Francie is a character that was introduced in 1966 as "Barbie's 'MOD'ern cousin" from the U.K., capitalizing on the "British Invasion" in pop culture. The doll had an extensive line of mod-style clothing, often employing bright colors and geometric patterns similar to fashions associated with progressive fashions of the late 1960s to early 1970s. She also often had a hair style similar to that of Marlo Thomas who starred on the popular sitcom of the time "That Girl". At 11¼" tall, the Francie doll was shorter than Barbie but taller than Skipper, making the character presumably between the two in age.
History[]
Francie's decade-long run began with a straight leg model (1966-1968) and continued with a "bend leg" doll (1966-1967). "Twist 'N Turn" dolls were issued beginning in 1967, and in the 1970s, several hair-related variations were issued: "Hair Happenin's Francie" in 1970-1972, "Growin' Pretty Hair" Francie in 1971-1973, and a "Quick Curl Francie" in 1973-1974. "Busy Francie" (1972-1973) was designed with a hand that was able to grip small objects. 1975's "Baggie Francie" was the last of the Francie dolls.
Christie doll
A "colored" Francie, first issued in 1967, was the first doll in the Mattel line with a truly dark complexion. However, the doll did not have genuinely African American features since it was made with the same head molds as the caucasian Francie doll. Because of this, a doll named Christie, first issued in 1968, is often considered the first true African American doll in the Barbie line. "Black Francie" was not labeled as "Barbie's modern cousin."
Vintage Dolls: Casey, dark-skinned Francie, and light-skinned Francie
A second doll in Francie's size, Casey, was issued as "Francie's fun friend" from 1967. That same year a Twiggy doll (based on the famous fashion model) was also made, resembling Casey but with heavier painted-on "makeup". The Twiggy doll was made in 1968 and Casey through 1970. Casey returned briefly in 1975 as "Baggie Casey", but she was made with the same head mold as Francie. In 1971 a Malibu Francie doll was made, using the Casey head mold but with a tanned body and long blond hair.
In the 1971 Mattel catalog, there were pictures of a new doll named "Becky". She was made from the Casey head mold, hand-painted, and shown in blonde, although her prototypes were made in blonde, brunette, and redhead. Eventually, for reasons unknown, Mattel decided not to mass-produce Becky. Some 1971 fashions could be found in stores labeled as being for "Francie and her new friend Becky" and are highly sought after by collectors. In 2009, Mattel released the Becky doll called "Most Mod Party Becky" and featured Becky with ash-blond hair, with 3 outfits, shoes, brush, and cool accessories such as a phone, tray, drinks, party invitations, and record player with a record.
Dolls[]
- 1966 - Francie #1130 (bendable leg). Variations: blonde, brunette
- 1967 - Francie #1100 (1st issue). Variations: black, red oxidized
- 1967 - Francie #1100 (2nd issue). Variations: black, dark brown
- 1967 - Twist 'n Turn Francie #1170 Variations: blonde, brunette
- 1969 - Twist 'n Turn Francie #1170 Variations: blonde, brunette
- 1970 - Hair Happenin's Francie #1122
- 1970 - Growin' Pretty Hair Francie #1129
- 1971 - Malibu Sunset Francie #1068
- 1971 - Growin' Pretty Hair Francie #1074 (extra hair piece)
- 1971 - Francie #1170 (Variations: 1. No bangs, blonde. 2. No bangs, brunette.)
- 1973 - Malibu Francie #1068
- 1975 - Malibu Francie #1068 (new box)
- 1976 - Malibu Francie #1068 (new rose box)
- 1978 - Malibu Francie #1068
Outfits[]
Her outfits could be shared by her, Casey, and Twiggy as they had the same body style.
