Celebrating Barbie from the 1960’s to the 1993 Movie

My Beginnings with Barbie

Above: My Original Barbie and Ken (Barbie and her dress and hose are from the 1960’s era, Ken is from the 1960’s but his clothes are from a more recent era)

This year, with the Barbie Movie, there has been so much talk of the Barbie Doll thru the years, that I thought it would be fun to do a Barbie Tablescape. Did you have a Barbie when growing up? I had a Barbie, Ken, and a Midge in the early 1960’s and later added Barbie’s siblings Tutti, Todd, and Skipper. Contrary to the high school aged Barbies of the time, my Barbies were married with children and horses. I saved those dolls, as many do, in case I had a child or a guest who would like to play with the “old time” Barbies. Surprisingly, I still have them, and it was fun to get them out and look back on the hours I played with them.

Barbie in Tablescapes

Barbie became important to me again when I dove into making tablescapes and found that Barbies were perfect centerpieces for different tablescapes.

Barbie in this year’s Tablescape post – A Harley-Davidson Table for a “Rad Dad” 

Barbie in a Coming Soon “Aggie Football Tablescape” post

Barbie: The Movie

So when Barbie the Movie came out this year, I was very interested in seeing it. I was surprised that it didn’t seem to be a kid’s movie, and that it had attracted such a talented cast, such as Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrara, and Will Ferrell – to name a few. So off to the theater I went to check it out. By the way, I loved the Barbie doll box in the lobby, where you could have yourself photographed as a Barbie Doll – see photo above.

About the movie (movie spoiler alert for following paragraph) – After getting over the baby doll smashing scene which was distressing to a doll lover, such as me; I loved the creativity of the movie – Barbie’s house, the set, costumes, choreography and plot. I thought the questions it brought up, on the role of the Barbie, her refection of the times and her influence – especially on the role of women and men in society, her role in life expectations and goals, her positive (and also sometimes negative) impact on society were all very interesting. The music, dancing, acting and humor in the movie were so much fun!

Have you seen the movie? Did you enjoy it? I’d love to hear your reactions and how the movie did or did not reflect your own Barbie experiences.

The Movie inspired me to do a Barbie Tablescape.

The Barbie Tablescape – The Plate Stack

The first thing I realized I wanted were some Barbie plates, even though pink dishes would have been perfectly fine. I checked eBay and found some Melamine plates that showed the Barbie of my childhood and thought they would be a perfect item to “anchor” my tablescape.

I started the tablescape with the pink tablecloth.

The first plate in the stack, is a white charger from Maryland China. (photo below)

The second plate is a blue Pyrex plate from a local vintage shop, and this plate is also available often on eBay. (photo below) Although the blue doesn’t show much in the final plate stack, I love how the narrow band of blue, highlights the Barbie plate.

The top plate in the stack is one of the 4 designs of Barbie the melamine plates in the set I purchased on eBay. The different designs are shown below. The plates are unmarked (no brand, pattern name, or country of origin).

I love that the set of plates have both of the Barbie’s I played with as a child. My older sister had the pony-tailed Barbie, while I had the short haired Barbie.

My original Barbie, stands behind the plate where she is pictured.

Napkins and Napkin Rings

The napkins I chose for the Tablescape, are Kate Spade – Larabee Dot, and match the tablecloth. I purchased these about 5 years ago.

For the napkin rings, I chose these vintage acrylic daisy napkin rings. I believe they were made in the 1960’s, around the same time that I was given my first Barbie.

The Centerpieces

For the “centerpieces” I decided to go with vignettes or scenes of Barbies. Some scenes are from a specific era, and some are with dolls from different eras grouped together.

My oldest dolls are my original Barbie and Ken from the early 1960’s.

Midge (above – with the red hair styled in a “flip” is almost as old as my original Barbie and Ken. Todd, (next to Midge) is Tutti’s twin and Barbie’s little brother. (He’s from 1965 and on) Sitting on Todd’s lap is one of the “Chelsea” sized dolls.

Barbie from “Barbie: The Movie “- 1993 with her car (also 1993) The Barbie represents actress Margot Robbie’s role in the movie and sits at the center of the tablescape. Barbie’s car sits on top of my original game board for the Barbie game I played as a child. Tutti, Barbie’s sister from 1965 accompanies Barbie in the car.

