By Allen Voivod
As we all know, Barbie first debuted in 1959 and became an instant sensation. Over the next few years, additional dolls from Mattel joined her on the shelves, including Francie in 1966. "The character of Francie ran from 1966-1976," says Barbie Signature Lead Designer Bill Greening. "In 1967 and 1968, a dark skin tone option for Francie was available. This doll has historical significance because she was the first doll of color in the Barbie line."
She was also the first doll of color produced by Mattel, and 2022 marks the 55th anniversary of that very momentous occasion. To celebrate this milestone, we're proud to bring you this vintage reproduction of a 1967 Francie doll with the dark skin tone. She's a Gold Label doll and a Mattel Creations Exclusive, available in the shop right now for $50, with a limit of three (3) dolls per person.
Francie paved the way for more dolls of color in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Christie, Julia, and Brad. "Christie is Barbie’s first Black friend, designed and marketed as such for her entire run, from 1968-1998," Bill explains. "Julia was our first celebrity doll of color, released in 1969, based on the TV show Julia. And Brad was Christie’s boyfriend and Ken’s friend, released in 1970."
If you have one of those original Francie dolls, you should consider yourself VERY lucky. They're exceedingly hard to find now, and highly treasured by Barbie and Francie fans. For everyone else, this vintage repro doll presents a fantastic opportunity. Even Bill, an avid doll collector himself, is in on this one. "I know I'm excited to add this reproduction to my personal collection. I hope other collectors are, too!"
Francie has always been the MODern fashion plate, with a groovy sense of style. Our repro lives up to that hip and happening history in her kicky A-line striped dress with a hot-pink ruffle and matching gloves. "The fashion she's wearing is called 'Floating In,' from the same time frame as the doll would have originally sold," Bill reveals. (Avid collectors, that's #1207, in case you're wondering.) "It’s a very fun fashion that evokes the 1960s 'mod' era."
The doll body has all the same features as the original doll, too, including bendable "clicky" legs, a Twist n' Turn waist, rooted eyelashes, and a "Genuine Francie" wrist tag. "I love her fun flipped hairstyle and her little hot pink kitten heels," Bill adds. "The color and style are soooo 1960s. The package concept was designed by Sal Velazquez and uses mod graphics from Barbie doll’s 1968 house."
To find out more about that, we reached to Packaging Designer Sal Velazquez. "Looking back to 1967, there was a lot of 'mod' inspired artwork used on packaging at the time. I came across an image of a vintage 1967 Barbie vinyl bag that transformed into a house. I was really inspired by the artwork, and that’s when the idea came about to create a 'house'-inspired package for the new Francie doll, as an alternate concept to the traditional, green-striped package. I basically re-drew the different panels inspired by the old house and recreated a 'new' house for this Francie package concept."
Whether you're a vintage doll maven, a Francie fan, a collector of dolls of color, or just inspired by this moment in history, you'll love to have this 1967 Vintage Francie Reproduction Doll on display. Head to the online shop and get her today!
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