1983 Twice As Nice - In and Outfitted

I havn't updated Barbie Vs Jem for a while as I have been collecting Sindy. Whilst looking for Sindy on e-bay I found this littly lady along with a Pink & Pretty Barbie. I bid at £1.99 and won!

I couldn't really see in the picture if she had her socks and pumps but she did so A complete fashion that I had as a kid. Barbie is also very cute and is the 1984 My First Barbie, I really liked her as a kid so it's nice to have her back in the collection. Pink & Pretty wasn't that Pretty so went back onto e-bay as I have her boxed!

New On-Line Store Opened

I have opened my own groovycart store so please take a look. I will be selling all my extra's and dolls that I don't want anymore here www.GroovyCart.co.uk/jemboysworld
I just have some nude Jem dolls and a few Barbie's (one with her box and is a rare treat) listed so far. I would suspect Sindy will be listed as I get extra's so do keep checking back.

It's easy to shop, with great competative prices and I take paypal which makes it all the more simple.

Twice As Nice "Double Date" on Crystal Barbie

One of my most memorable Barbie outfits from my childhood is "Double Date" from the Twice As Nice range. It's very Dallas. I have since gained this twice in a strange turn of things, I keep getting things twice as you will see with my upcoming postings when new items arrive.

Tropical Island Fun with Barbie & Miko

These are my $5 bargains from the USA. As you may already know my sister got me Miko for Christmas in the box. I contacted a private seller who was selling Tropical Barbie and Island Fun Miko and Barbie at $5.00. He wrote back to say Island Fun Miko had been sold but had Tropical Miko for the same price. It turns out that Miko was listed on his site at $25 so I think I got a great bargain at $5. It was only a week later when my sister surprised me with Miko in her box. So now I have 2


Island Fun Barbie has the sweetest face (If her eyes look a little strange my camera seems to make them look a bit kookeyed) Its a shame her hair is a tad fuzzy but I may be able to get some conditioner on it to chill it out a bit.


Miko is just a stunning doll, I was going to sell her on after my sisters suprise however she looks totally different next to her so I decided to keep her.


I always rememeber Tropical Barbie being more pretty than this one here. I still like her and her hair is just so silky, long and soft.

I think Miko on the left looks more Hawiiain, she has more green eyshadow too. They are both very pretty dolls.

Barbie Fashion Extras

All for a £1, which is a bargain!

1989 Dance Club Kayla

I just love Dance Club Kayla, she uses the beautiful Diva mold. She is very Jem inspired with her outfit. She has the most amazing hair. I am not too much in to the later 80's dolls but Kayla really stood out and with her being a bargain price too. I don't think she was released in the UK.


She comes with some rather cool shades!


She is very Jem/Misfit in this outfit!

You can just make Kayla out in this advert, Barbie is just awful in this range, Devon is Ok but I won't be getting her in a hurry! I don't know why the range was "Dance Club" as they don't actually have any special feature to make them dance?

1987 Perfume Pretty Barbie

I would think that Perfume Pretty Barbie would have been one of the last Barbie's I got as a kid that I can remember. I was really quite dissapointed with her as her hair is rather dry and quite cheap to be honest. Maybe I got a duff one though?


It was the dress that reminded me of her, you can have it long or short.


I remember trying to squeeze Jem into this dress, it wouldn't fasten as she is quite a bit wider.

Perfume looks much prettier on her box art that I have previously posted and in this great UK ad. She was priced at £11.99 back in 1987 which is pretty pricey for those days. I remember Jem being £12.99 and I thought she was more deluxe than good old Babs!

Great Shape Barbie & Ken UK Versions

Here are my Great Shape Barbie & Ken, which are quite different to thier US versions.
I don't know why they are green, my only thought is maybe it was to do with Tennis that year in the UK and we did have a TV fitness lady called the "green goddess" who wore a green suit like Barbie's.
Barbie herself is quite different with her strawberry hair and dark green eyes. She is a very unusual Barbie.


When I saw Great Shape Barbie on the web I only saw the blue & pink US version so it never clicked my memory on having both Barbie & Ken from this set. When I stumbled accross them on e-bay I remembered them. I got them really cheap,with skipper too but the pink version.
I didn't have many Ken dolls as a kid but I did like this one.