I named this vignette “ESPN College Game Day with the Texas A&M Aggies”. Texas A&M is my husband’s college and where my son got his graduate degree. So of course it is the college we chose to represent on our table. A&M has “Yell Leaders” rather than “cheerleaders, however Mattel labeled them Cheerleaders on the box. Other than the name on the box, the Yell Leader Kens are very accurate. The yell leaders and cheerleaders were called the “university collection” and most were released in 1996. The two Barbies are more recent and are from a field reporter and camera “man” set. The girl decked out in Aggie clothes is a “fan” and I believe her outfit was handmade by an eBay seller. This set and 2 additional Aggie yell leaders will be in my Aggie Football tablescape pictured earlier. (post is coming soon)

These Barbies from the “Barbie Doll and Pets Collection” were purchased recently as I thought they and their dogs would be great for any dog tables I do. Both dogs are Golden Retrievers. The light colored one is an English Cream Golden Retriever, like our Simba!

These are from the Harley Davidson Collection (Barbie, Ken, and motorcycle). I used the Harley Davidson collection pieces in my ‘A Harley Davidson Table for a “Rad Dad”‘post.

This scene includes Ken from the “Barbie: The Movie”, this is the Ken character played by Ryan Gosling. The backdrop for Ken, is “The Barbie Game – Queen of the Prom.” This is the game I played as a child. I find it unusual that the goal of this 1960’s game was to be Queen of the Prom – a goal I’m guessing was not on my parent’s top ten list for me. But in today’s world Barbie can be a pilot, vet, or the President. What a long way both Barbie, and American girls have come.

This scene includes my original Skipper (Barbie’s sister) in vintage clothes, and the small boy is a doll from the Chelsea collection.

Also in the Room

Also in the room is this scene, on top of my chest of drawers. It includes a Harley Davidson Ken- holding Chelsea, and a Texas A&M Yell Leader.

Then and Now

The car in the below post is the 2023 version, and is similar to the one I had in the 60’s however this new 2023 car, is so much cooler, as it is a remote control car which is much more realistic than the car I pushed around as a child.

Also, I thought you would enjoy seeing the old vs new dolls and traditions. In the “Then” Photo below, Barbie is shown as a passenger as Ken was most often the driver in 1960.

However, in the recent movie (below) Barbie is at the wheel and Ken is the passenger.

More Barbie Info

“For more info on the history and controversy of Barbie, you may enjoy the “Barbie” Wikipedia article. I found it interesting that his article also mentioned a Barbie Theme Park that is scheduled to open in 2024. The fun continues, as one attraction there is rumored to be a life sized Barbie Beach house from “Barbie: The Movie.”

More Tablescape Photos, and The View of the Sunset from the Window of “Barbie land”

In This Post

Below, in this post are sections entitled “Table Details and Origins”, “Coming Soon”, “Posts I Hope You Will Like”, “Link Parties”, and finally, when you scroll down to the very end, you will see the “Comments” section. I hope you enjoyed this walk down Barbie lane. I’d love it if you would comment about your Barbie experiences, and what was similar on different in your Barbie “era”.

Table Details and Origins for

The Eras of Barbie Tablescape

Barbie the Movie – Ken Doll – Amazon – Ken- is the part played by Ryan Gosling in “Barbie The Movie”

Barbie the Movie – Barbie Doll with Pink & White Gingham Dress – this Barbie is the part in “Barbie the Movie” that was played by Margot Robbie

Barbie Car – Remote Control – from “Barbie the Movie”

Barbie Doll & Pets, Blonde Doll with Mommy Dog – Blonde Haired Barbie with Golden Retriever and other accessories

Barbie Doll & Pets, Brunette Doll with Mommy Dog – Brunette Doll (African American) with English Cream Golden Retriever and other accessories

Barbie with short blond hair from the 1960’s – this is my Barbie from when I was a child

Midge with red mid-length hair (in a “flip”) from the 1960’s – This is my Midge from when I was a child.

Ken with brunette painted on hair from the 1960’s – This is my Ken from when I was a child.

Barbie – University of Arkansas Cheerleader Barbie – sometimes available on Amazon or Ebay – note: she has been redressed as an Aggie fan, and was purchased for the doll, and the maroon colored skirt.

