ever own for Barbie!

When money was tight, Mom spent hours and hours cutting and sewing tiny little outfits for my Barbie, that looked exactly like the ones for sale! She made them from scraps left over after she made dresses for my sister and I. So... all of our friends were jealous! We had matching outfits with our Barbie dolls!!! I can remember Debbie's mother calling mine and asking her where she found the Barbie dresses and our dresses that matched!

Barbie had cars. Before we owned the real thing [and even before Mattel came up with idea to manufacture autos for Barbie] my sister and I tool cereal boxes and made them into cars for our Barbie. We took saltine boxes and made out Barbie a van, or a bus, complete with seats and steering wheels in the interiors, and wheels on the exterior!

Barbie had surfboards during the '60's. And as we grew a little older, Barbie became more glamorous and had ballgowns! And then we introduced her to Ken! Ken was handsome and debonair! He was also dressed appropriately. During the day wearing a suit and tie to work, in the evenings he wore a smoking jacket, and when they went on the town... Ken wore a tuxedo! Sometimes a snow white one!

Eventually, Barbie and Ken were married, and Barbie had a glorious wedding gown! And her trousseau was quite large! Bikin's for the beach in Waikiki, and ballgowns for evenings in Paris! They had an extensive honeymoon! Why.... my Barbie was even introduced to the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace!!!  Prince Charles was a young man then, and I wouldn't be at all surprised that he made a play for her! At the very least... he flirted outrageously with her!

Barbie was, of course, quite the beautiful lady.

If Barbie were a real woman, she would stand 6-foot tall, and weigh a mere 100 pounds. Her measurements would be...

Bust: 39-inches

Waist: 21-inches

Hips: 33-inches

I'm still looking for a Barbie that looks like a real woman!

I have a feeling she'd look more like...

... and I'm not so sure she would be as glamorous as that 1966 Barbie I had.

I'm fairly certain Prince Charles wouldn't take a second look.

And we'd have to get Barbie to visit the gym on a regular basis!