Growing up, one of my favorite dolls was the 1966 Francie, who was Barbie’s “mod” cousin. She was an instant hit the moment she arrived on store shelves. She had fabulous clothes, which were very groovy and super hip!
#1140 Straight-Leg Francie Doll (1966) |
Growing up, one of my favorite dolls was the 1966 Francie, who was Barbie’s “mod” cousin. She was an instant hit the moment she arrived on store shelves. She had fabulous clothes, which were very groovy and super hip!
It is also believed that Francie
was based on the character “Gidget” a book series in the 1950’s. In the story she was a teenage surfer. Also in
the book, she refers to herself as Franzie Franziska, her German grandmother’s
name. That is where it’s alleged that Francie got her name. In 1959 the movie rights were sold and Gidget
hit the big screen. Sandra Dee played
her in all three of the popular films, from 1959-1963.
Francie was young, cute, and
looked like the all American girl. She
came with either blonde or brunette shoulder length hair, which was styled in a
flip with bangs. She had painted on eyelashes.
In her box (marked #1140, which featured only the blonde doll on the
front) she came dressed in a red and white two piece swimsuit. The top had polka dots, and the matching
bottoms were either a small or large check print with a draw string tie in
front. She was just slightly shorter
than Barbie.
Interestingly, both the straight leg and the bendable dolls were released the same year, but the straight-leg version came out second.
Smaller Checks |
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