Skipper Roberts was Barbie's first family member in 1964, her little sister. Skipper was usually titian haired, but she also came in blonde and brunette with the same swimsuit each time.
In 1971, apart of the Sun Set line of dolls, Skipper became Malibu Skipper with a suntanned skin and twist 'n turn waist. She had a new look, much like the Living Skipper of 1970, but with fuller lips. In 1975, Growing Up Skipper was released. When you swiveled the doll's arm, she grew small breasts on her rubber chest and grew taller in height.
In 1979 Skipper's entire appearance changed. She was advertised as "Super Teen Skipper." She had a new body mold which included small permanent breasts, and a different head mold that made her look slightly older In 1985, Hot Stuff Skipper was released, which had another new head mold that included the addition of dimples and a longer face.
Skipper changed again in 1988 with the release of Teen Fun Skipper. Her new body mold was taller and more graceful. Her waist was more flexible and her breasts were slightly bigger. Her eyes were also enlarged, giving her a cartoon-like look. At this stage she appeared to be somewhere between 13 to 15 years old. Later, Skipper had a new head mold with smaller eyes in a Pizza Party line, but with the same body mold. Many collectors believe that the 'Pizza Party' head mold was the most popular, if not the prettiest, version of Skipper. Dolls with the 'Pizza Party' Skipper head mold and the 1960s head mold are the most sought after Skipper dolls by collectors.
Finally, in 1997, Teen Skipper was introduced. She again had a new body mold and was now almost as tall as her sister Barbie. This was mostly because of her legs, which were now long and lanky. Most notable of all, however, was Skipper's new face mold. She no longer looked like a child, but more like a girl on the brink of becoming a woman, appearing to be about 16 years of age.
In 1994, the first vintage reproduction Skipper was produced specifically for collectors to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Skipper's introduction. Instead of the usual vinyl, the dolls were made of porcelain. She wore a blue reproduction dress from 1965, known then as "Happy Birthday." In 2007, Mattel released their second vintage reproduction Skipper doll, this time sold in a gift set along with a reproduction of a vintage swirl ponytail Barbie doll.
In 2009, Skipper made a reappearance as part of a camping line of dolls. She retained the same face mold as the later Skipper dolls, albeit with a side glance. She also sported blonde hair with purple highlights. Another notable feature of the doll was her noticeable height decrease, which is more like the Skipper dolls from the late-80's and early-90's. She also shares the same body mold that many of the High School Musical dolls have.
In 2010, Target released an exclusive gift set for the Barbie "I Can Be..." bride line, in which Skipper appeared as a bridesmaid along with Kelly, with Barbie and Ken as the bride and groom. This doll features the same height and body mold as the previous camping doll, with a forward glance. The doll is not sold separately and can only be found in the Target gift set. The newest Skipper dolls, as of 2012, seem to be about 15-17 years old with brown hair and a blue, pink or purple streak. Mattel has also given all of the sisters new personalities, with Skipper loving modern technology sometimes coming with a small Ipod.
Biography
Skipper Roberts is Barbie's sister first introduced in 1964 with blonde hair and freckles.
Original Skipper doll
Her looks have changed over the years and in recent times (May 2012), Skipper has evolved with brunette hair and many tech gadgets.
Skipper's new and current image introduced in 2010-2011
In 1964, Skipper was made, along with Midge, to counteract that Barbie was a sex symbol. Skipper would appeal to little girls who wanted Barbie to have children, but Mattel made it her sister, being that Barbie would be too domesticated if she would be a mother at this time. In 1965, Skipper got two new friends: Skooter and Ricky. Some people argue that they look alike and are brother and sister.
In 1975, Growing Up Skipper was released, and caused a huge controversy. When you swiveled the doll's arm, she grew small breasts on her rubber torso and grew taller in height.
