I live in the United States, where our biggest feast of the year is the Thanksgiving holiday celebration. Back in the 70’s, when I was a kid, my mom would get together with extended family to plan and prep for the big meal.
So of course, I’d call my cousin and say, “Hey, we’re coming over. What Barbies should I bring?” And that’s kind of the gist of today’s game.
Today’s “Do a Pick” game features the following:
- Best Buy 8647 (the short brown skirt with gingham long sleeved shirt for Francie)
- Best Buy 8649 (the anchor themed tunic and trousers in red, blue, and yellow)
- Best Buy 3366 (the long yellow “pretty frilly” maxi dress with puffy sleeves)
What’s the story behind this game?
When I was a kid, whenever it was playtime with dolls, we would lay out all our dolls and their clothing items. Then we would “do a pick.”
That’s where you take turns picking which doll or dolls you’ll play with and which outfits or accessories you’ll get to play with. Your playtime companion would take a turn picking her dolls, clothes, and accessories too.
My #DoApick shorts on My YouTube Channel are a blast from the past! They let you choose from retro dolls and their clothing items and/or accessories, while imagining a fun playtime adventure from a bygone era.
Join the fun! Leave your “pick” in the comments!
Here are 3 ways you can help support my website and YouTube channel:
- Buy something from my online store on ChellyWood.com (including fabric, buttons, snaps, zippers, etc.)
- Buy something you need or want from my Etsy store
- For teachers or librarians, purchase something from my Teachers Pay Teachers store
Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Statement:
Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.
To honor the trademark rights of the doll companies mentioned in this blog post, I am including links to their websites here. Please feel free to visit their website and consider purchasing one or more of the dolls mentioned.
Vintage Barbie dolls are products that were once offered by Mattel, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). They can sometimes be purchased from Mattel as reproductions. Please visit the Mattel Toys website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
To learn more about Mattel’s vintage Barbie dolls, please click here. Disclaimer: ChellyWood.com is not affiliated with Mattel, but Chelly personally enjoys designing clothes to fit the dolls their company has created.
Brochure Citation: Mattel, 1972, The Beautiful World of Barbie [Brochure]. Mattel, Inc. (1972).
3366 seems to be a bit more “festive” following my taste, but I really love 8647!
How could they not make the fabric fray?
I remember being a child in the 1970’s, and my doll clothes DID fray. As I learned how to sew, I favored using bias tape to seal the edges of my garments because it really helped to prevent the fray issue. A lot of the doll clothes I made in the 1980’s and 1990’s were trimmed in bias tape for the sake of longevity and heavy play.
These days I create my doll clothes patterns to include extra fabric for a double-fold hem (or a lining), but I suspect that heavy play still leads to fraying along seams like where you attach the sleeves to the bodice. If you can think of a way to avoid that problem, I’d love to hear it! I want children to be able to play with my doll clothes for many years and pass them on to the next generation, if possible!