Skipper (Barbie)

Skipper Roberts
A vintage straight-leg Skipper doll with red hair wearing her original swimsuit.
First appearance	1965
Created by	Mattel
Information
Relatives	See: List of Barbie's friends and family

Skipper Roberts was 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 black and purple. Usually, Skipper dolls had blue eyes.

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.

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 wanted Barbie 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.

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. 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.