Here is the US version in an advert

1982 Twirly Curls Barbie

I won Twirly Curls quite by accident. I was bidding on Peaches & Cream (Which I lost) but also bid on Twirly from the same seller hoping to get both for a bargain. I forgot I had bid on Twirly for 99p until I noticed I had won her for 99p!
She turned up looking like a wild woman, crazy hair, filthy and stinking (No the seller didn't say any of that)
After a scrub up she does look nice, she came with all her stuff too (Ribbons, Chair, Clips, Comb etc) so I can't really complain at my 99p win.

Twirly was always a favourite as a kid, I remember my sister getting her for her birthday and being insanely jealous.

1982 Bride Tracy

I got Tracy at a bargain price as her box was pretty shoddy.

I went for obviously as she has the Steffie face and really pretty green eyes.

She doesn't photograph that well though I must say as she is much prettier.

The first picture is Tracy before I took her hair out of the twists as the bands had disintergrated.

I am not a huge fan of brides and would never have gone for her as a kid if I had seen her, but she is quite different which makes me like her.

Style Magic Whitney Box Art

I was quite dissapointed with Style Magic Whitney, Her hair had lost it's wonder over the years and was a big fuzzball. I will post pics of the doll later but here is her box art.

Barbie & The Rockers Year 1

(From the 1985 World Of Fashion Leaflet)

Barbie & The Rockers where Mattel's rival for Jem & The Holograms. While these dolls are not a great as Jem, they have to been seen in their own right. I love Diva, Dana & Derek who are all on my wishlist. Barbie is the most dissapointing of the range but is being re-released this year.


The fashions are also very Jem esque and a great looking set of fashions. I think another set that I will invest in.

Dream Date P.J. Box Art

Day To Night Barbie Box Art

Perfume Pretty Barbie Box Art

Whitney is just stunning in this range, I really want to get her.
Barbie Pictures will be posted soon.

Barbie 1983 Fashion Fun Box Art

I love most of these cute fashions and this box art is from the beautiful Purple dress "Everyday Outing".
I had the blue dress "Right In Step" as a kid too as I remember those pink triangles.

Barbie "Twice As Nice" Fashions Year 2 Box Art

Year 2 Twice as Nice fashions box art, Again like year 1 I love all these fashions. I think I only had the dress on the bottom right picture.

Dance Club Kayla Box Scans

I only really like Kayla from this set, due to the fact she has the cute Steffie face. She is pretty HTF but I got her for a bargain price in the box. Doll Pics to follow.

Nurse Whitney Box Scans

1985 Tropical Miko

Tropical Miko is an old favourite of mine (As is Tropical Barbie). We originally got Miko in July 1987 on a trip to Florida. It was very difficult to find Barbie's friends in the UK (If they stocked them at all?) so when we saw Miko we loved her.

My sister bought me this Miko for Christmas 2008 and she is a beauty.

Here are the many ways to wear the ruffle!

She has beautiful long silky black hair.

And a beautiful indian face mold.

Barbie World Of Fashion Leaflet 1985

A few more dolls added in 1985 that I had. Day To Night and My First Barbie.

I love Day To Night.

Peaches and Cream is another favourite of mine as a kid. She is damn hard to try to get again though now.

Barbie World Of Fashion Leaflet 1984

I had quite a few of these dolls as a kid, Crystal, Loving You, Shaping Up Ken & Barbie (UK Green versions) I have now got Crystal, Shaping Up and the beautiful Sweet Roses P.J.

I really don't understand Happy Birthday Barbie's hair at all but she does look familiar so maybe I had her. I love Twirly Curls Barbie, she was always a favourite as a kid.

The Sun Malibu range are also really nice looking, P.J. is on my wish list. We definatly had the blue mini dress too!

I just recently aquired Bride Tracy, she has that cute Steffie face.

Ahh the Twice As Nice range, I love them all, I think we had them all as kids too. This is a range I want to collect them all from.

1982 Twirly Curls Barbie (Hispanic Version)

1988 Perfume Pretty Barbie Leaflet & Instructions

1982 Shaping Up Barbie, Ken & Skipper

I wasn't going to get myself Ken or Skipper unless by default.

Well here is default.



I had been checking out Shaping Up Barbie on line however I had no memory of owning her as a kid, until I this picture in an e-bay listing. I instantly recognised the fashion and Kens fashion too.

For some reason the UK "Shaping Up" set are in green and white whereas the rest of the world seemed to get blue and pink (like Skippers outfit, which as you may notice doesn't match Barbie & Ken) Maybe it was something to do with the Tennis over here perhaps? I will investigate...

Hmmm this picture shows Skipper in Green?