Nostalgia - My Stacey

It's not the first time I have told part of this story which began on Christmas, but within another post and with a terrible picture.
This story led to my collection many years later, so I think it's worth telling it right.

Christmas Eve 1970 - you know we give gifts on the 24th here - an excited little girl waiting for the living room door to open.
A brand new doll's pram awaited me and hand sewn clothes for my chubby doll.

Little Cat was an ingrate, though, I'm afraid to say. Her older sisters got Mattel dolls, and since little Cat has always been a sucker for miniatures (which hasn't changed to this day), she was fascinated. The small shoes, the tiny buttons and zippers ... Cat started nagging like only a five year old can. She annoyed her sisters wanting to look at their dolls.
And when she had nagged long enough and had probably driven everyone nuts, she was finally promised that she would get her own Mattel doll as soon as the stores were open again - on the 27th.
That can't have been fun for my family. I can't really remember, but I'm sure all I could think of was when it would be the 27th at last, and I probably wanted to go first thing in the morning.

When I was able to really reflect this years later, I felt kind of bad about it.
Yes, only kind of because I'm still really happy I got my doll, but 1. we didn't exactly swim in money and 2. my mother must have been so very disappointed at my reaction after sewing those doll clothes herself. How could she not have thought what a rotten little brat I was? I would have in her place.

Nevertheless, she took me to the store on the 27th and I got my first Mattel doll.
I have a very vague recollection of the floor of the department store we went to - the "Orion" -, but I wouldn't be able to tell you if I picked the doll and the two outfits myself or if my mother did. I couldn't even say if my sisters were with us and gave their expert advice on the matter (there will be another post eventually on how to become an expert at the time).
Anyhow, my doll was - I should say is because she's still part of my collection of course - a Stacey with platinum blond hair.
My sister also had a Stacey, but with red hair, and I hope she'll forgive me for telling you that she poked me by saying that my Stacey was old because she had grey hair. Siblings, huh?
I loved my Stacey and I played with her. This poor girl had to go through a lot. A five year old doesn't have the dexterity to dress and undress her fashion doll without irreversible damage. I guess that's why I had got a pram.

Stacey's head turned yellow over the years and she has a sweaty face. That's not my fault, it's something that happened to a lot of vinyl dolls from that time. I could try to have her restored (or try it myself), for example with new skin paint, but I figure that she just aged together with me.
She was the first one in my collection - which I didn't know I would have -, she was bought as a toy, not a collector's item, and amazingly, she survived. It feels wrong to think about changing her, almost as if I had plastic surgery (and I don't "paint" my skin, either).

Oh the stories this poor little lady could tell ...

Her sickly face color is not her only problem. Even washed her hair has never been like new again.
As someone *whistling innocently* made her walk to the library (which I had set up in an armchair, completely with handmade call number tags) a lot by banging her feet on the ground a little too hard, she eventually lost half a foot.
Many years ago, my sister (the other one who got an (ash blond) Summer Sand TNT Barbie that Christmas) sewed an evening dress for her, but she can't wear heels with that because of her foot. Instead she's wearing a pair of vintage white lace-up boots.
 
She's also missing a finger, it broke off from putting bracelets on her wrist too often.
Do you remember that the two parts on ballpoint pens didn't necessarily screw together directly in the olden days? Often there was a little metal ring in between, in silver or gold. There were really thin ones and the wider ones. The thin ones were easy to put over her hand because you could bend them easily and then you would just bend them back on her wrist.
It was not that easy with the wider ones and bending Stacey's pinky often enough led to it breaking off eventually.

Another very typical problem for dolls that were played with are neck splits. Imagine a little girl constantly ripping the head off to put clothes or handmade necklaces on her doll (now I know how to make small necklaces with hooks) and pushing it back on the neck, it's a miracle the splits aren't worse. You can glue those neck splits, but you know my fragile relationship with glue.

Stacey was a so-called TNT doll - Twist'n'Turn - meaning she could not only turn her head from sideways, but also her waist. She also had bendable legs.
Stacey was introduced in 1968 as Barbie's British friend,  part of the "British Invasion". She brought the spirit of Mary Quant and London's Carnaby Street with her - a true "mod" doll.
She came in two versions, both manufactured only until 1971 which is a real pity.
There was the Talking Stacey who spoke in a British accent and came with a side ponytail and bangs in platinum blond and red (also called "Copper Penny").
The TNT dolls also had blond or red hair. The 1968 TNT had a side part and little curls at the forehead and sides, her ponytail was in the back.

A beautiful 1968 platinum TNT Stacey - no yellow face! - with open hair wearing
the "Suburban Shopper" dress (#969, 1959 - 1964) without accessories 
and with blue closed toe heels instead of white open toe heels.

The 1969 to 1971 TNT had short hair with a side part and flipped up ends, but if they are played with and have been combed, and depending on the amount of hair (which wasn't always the same), that could turn into quite the hairstyle.

"Copper penny" Stacey - also with a yellow, but not a sweaty face - wearing
"Sleeping Pretty" (#1636, 1965) without the accessories, one open toe heel is
missing its pompom which is not unusual, but a pity.

All of them smile showing their teeth, they have rooted eyelashes and blush on their cheeks.
They are popular with collectors not only for their beauty, but also because they weren't on the market very long.

There were two Sears Exclusive gift sets for Stacey, "Stripes Are Happening" (#1545, 1968) and "Stacey Nite Lightning (#1591, 1969). These are the only outfits with a "Stacey" tag inside. Sears Exclusives are beautiful, but were unfortunately not on option for little German girls.
Stacey also appeared on several cases, either alone or together with Barbie, and once with Barbie and Francie.


Sources:

1. Sibyl DeWein and Joan Ashabraner: The Collector's Encyclopedia of Barbie Dolls and Collectibles. Paducah, KY, Collector Books, 1994
2. Sarah Sink Eames: Barbie Doll Fashion. Paducah, KY, Collector Books, 1997
3. Vintage Stacey Dolls 1968 - 1971. On: Fashion Doll Guide


Stacey/Barbie/Francie is a registered trademark of Mattel, Inc. I am not affiliated with Mattel in any way.

P.S. If you worry about my baby doll, there's no need to. She was taken for walks outside in her new pram and she wore her new clothes, too. When she finally broke (she kept losing her limbs because the plastic wore out), my teddy bear, who has about the same size, inherited her more unisex kind of clothing.
Ok, so that's no reason for behaving like a spoilt brat, but I apologized for it often enough over the years 😂