Doll-A Day 177: Skipper Saturday: Straight Leg Lemon Blonde Skipper

  For today's Skipper Saturday we're going to look at a doll that needs some restoration. She's a lemon blonde straight leg Skipper.

She's wearing Skipper's Land and Sea fashion from 1965-66.

This is obviously the 'land' part...

Land and Sea consists of the red and white striped shirt...

... denim pullover jacket...

...matching clam digger pants,matching gob hat...

...white flats, (I have chosen to have her wear red ones.), and...oops! I forgot her sunglasses! I'll have to add some update photos after her makeover.

  This outfit coordinates with Barbie's  fashion, 'Resort Set' and Ken's fashion 'Yachtsman',both from from 1962-63.

Barbie also had a Pak blouse that was a sleeveless version of the Land and Sea blouse.

I have seen a lot fewer lemon blondes than just about any Skipper hair colour. I don't know why, but I even have 2 or 3 very dark brown/black haired Skippers, and only a couple of lemon blondes.

My other lemon blonde is pretty much beyond saving as far as her head goes. She's missing half her nose and most of her hair. That leaves this girl as my only viable lemon blonde.That makes her a case worth saving.

It appears I have already done some restoration on her, as those eyebrows don't quite look original.

There should be a red drawstring in the bottom of the jacket.

I know I have already washed and conditioned her hair,but I need to do more work on her bangs.

Those bangs look pretty awful, but believe it or not, that condition is not beyond help.

I have made great improvements on bangs worse than these.They will never be shiny and silky again, but they can be more than presentable.

They look like they have been cut or worn down, but the truth is, they are just matted. I think it's the same hair that Mattel used on Tiny Chatty Baby and Tiny Chatty Brother. It tends to get very crispy and mat up or break off.

 I'll have to be very careful when I comb it out to prevent breaking it off. I sound like one of those old nature shows: "We're going to have to be very careful not to startle the hair. Then Jim will come in with the capture noose."

" Mutual of Omaha's Wild Hair": "Hang on to that snood Jim, while I tie off this ponytail."

It takes a lot of conditioning and picking out the tangle, but they can be lengthened and straightened quite a bit. For the conditioning most people use fabric softener, like Downey, but I don't like the smell and don't keep any around the house. I use Suave conditioner,usually green apple.

 As far as the comb out of her bangs,I have heard that some people use a needle to pick them out. I have used pins and other similar things. You really can't use a comb, not even a cat's flea comb.

I'll work on her and post her new look in a couple of days.So check back and see how much improvement I have been  able to make.

 UPDATE: Check out her 'after' pictures on Doll-A-Day 196.
That's it for today. Check us out again tomorrow for another doll.