Texas A&M University Ken Cheerleader blond hair 2012 Pink Label X9207 – eBay (Barbie calls him a “cheerleader”, Aggies call him a “Yell Leader”. You may need to search twice once under each name)

Texas A&M University Ken Cheerleader African American X9208 – eBay (Barbie calls him a “cheerleader”, Aggies call him a “Yell Leader”. You may need to search twice once under each name)

Reveille Texas A&M Mascot Dog – Texas A&M football stadium gift shop – 2018 approximately. (dog was part of a key chain, and I cut off the key chain part)

Barbie – University of Arkansas Cheerleader Barbie – sometimes available on Amazon or Ebay – note: she has been redressed as an Aggie fan, and was purchased for the doll, and the maroon colored skirt. The A&M fan outfit was purchased on eBay or Etsy, and may or may not be an official Barbie item.

Blonde Barbie with tan and black Harley-Davidson jacket – Mattel Barbie 25637 Harley Davidson Motorcycle Collectors Edition 1999 – eBay – buy with caution, as some of the “leather” outfits have deteriorated with age and storage

Brunette Barbie with ivory jacket and pants and blond Ken in gray shirt – 2009 Harley Davidson Pink Label Ken and Barbie Collector Doll Giftset Harley-Davidson – eBay –buy with caution, as some of the “leather” outfits have deteriorated with age and storage

Brunette Ken with leather vest- 1999 Mattel Harley-Davidson Ken #25638 – eBay –buy with caution, as some of the “leather” outfits have deteriorated with age and storage

1999 Mattel Barbie 26132 Harley Davidson Motorcycle – eBay –buy with caution, as some of the “leather” outfits on Barbie and Ken that go with this motorcycle have deteriorated with age and storage

Vintage Barbie’s sister, Tutti Tiny Sister # 3550 Brunette Doll w/ Box – one of my dolls as a child.

1993 Happy Meal Todd – Mattel 11475 – Twin Brother of Tutti, although Todd existed in the 1960’s, I didn’t have Todd till later.

Chelsea and the Chelsea Collection – Amazon – Chelsea is the youngest sister of Barbie. She and other Chelsea collection dolls are currently available at Amazon – size wise they seem to represent what would be a 2-4 year old in the Barbie world. The collection has both boys and girls with a variety of different hair colors. Some have different names too, such as “Courtney” etc.

“The Barbie Game – Queen of the Prom Board Game – 1960 – Often available on eBay, and also it is reissued occasionally.

Melamine Barbie Dishes (no name or maker for the ones I have) – This set and other Barbie dishes are occasionally available on eBay.

Pyrex Blue Glass Plates – Festiva – Often available on eBay and at many vintage shops.

Maryland China 13″ Round White Openwork Plate SKU: 5662 – Marylandchina.com

Blue Acrylic Goblets – Homegoods – approximately 2017

Acrylic Daisy Napkin Rings – eBay

Kate Spade Larabee Dot Pink Tablecloth and Napkins – Available on eBay occasionally and a similar fuchsia pattern is available occasionally at Homegoods

Oneida Marquette Stainless Flatware – Currently discontinued, however, certain pieces of this, and many similar sets are available on Amazon

Coming Soon

Some of the posts coming soon, are the “Texas A&M Football Tablescape”, “Mickey and Minnie Celebrate Halloween” and “Skeletons Dancing”. I’d love it if you could stop back in the coming weeks for these.

Posts I Hope You Will Like

If you like this tablescape, you may also like,

A Harley-Davidson Table for a “Rad Dad” – Celebrating My Husband’s Trifecta of Special Days This Month – His 66th Birthday, His Retirement and Father’s Day!!

and

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Go To School

and

A Regatta Tablescape for Summer, and also for Labor Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, etc.

Link Parties and Blog Hops 

Following is a list of websites I really like!  They are listed under the day of the week where they also host a Family Friendly “Link Parties” aka “Blog Hops”.

If you click on the name of the blog (in blue) on the evening of the day of the week they are listed under, it should take you to the Link Party, where many bloggers have joined with them to share their own ideas.  I love how the link parties connect you with both a great blog, and other blogger’s ideas as well!  Many thanks to all these bloggers for bringing so many ideas to all of us!!! 

You can actually find these link parties any day of the week, by clicking on the website name below, but once you click, you may need to scroll thru a few entries to find the link party you are looking for. 

