Skipper (Ricky, Skooter) Clones and Competitors and their Fashions

During the 60s (and the 70s, right into the 80s) many copies of Mattel's Skipper dolls were sold. Most of them were made in Hong Kong, and in many cases it's not possible to find information on them or the company which sold them. Some were sold in plastic bags, a few - like Miss Kitty - had their own boxes.

Some so called "Skipper clones" do have an own identity and features and should rather be considered competitors than clones. Many of the clones' faces looked very much like the vintage SL Skipper, but usually their faces and bodies were made of a cheap, non-solid plastic. Some of them are the same height as Skipper, some are a little taller or smaller.

Most of the Skipper clones glance to the right, just like the vintage Skipper. Some do have centered eyes. The most amazing Skipper clone doll is a Japanese Skipper clone - which glances to the left - just like the original Japanese Skipper doll. Almost of all the Skipper clones have long, straight hair and bangs - like the original - the Straight Leg Skipper. But there are also a few with shorter hair (like Myra by Marx), and some which don't have bangs (like some Lil Sister dolls by Eegee). Collecting these dolls is lots of fun.

There are some clone dolls and many Skipper competitors which had their own wardrobe (some of them very close copies of the vintage Skipper clothes - but the quality was usually far from the originals) and accessories as well as hatboxes, cases. But there were some fashions as well which stood on their own. While the majority of these clothes were made in a poor quality, some fashions were well tailored and had lots of nice details.

Ricky clone dolls and Skooter clone dolls were also produced (probably for the European market only), but they are very rare. These clone dolls and the Skipper clones are hard to price, some of them achieve high prices. Boxes are very rare and sought after.

I was asked if I knew anything about a "Black Skipper Clone". I don't think there were any African American Skipper clone dolls in the 60s or 70s. But there's a cute Skipper clone called "Topsi", sold starting 1985. Her face resembles Marty's face (Marty Grant). Topsi has painted eyelashes and comes with blue eyes. However, there's an African American version of that doll with brown eyes. Since I don't cover 80s clone dolls, you won't find a pic of her on my webpage. Topsi was the younger sister of Karina, both were manufactured for the German toy company Busch.