It took me so long to get everything clean. They had to soak for a few days. I'm positive that these clothes came out 3 shades lighter after washing them. And some didn't even come all the way clean they were so dirty (mainly the tan pants.) I also did a little repair work on the tags. I love these vintage tags but they are so prone to fraying. I had to cut off some of the ends and then hold them together with clear nail polish.
Old Ken was wearing #785 Dreamboat
 |
| http://www.fashion-doll-guide.com/ken-dreamboat.html |
And then the shorts that Ken originally came with! No red and white striped shirt though.
And the Red Sweater vintage fashion pack. I have this one already as it came in my fabulous vintage Christmas present a few years ago!
#784 Terry Togs!
I have always loved this outfit. Ever since I saw it in an old vintage guide my mother in law got with her vintage Barbie doll.
It did come with the shaver and soap (no comb though.) I didn't want them to get lost so I kept them in the package. And the towel, love it. I pinned it to him so it wouldn't fall off.
He also came with his slippers. These fall off too easily so I'll have to keep Ken put so they don't get lost.
He also came with the underwear although the elastic is old and is cracking and falling off. But for the most part they stay up. The markings on this Ken are from the 1962-1965 Ken Doll with Painted Hair.
Aren't they so cute together? Not sure why Ken's face is so discolored from his body. Anyone have any ideas? It looks like maybe he'd been rebodied but I tried to pull the head off and it didn't budge.
And now the other Ken! What do you think?
This Ken is wearing the yellow shirt from #782 Casuals and then Boxing from 1963.
All I have from the Boxing pack are the shorts, towel and gloves. I would have put the gloves on but they didn't fit on the hands of this Ken. They didn't even fit very well on the hands of the other Ken. So I tied a string to them and put them across his shoulder.
The shorts were a little tight in the thigh but they work very well I think! No shoes though so I'll have to find some for him.
The markings on this Ken I believe are from the Sun Set Malibu Ken from 1971.
I also cleaned up the accessories that I got with the vintage dolls.
Not all of these (if any) are original Barbie or Ken. I do love these boots though. And nothing says vintage Barbie like a record player!
I love that I have a tennis racquet now because I have the "Tennis Anyone" vintage Barbie outfit.
There was a metal bell, oil lamp and a locket that says "This is your life." These probably aren't Barbie but they're cute.
I'll have to find a place for all these accessories. So fun!
And one more thing to show you today. I also washed the Barbie that came with the Ken dolls.
She was super dirty too.
Poor Barbie! Torn vinyl. I'm not going to put any more tape on it because it left residue and I had to use Goo Gone. So it's going to be a boot on or something so it doesn't show. And also long pants because this is all the cleaner I could get her legs. Time for come Clearasil at some point. She also has a click knee joint that has broken so she is in bad shape and will take some more work.
I also washed her clothes she was wearing (which was a Skipper dress that was way too small) and I had to scrub out the boot she was wearing as the inside was sticky from the tape.
OOPS. Oh well, I have a spare now instead of a pair. :)
I can't dress her yet as her hair is still really wet and I need to find an outfit for her. I think I have an idea of what I want to put her in. I'll have that ready for you next time!
Well friends, do you have any of the vintage Ken fashions or the dolls? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time!
4 comments:
The Kens look so much better now :-). The old outfits are so charming! Great job on the cleaning, everything looks really good now!
Thanks Millicent! I'm very pleased with how they turned out!
Dear Teresa,
I was lucky enough to be given my aunt's old vintage Ken doll, which included a case full of clothes. Ken himself is missing an arm, which is disappointing, but I also feel kind of sorry for him.
Some vintage clothing is notorious for fading when washed. But the way I see it, if the outfit is too dirty to be usable, then a little fading is worth it. One tip when washing vintage clothing, NEVER use bleach. It can eat away at the fabric. Soaking with a non-clorine bleach alternative like oxyclean powder combined with regular detergent is the recommended method, according to an old issue of Barbie Bazaar magazine I have. Just make sure you rinse the items thoroughly to remove any remaining detergent. If the clothing feels too stiff after it dries, it may need to be rinsed again.
I don't think your one Ken was necessarily body swapped. Sometimes the softer vinyl of the head can fade at a different rate than the harder plastic of the body. If you do want to try swapping him onto a body that's a closer color match, be sure that you read up on the process online first. It's recommended that you carefully heat the vinyl head with a hair dryer or a heating pad to soften it before trying to remove or reattach the head. I recently tried to reattach a vintage Francie doll head without heating it first and I split the vinyl.
One last thing, the Malibu Ken was made using a 'beefier' body mold than the original vintage Ken, so not all vintage clothing will fit Malibu Ken. Keep this in mind when searching for shoes. I'd hate to see you split a pair of vintage Ken shoes because you tried to put them on Malibu Ken's wider foot.
Hope you found some of these tips helpful and have a nice day.
Signed, Treesa
Good Morning Teresa!
A thought on the Ken head vs body color.
The head is made of different stuff than the body, as with some older Barbies, it can discolor over time.
I do believe your lass is Malibu Barbie, from before '74. I had one and I know it was before 74.
hugs
mel
Post a Comment