Skipper (Barbie)

Skipper Roberts is a doll created by Mattel in 1964 to be Barbie's younger sister, as well as to oppose controversies directed at Barbie. Since Skipper was introduced, she has changed immensely. When she first came out, she was 9.25 inches in height (compared to Barbie's 11.5 inches), and then as newer versions were released she gradually became taller with an older appearance, eventually turning out to be almost as tall as Barbie. At first, Skipper was available with three different hair colors, but is currently only available with her hair colored brown and purple. Usually, Skipper dolls had blue eyes.
Skipper is the second oldest child of George and Margaret Roberts. Skipper attended Baker Elementary.
The doll appeared as a character in several Random House novels and Marvel Comics. A fictional biography was developed for her from these, as well as from the backs of the boxes which held the dolls that were sold. Several celebrity and fantasy dolls were produced at the Skipper size, most recently a pair of twin dolls from the "Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses" line.
Vintage (1964–1974).
Skipper was created, along with Midge, to counteract criticism that claimed Barbie was a sex symbol. Midge's facial appearance was gentler than Barbie's, whereas Skipper was a response to requests that Barbie wanted to have children; however, instead of having a married, pregnant Barbie, which would make her too domestic, Barbie would babysit Skipper. As Barbie's little sister, Skipper was Barbie's first family member sold. Since their introduction in 1964, Skipper dolls have changed drastically.
Modern (1975–present).
In 1975 Growing Up Skipper was released. The gimmick of the doll, which led to much controversy in the newspapers, was that if Skipper's arm was rotated, the doll would become an inch taller and small breasts would appear on her rubber torso. This concept was later used for Mattel's My Scene brand in 2007 with the "Growing Up Glam" line, which was also controversial. 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 and 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 or 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. Teen Skipper's packaging revealed that she is now "16 years old". If she was nine when she was introduced (and she was), when Barbie was billed as the "Famous Teen-Age Fashion Doll", then Barbie could not realistically be considered a teenager any longer. Skipper also appeared to have larger breasts which continued the controversy over her sexualization that has dogged Skipper in the past.
Reproductions (1994–present).
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 ensemble from 1965, known then as "Happy Birthday". In 2007 Mattel released its second vintage 1964 reproduction Skipper doll, this time wearing her "School Days" ensemble and sold in a gift set along with a reproduction of a vintage swirl ponytail Barbie doll wearing the matching "Knitting Pretty" ensemble.
Popularity.
Skipper Madison Roberts was the original little sister of Barbie, and has been quite popular over the years. When she first came out, she was an alternative for parents who did not approve of Barbie's adult figure. The first vintage Skipper dolls now have a value of US$195 MIB (Mint In Box). The brass headbands alone that came with these dolls have a value of $20. While vintage Skipper dolls, clothes, and accessories can sell for a lot of money, modern Skipper dolls usually only have a value of $10 to $20 MIB. If they have no box, the value may be only $5 or less.
Friends.
Skipper's friends at the vintage stage were Skooter (1965), Ricky (1965), Living Fluff (1971), and Pose N' Play Tiff (1972). Skooter and Ricky had their own head molds, and both had freckles. Skooter was available with the same three hair colors as Skipper had, but Ricky was only available with molded red hair, similar to Midge's boyfriend, Allan Sherwood. Fluff and Tiff shared a head mold which many collectors considered adorable, with a contagious smile. Most of Skipper's first friends were never seen after the lines they were produced for, but another Skooter doll, called Fun Time Skooter, was produced for the European market. She had auburn hair, a Twist N' Turn waist, and bendable legs. However, she had the head mold of the oldest version of Skipper, not the older Skooter doll, which many collectors found strange.
Skipper's friend for the controversial Growing Up line was the brunette Ginger, made in 1976. However, after this line, Ginger was never seen again. Skipper's first boyfriend, Scott, was created in 1980, and was introduced the year after Super Teen Skipper came on the market. Scott sported puffy, brown 1980s-style hair. Skipper gained two new friends after Teen Fun Skipper was first introduced. They included the reddish haired friend Courtney, made in 1989, and her second boyfriend Kevin, created in 1990.
After Teen Skipper came on the market, her first African American friend appeared. Her name was Nikki, and she was made in 1997. Teen Skipper was originally going to have a third boyfriend, Zach, who would have joined her in the "Totally Yo Yo" line, but for reasons unknown, he was never produced. Parents speculate that Zach would be too much of a sexual influence on Skipper and children. However, the head mold for the unreleased Zach Doll was later used for Generation Girl Blaine, the token boy in Barbie's "Generation Girl" Doll line.
Acquaintances.
The Generation Girl Doll line of 1999-2001 featured three dolls in its large and diverse line-up which used the body molds from Teen Skipper dolls. These dolls were personified as classmates of high-school aged Barbie, and weren't linked with Barbie's sister Skipper in any way. 
The Peppermint Rose line of dolls was produced in 1993. The dolls used the 1990s Skipper body with a new head adapted from the Lady Lovely Locks line of the 1980s. Other than the re-use of body sculpts, these dolls have no actual connection to Skipper or the world of Barbie.
1n 2006, a Barbie "12 Dancing Princesses" Movie Video (and accompanying toy line) was released. Two of the princesses were teenage twins Hadley and Isla, who were sold together with connectible spinning dance stands. Although these dolls were proportioned similarly to Teen Skipper dolls, none of their head or body molds were re-used from the Teen Skipper line, as the dolls' torsos and legs all featured molded, non-removeable clothing and shoes.
In 2018, Mattel released an ambitious new line of Skipper-themed dolls and accessory sets. Babysitters, Inc. depicts Skipper (still sporting dark hair with a bright-colored streak) as leader of a team of young high-school age teenagers who are summoned via their smart devices to babysitting jobs, taking care of young infants and toddlers in a variety of situations. The teen team has seven members, including two boys. No names have been given for any of this diverse team of babysitting friends.
Biography.
According to the Random House novels of the 1960s, Skipper is the second oldest child of the fictional George and Margaret Roberts of Willows, Wisconsin, their first child said to be Barbie. In these novels, she attended Baker Elementary, while the Marvel Comics of the early 1990s had her at Central Junior High School. The box of the first Kevin doll, Skipper's second boyfriend, that was sold, "Cool Tops Kevin", described Skipper as "the most popular girl in school". Like her sister Barbie, she has had numerous "acquaintances", celebrity friends, fantasy friends, and Disney friends that were produced at her size. Some of these other dolls include Chocho, sold only in Japan in 1974, made with the Quick Curl Skipper body; Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, introduced in 2000, made with the Teen Fun Skipper body; the Peppermint Rose dolls from 1993, also made with the Teen Fun body; and numerous versions of Ariel from "The Little Mermaid", sold in either the Teen Fun or Teen versions. The "Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses" line sold two dolls named Isla and Hadley who were the size of Teen Fun Skipper dolls, but with a new appropriately sized "belly-button" body.
Trivia.
Skipper is also a character in with her hair being brown and a small part of it purple. She is shown to be a person who loves gadgets.