It's Francie... and it isn't.
For the uninitiated, Francie debuted 50 years ago this month. She came in blonde and brunette. There were initially three versions: #1 had painted on eyelashes, straight legs, straight waist, and a two-piece red and white chequered bikini. #2 was Mattel's first doll with rooted eyelashes, and her legs now bent at the knees. #3 was the same as #2, except now she could twist and turn at the waist. This 35th anniversary doll is based on version #2 detailed above, with rooted eyelashes and bendable knees. Of note: the knees bend, but not easily. The original Francie doll had knees that snapped into 3 different positions, with sure, loud 'clicks'. These knees bend twice. They are VERY stiff. In addition, the hair looks NOTHING like the picture printed on the back of the box. It looks nice and straight, with Francie's trademark flip at the end, only because it is held there with the help of a plastic hair holder. When free of that holder, her hair wants to move out from her head, and her flip all but disappears, turning her hairstyle into something more resembling a 1970's disco sort of blow-dried affair than anything resembling the picture on the back of the box. The outfit with this set, gad-abouts, is an outstandingly faithful reproduction. The box itself is a little on the fragile side, prone to bending of the plastic. Handle with care. As of 2016, you can readily find this set going for something in the $30 range. That's a fine price, for displaying as is. But playing with this Francie is nothing at all like the feeling you get with an actual 1960's fun, mod Francie doll. Save your pennies for that, I'd say. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