Sunday 

Life as a Leo wife (Nikki), Eclectic Red Barn (Beverly),  Décor Craft Design (Mel) ,A Labour of Life (Linda),  Ducks ‘n a Row (Sinea),  Love My Messy Messy Mess (Katie)   host “Happiness is Homemade” Link Party.  I love checking out the home decor, holiday decorations and current projects of all the hostesses as well as the ideas from their link party ! 

Life and Linda hosts “Love Your Creativity Link Party”.  I love checking out Linda’s gorgeous holiday decorations and tablescapes, and her chandelier decorations are a beautiful finishing touch!!

The House on Silverado  hosts – “Sundays on Silverado” link party. I am fairly new to Niky’s site but am loving her holiday decorating and her new grandma stories!!

Ridge Haven Homestead  – “Sunday Sunshine” Blog Hop.  In addition to the blog hop, I am enjoying reading about Laurie’s homestead, the “off the grid” lifestyle they are living and the cabin they are building. 

April J Harris – hosts Hearth and Soul Link Party monthly on the first Sunday of the month. I am enjoying reading about April’s traveling adventures, as well as her projects at home!  

Monday

Life Tales Books Blogspot  hosts Will Blog for Comments Link Party. Jennifer is a Photos and Story Treasures Consultant, and I am enjoying her ideas on photos and memory books, as well as her link party!  

Holly-Pink Lady(Holly) and Sunshine and books blog (Sarah) host “Hello Monday Link Party”. In addition to the link party, I am enjoying Sarah’s book recommendations, and Holly’s recipes and party ideas.  

Between Naps on the Porch hosts  “Metamorphosis Monday” posts, which are all about “Befores and Afters”. I love seeing Susan’s amazing home projects which are very inspiring!! I always come away with some great ideas from her posts and from those who have linked up!! 

The following link, Senior Salon Pit Stop will get you to the link party on Esme’s site as well as getting you to some great recipes and other ideas!

Charlene at A Pinch of Joy hosts “Busy Mondays”. Charlene’s website is all about home decorating, and holiday decorations and recipes. The first two things are things I love to do and the Recipes are things I like to eat!

Good random fun blogspot hosts The Good.Random.Fun. link party  Tamar’s website has some great photography, interesting places to visit, and thoughts on many things. Recently, I enjoyed reading about Hanukkah celebrations! 

Beverly at Eclectic Red Barn, Nicky at  Life as a Leo Wife, Michelle at  Moms are frugal and a few other hostesses host “You’re the Star Blog Hop” I love checking out these websites and the link party for holiday decor, crafts, money saving ideas and tablescapes. 

Tuesday

A Stroll Thru Life   hosts  the “Inspire me Tuesday” link party. Marty has an eye for design and decorating, and turning your house into a home. I always enjoy reading about her projects. 

Eclectic Red Barn (Beverly)  and Penny’s Passion (Penny) host the “Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop” which often opens on Tuesday evenings. I have enjoyed Beverly’s Red Barn project and her projects and decorating . Penny’s website has both projects and recipes I have enjoyed reading about – and more – see “Thinking Out Loud” under “Thursday” in this list. 

Jenerally Informed  hosts the “Happy Now Link Party”. Jen from Jenerally informed and Leslie from playmates to parties host “happy now” which brings many craft and decorating ideas and recipes for fun holiday foods. 

Perfectly Imperfect-LWL hosts the “Tell It To Me Tuesday Link Party” which brings many decorating ideas, recipes, and ideas for family activities. 

Kim and Cassie from Lou Lou Girls host the the “Fabulous Party”. Lou Lou Girls post unique recipes, family activities, DIY and party ideas! 

Marci at Stone Cottage Adventures hosts “Tuesdays with a Twist”. Marci posts on gardening, sewing, recipes, crafts and books! Marci’s link party contains many other fun ideas as well. 

My Wee Abode (Julie) hosts the “Tuesday Turn About” Link Party. Julie is turning her small home into a charming coastal farmhouse home. Her website and link party include great home decorating, DIY, craft projects and recipes.

Wednesday

Karin’s Kottage hosts the “Karin’s Kottage Link party”.  I am also enjoying keeping up with Karin’s Italian Palace remodel! as well as her decorating ideas, crafts, grandchild activities and home projects. 

French Ethereal hosts a “Share Your Style”  link party where decorating, recipes, fashion, tablescape styles are all shared. 

Esme Salon recently began hosting a “Wordless Wednesday” photography link party – I can’t wait to link up!

