Now Playing: haven't a clue...
Current Mood : unfocused happy
Aaaand, here's the rest of the Great Wall of Cases. As you can see, I can't cut Midge out of a photo, no matter how hard I may try. Continuing the song, it's eBay, eBay, eBay. The ‘Barbie Goes Travelin' one is a favorite, too. The doll sits inside, and her face peeks out from the plane on this side, and a car on the other. It's by Standard Plastic Products - explaining the SPP on the plane's tail - and it came in pink, blue, or yellow vinyl edging. Expect to pay well over $100. for a good one. Mine was $15., because it was in sad shape. There's scratches and the inside is dingy, and the hinged left side is pretty much gone. It's fitted together like a box up there. But since I just wanted to display and look at it, that was fine with me. At least the seller was honest about it. Just wish she'd mentioned the tape holding it together...
Mostly I wanted it because I liked the ‘doll looking out' engineering, and the plane's flying over Neuschwanstein Castle - that gorgeous fairy tale one. It's also known as "Mad King Ludwig's Dream". It really exists, in Bavaria, close to the German/Austria border. Tours and everything, it's one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany. I had three miniatures of it before I clued into the fact that somewhere, it must exist ! Well, that'll happen when you buy stuff used, with no boxes or documentation ! I finally found it on a calendar, but I still have to look up how to spell it.
Standard Plastic Products has a fascinating history beyond Barbie cases - although they made about half my collection ! An artist/salesman named Don Levine came up with an idea - to put his pony-tailed bobby-soxer drawing on vinyl cases and such, and market them to the younger set. The ‘teen' youth movement was just starting up back in the 50s, and he knew this idea would sell. His boss didn't share his optimism, but Standard Handbags did. Levine was soon a partner, and they were pressing his design of vinyl over cardboard on about 25 items that first year.
And we all know the rest - it was such a roaring success, they changed their name to Standard Plastic Products, and entered into agreements with major players to make similar branded items for them. Including, of course, Mattel, Hasbro, and Thermos. The ‘Ponytail' logo on many of the doll and Barbie cases is actually a Don Levine/SPP trademark, not a reference to Barbie's hairdo !
Of course, the company who didn't give his ideas the time of day soon started making their versions - under the Pony Tail (versus Levine's ‘Ponytail') moniker. I doubt seriously that these shenanigans would fly today ! Rest assured, there is justice in this world sometimes, the copycats didn't sell well. However, the mean ole company still exists - and Mattel bought SPP in 1966.
And yet another confession. I posted a photo of Shinobu, Inaba, and Michio on In The Pink yesterday, for a contest. Presumably in their backyard, it used the My Scene Spa, the gazebo, the green-painted grill set, and some other loose props. I thought it was a pretty good diorama. Didn't win though - it was a drawing, and I never win those. Ask me stupid trivia questions about doll cases, and I can clean up ! Drawings and judged contests, hardly ever. I'll post it here next Saturday, promise. By then, I won't be so bitter ! Oh, and Shinobu's wearing a swimsuit I got from the Friday yard sale haul !