1966[]
- Check Mates #1259
- Clam Diggers #1258
- Concert In The Park #1256
- Dance Party #1257
- First Formal #1260
- First Things First #1252
- Fresh As A Daisy #1254
- Fur Out #1262
- Gad Abouts #1250
- Go Granny Go #1267
- Hip Knits #1265
- It's a Date #1251
- Leather Limelight #1269
- Orange Cozy #1263
- Polka Dots & Rain Drops #1255
- Quick Shift #1266
- Shoppin' Spree #1261
- Sportin' Set #1044 (JC Penney Exclusive Gift Set with Francie doll)
- Style Setters #1268
- Swingin' Separates #1042 (Sears Exclusive Gift Set with Francie doll - also sold as an outfit only)
- Swingin' Skimmy #1264
- Tuckered Out! #1253
1967[]
- Bells #1275
- Border-Line #1287
- Check This #1291
- Clear Out! #1281
- Cool White #1280
- Denims On #1290 (Also known as Denims Out)
- Furry Go Round #1296 (Sears Exclusive)
- Go Gold #1294 (Sears Exclusive)
- Groovy Get-Ups #1270
- Hi-Teen #1272
- Iced Blue #1274
- In-Print #1288
- Miss Teenage Beauty #1284
- Note The Coat #1289
- Partners In Print #1293 (Sears Exclusive)
- Pleat Neat Pak (Dress came in pink, beige, blue, green, and red)
- Prom Pinks #1295 (Sears Exclusive)
- Side-Kick! #1273
- Slumber Number #1271
- Summer Coolers #1292
- Summer Frost #1276
- Sun Spots #1277
- Sweet 'n Swingin' #1283
- The Bridge Bit #1279
- Tweed-Somes #1286
1968[]
- Cool It! Pak
- Culotte-Wot? #1214
- Dreamy Wedding #1217
- Floating In #1207
- Get-Readies Pak
- Hill Riders #1210
- Mini-Chex #1209
- Night Blooms #1212
- Orange Zip #1548 (Sears Exclusive)
- Pazam! #1213
- Slightly Summery Pak
- Tenterrific #1211
- The Combo #1215
- The Lace Pace #1216
- The Silver Cage #1208
- Wild 'n Wooly #1218
1969[]
- Go Gold #1222
- Land Ho! #1220
- Long On Looks #1227
- Merry-Go-Rounders #1230
- Pink Lightning #1231
- Sissy Suits #1228
- Snazz #1225
- Snooze News #1226
- Somethin' Else #1219
- Sugar Sheers #1229
- Tennis Tunic #1221
- The Combination #1234
- The Yellow Bit #1223
- Two For The Ball #1232
- Vested Interest #1224
- Victorian Wedding #1233
1970[]
- Altogether Elegant #1242
- Bloom Zoom #1239
- Corduroy Cape #1764
- Long On Leather #1769
- Nighty Brights Pak
- Pink Power #1762
- Plaid Plans #1767
- Poncho Bravo Pak
- Pony Coat #1240
- Pretty Power #1512 (Sears Exclusive)
- Satin Happenin' #1237
- Slacks 'n Cap Pak
- Snake Charmers #1245
- Snappy Snoozers #1238
- Striped Types #1243
- Sunny Slacks #1761
- Super Shirt Pak
- The Entertainer #1763
- The Wild Bunch #1766
- Waltz in Velvet #1768
- Wedding Whirl #1244
- Western Wild Pak (Set came in yellow, gold, aqua, purple, brown, or white)
1971[]
- Buckaroo Blues #3449
- Change Offs #3460
- Dreamy Duo #3450
- Frosty Fur #3455
- Midi Bouquet #3446
- Midi Duet #3451
- Midi Plaid #3444
- Olde Look #3458
- Peach Plush #3461
- Rise & Shine #1194 (Sears Exclusive Gift Set with Francie doll)
- Satin Supper #3443
- Snooze News #3453
- Summer Number #3454
- Twilight Twinkle #3459
- Wild Flowers #3456
- With It Whites #3448
- Zig Zag Zoom #3445
1972[]
- Bridal Beauty #3288
- Checker Chums #3278
- Cool Overalls #3481
- Double Ups #3286
- Little Knits #3275
- Peach Treats #3285
- Pink 'n Pretty #3369
- Pretty Frilly #3366
- Ready! Set! Go! #3365
- Red, White & Bright #3368
- Right For Stripes #3367
- Simply Super #3277
- Sleepy Time Gal #3364
- Smashin' Satin #3287
- Suited for Shorts #3283
- The Long View #3282
- The Slacks Suit #3276
- Totally Terrific #3279