Creatively Beth  hosts the “Creatively Crafty” Link Party. Beth’s website contains wonderful craft posts, including amazing up-cycle, from scratch, and Dollar Store Crafts. Beth’s link party contains a variety of family friendly posts including recipes, crafts, and holiday decor. 

Ridge Haven Homestead hosts the Homestead Blog Hop.  I am also enjoying reading about the off the grid home that Laurie and her family are building. 

Karin at Fifth Sparrow No More, hosts “Whimsy Home Link Party”. Karin posts about Finding the Beauty – in decorating, travel and faith and family! 

Cecelia at My Thrift Store Addiction hosts “Vintage Charm” link party. What Cecelia does with her thrift store finds is so creative!

Lydia at  Pandora and Max hosts the “All Seasons” Link Party. Lydia’s recent blog entry was all about her trip – and the sunsets are a “must see” – fabulous!

Thursdays

I often participate in Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday. I have been following Susan for quite a long time, and absolutely love her Tablescapes!!! I also love the ideas shared on her Tablescape Thursday link party! 

Katherine’s corner hosts the  “TFT – Thursday Favorite Things” blog hop.  I love the assortment of wonderful decorating, recipe, tablescape, and inspirational ideas found here. 

Southern Sunflowers   hosts their “Home Matters Link Party” at 8 CT on Thursday.  I have really enjoyed linking to their link party and the various decorating, recipe, tablescape and craft ideas found on this website and their “Home Matters” Link Party. 

Penny’s Passion  hosts the “Thinking Out Loud Link Party” which often begins on Thursday. Thinking out Loud is a great post published each Thursday, and covers many interesting topics. Today the topic was “elf on the shelf – for empty nesters” and I love the traditions Penny has started in her home. So cute!

Roentare.zenfolio blog hosts a photography link party each week.  The photography is absolutely gorgeous, as are the places he and his wife photograph! 

Good Random Fun  hosts the “Little Things” link party, which I enjoy. Its a place for sharing and reading about lots of different topics and ideas. 

Marsha in the Middle and Melynda, from Scratch Made Food for Hungry People, and Lisa, from Boondock Ramblings host “Weekend Traffic Jam” which goes live on Thursday at 8:30 pm CT. Marsha posts about Fashion and the link party contains holiday decorations, fashion, and recipes (to name a few of the family friendly links). 

Friday

Stephanie at Crazy Little Lovebirds hosts the “Crazy Little Lovebirds link party.” It is a gathering for home decor ideas, recipes, tablescapes, reflections, etc. I am enjoying being a part fo this group. 

Building Our Hive hosts the “Funtastic Friday” Link Party which includes recipes, home decor, tablescapes, crafts, travel and other family friendly posts. 

Cindy at County Road 407  hosts the “Farmhouse Friday” Link Party, which begins at 6:30 am CT each Friday and features home decor – all styles; holiday decorating, tablescapes, crafts, etc. 

Andrea at The Cottage Market hosts “A Morning Cup of Joe” link party. Both the website and the link party feature DIY projects, Recipes, home decor, crafts and holiday decorations. 

Erika at A Little Bit of Everything and Andrea at Momfessionals, host “Friday Favorites”. Both websites and the link party feature family activities, home decor, fashion, entertaining, recipes, and holiday decorations and traditions. 

At Lou Lou Girls Kim, Cassie and Amber bring lots of good recipes and family activities to us and also host “Fabulous Friday” a link party that brings us recipes, holiday decor, family activities and many other family friendly ideas! 

Carol at Answer is Choco hosts BFF Link Party. Carol’s website contains lots of ideas about crafts, scrapbooking, recipes and many other things!

Saturday

Pieced Pastimes  Hosts “Saturday Sparks Party”  which includes home decors, recipes and holiday fun foods, tablescapes, crafts, etc. Among the many things I appreciate at Pieced Pastimes is the first picture of many posts, where Suzanne shows her current view at home (in New Hampshire) I love her wonderful view in all weather!

Pam’s Party and Practical Tips hosts the “Dare to Share Saturday” Link party – which includes some great party ideas, recipes and crafts!

Comments

I’d love to hear your comments. Please scroll down to the comment section below, and share your impressions of “Barbie: the movie”, my tablescape, or what you liked or didn’t like in the Barbie era you experienced.

Thanks for visiting!!!