Barbie's Slender Sidekicks
After finally adding a Jazzie (Sun Sensation) to my collections I just had to do a side by side comparison with her, my Teen Skipper doll (Pajama Fun Courtney), and the original slender sidekick herself, Francie (Hair Happenin's).
Every so often, Mattel would decide that Barbie was Too Mature or Threatening and change things up by reinventing the wheel. First in the 60s there was Francie, Barbie's British Mod Cousin, who's definitely the shortest of the three, with the least curves, then came Jazzie in the late 80s, who was also Barbie's cousin, and finally, Skipper hit Third Puberty\* and became Teen Skipper, going from about 13-14 to about 16-17.
\*The first time was when they decided to make her "grow up", only to deage her back to about 8, then aged her up to about 13-14 again in about 1987. (Poor thing, I only had to do puberty twice, a third time sounds horrifying! ... and she's due for another soon, though maybe with Petite Barbie they won't do it again for a while!)
Their feet and legs are very similar in size, with Jazzie having the widest hips, visually, and Teen Skipper having the widest torso and bust. I think Francie's feet are the smallest, Teen Skipper is the "prettiest" (imo), and Jazzie has the best articulation of that era, with a ball joint waist and upper thigh, though none of them have elbow articulation (though there are Teen Skippers with elbow and knee articulation).
All three are gorgeous and I'm so happy to get them cleaned up and dolled up in some vintage outfits. Francie came in a box with a #6/7 Ponytail and a 2nd edition Ken and a bunch of vintage doll clothes (+case) for $40 on FB Marketplace, and I finally felt up to restoring her washed out color a little, then take some pictures!
My next personal project is a reroot(i) (maybe for next... Tuesday? 🤫), finishing up this pink hair mermaid reroot who got a split from the factory rooting pattern, so she's going sidepart after the urethane glue dries, maybe some fun with an Ideal Barbie clone, and then I'll be doing the new Fashionista Odile for eBay. 🤭🥰