Great Shape Skipper 1983

 Skipper has always been one of my sentimentally favorite characters in Barbie universe. This is because when I was little, I fiercely dreamed of a Skipper doll my cousin had. Sadly, I could never get her because a typical Barbie was quite expensive and all Mattel dolls that varied in terms of hair color, face sculpt or height would normally go with even a higher price tag. To cut the story short, she was inaccessible to me at that time, but the longing of a child’s heart continued even though I forgot about dolls for almost two decades.  My cousin’s doll had of course the 1987 head sculpt that to me is quintessential Skipper. No wonder I’ve managed to amass quite a number of such dolls from various series, but I also intended to introduce some variety to my Skipper/Courtney collection and I’ve had an eye on a Great Shape Skipper 1983 which one of my regular sellers had had for a long time. The doll was slightly out of my price range however, during Christmas I found myself in a situation that required determination and strength and I promised myself that if I did well, I would finally buy that Skipper. I threw in a book for my Barbie library too for good measure.

 Great Shape Barbie needs no introduction. She’s one of the beloved Barbies of all times, one that collectors worldwide consider a must-have. I love that Barbie and Ken too and I don’t think I need to say just how gorgeous the AA Great Shape is, but strangely enough, they haven’t joined my collection just yet. Skipper on the other hand, happens to be one of my favorite dolls on the classic headmold and she’s also a good representation  of an early Skipper in general so she’s a valuable addition to my collection. The entire Great Shape cast (perhaps with the exception for the AA) have been so popular that they’ve been released in multiple versions. There’s been a Mexican release – Aerobica Barbie, a Spanish one – Ritmic Barbie (and Ritmic Skipper in a larger box), a French one – Star Super Danse 2 and probably many others. Barbie and Ken were also available in a somewhat deluxe set with a Walkman and of course we know the UK version of Barbie, Ken and Skipper in green outfits. But the UK release isn’t only a change of clothes, the dolls also differ in terms of eye and hair color. If you were fortunate, you could also get them as a set of three – that’s triple joy neatly packaged in one box! Such an excellent series also required a proper background in a form of a playset, well, check out the Barbie Workout Center from the commercial below! By the way, there’s been a glitch on blogspot, videos aren’t displayed in the mobile version.

 

the source: Barbie the first 30 years 1959 through 1989/ Stefanie Deutsch

I purchased Skipper NRFB in her tiny box filled with the familiar scent of a brand new doll. That’s all behind her now because I unboxed her of course. I normally just can’t keep my dolls in boxes and such a Skipper was a novelty to me. I needed to check her hair, her articulation, accessories and everything else there was to discover and I’m glad I did because unbeknownst to me there was also a catalogue included and I just love those little pamphlets that leave you longing for more dolls once you open them. That’s what you call a self-induced sublime torture! I want everything the little thing advertises: there’s Twice as Nice fashion packs, Designer Collection, Fashion Fun, oh  my! And I need that Todd, I seriously need him in my life.

The vision of possessing the contents of the little pamphlet is entertaining but I’ve got to go back to reality, because owning a new doll is pleasing enough. Skipper was produced in Hong Kong, she lacks any signature at the back of her head but you should be able to see it once you remove the head – it’s imprinted on the inner rim. I don’t want to decapitate the poor little thing so I won’t check it to make sure. There’s also Mattel INC 1967 at her back and that’s all for the markings. Her articulation is limited, her arms go up and down but not to the sides, she has a TnT waist but she can’t tilt like the 1987 Skipper. She does have the click and bend knees. I was surprised to see how much shorter she was compared to the big-eyed Skipper. Perhaps I chose the wrong model to demonstrate the difference, Workout Skipper’s hair makes her look much taller, but I think you get the gist.

Great Shape may not be the most bendable doll in the world despite her being an aerobics enthusiast but I didn’t buy her for her articulation. Great Shape has the classic 1963 head sculpt and I love her facial screening without the weird all-surprised expression on her face. The face paint is also pretty minimal and doesn’t make her stand out from a typical classic Skipper so she pretty much gives you an idea of what an early Skipper looked like. She has a pair of large, blue eyes and peachy lips and she looks like a 9-year old. A bit sad 9-year old. She also has a head full of the most wonderful golden saran, so soft and silky once you get rid of the disintegrated elastic bands, yuck!

I’m a completionist and usually when I like a doll, I like everything about her and that includes her stock which in this case is so lovely. She comes dressed in a pink bodysuit with ruffly sleeves, pink and blue striped leggins, a blue sash around her waist and a pair of classic pink tennis shoes. Her only accessory is the pink sports bag. She is very, very pink but that’s fine with me. I’m used to a great amount of pink in clothes because having two daughters and a son I sort my laundry into pink, white, black and the remaining colors.

As for the book I’ve mentioned earlier, I got one for my slowly (very, very slowly) growing Barbie library. The book is titled “Barbie the first 30 years 1959 through 1989 an identification & value guide”. It’s 300 pages of dolls and if a little pamphlet gave me a higher blood pressure then I almost fainted when I saw the contents of this book. The 80s are especially appealing to me and several dolls from that section jumped right to my wish list. It’s a bit hard to use it as an identification guide as the title suggest because the dolls are shown mostly in their boxes without face close-ups but this book has one significant advantage over some other publications of this kind – it gives some information on the European/Canadian exclusives as well as the Mexican variants of the popular Barbies of that time. There’s also a section on Takara and Bandai Barbies which is very valuable because those are a bit obscure dolls, not much is published about them.

So Skipper and the book are a self-reward for my endurance in the face of an extremely difficult situation, but there were a few bonuses as well. I got an accessory pack from 2019 # FJD56/GHL83. It’s a very realistic looking barbecue set with a removable lid, a double-sided grill, a bottle of ketchup and tongs. A thing like that always comes in handy but in a collection that consists mostly of secondhand dolls shoes are the product that you need most. I can’t even count all the auctions on lots of shoes that I’ve lost or missed but this time luck struck. I purchased a handful of Barbie shoes of my favorite kind – the 90s pumps. There are also some tennis shoes for Skipper, a pair of loafers for Ken and two pairs of the skinny pumps from the 80s. Most shoes are genuine Mattel but there are clone pairs as well, however, I’m not so picky because some of them look pretty authentic and it’s hard to tell them apart from the real thing. I’ve managed to gather a nice looking stock of spare shoes, my dolls won’t go barefoot anytime soon. I also got a necklace for the Jewel Secrets Barbie, now I just need to get the doll herself, she’s high on my wish list.  

But another doll from my wish list just arrived and she’s one of those 80s classics, do you recognize her? She’s been through a lot, her hair is thin and brushed out, she’s missing her jewelry and outfit and she arrived dressed in a pink nightgown. She’s wearing my favorite fashion that I put on the dolls that are missing their stock. It’s a temporary situation I hope because I just love her original dress and I’m on the search for it. Barbie will have a proper introduction once I get the outfit but for now, here’s some more pictures of my new Skipper and of the Skipper shelf. The necklaces that you can see there are handmade by my daughter. My Skippers are so much prettier with the necklaces on, don’t they. Take care and stay safe!