Mam'selle A Sindy Doll Magazine Issue 18 | February 2023

Hello Dolls!

Welcome to the February issue of Mam'selle! A mini magazine for Sindy doll lovers, fans and collectors.

This month we have decided to celebrate Valentine's Day by honouring our pals, with a friendship special - and, one very special girl band!

Also, in this issue you will see Sindy like never before as we honour the Queen of Fashion Vivienne Westwood, who sadly passed away at the end of 2022.

FRONT & BACK COVER PHOTO: both by @sindyfrolics

HANDMADE HANDMADE KNITS KNITS

D Y F R I E N D S

N D Y F R I E N D S friendship files

SINDY: THE FRIENDSHIP FILES

MAM'SELLE CONTRIBUTORS:

A special thanks to the following Sindy experts, collectors & friends

OUR SINDY MUSEUM

Since her launch in 1963, Sindy has been joined by many friends, relatives and one special boyfriend He was of course Paul, and he appeared on the scene in 1965 Her little sister Patch arrived in 1966

In 1968 Sindy gained two girlfriends: Vicki and Mitzi, who hailed from France This same year also saw the launch of Sindy's little cousin Betsy from America and Poppet, a friend for Patch June arrived in 1972 along with two more versions

Gayle, also came from America and joined Sindy in 1978 It wasn't until 1986 when some new pals joinednamely Mark and Marie, who appeared for one year only

Here we will discover more about her friends only

Annie & Kathy for their help, images, advice and expert knowledge

PAUL JACKSON

Founder of the '1986 Pedigree Sindy' page on Facebook for his images and advice

MATTHEW HADLEY

Thanks to @dollabouttown for his images, help and additional information

ADDITONAL IMAGES

Thank you to the following:

> @sindytude for allowing use of her images from her Flickr account

> @sindydoll etsy for permission to use her images

V I C K I

T V I C K I

DRESS-UP

Vicki came with an extra outfit - the white polo-neck knitted jumper and orange stretch pants from 'Winter Holiday'

FAIR SKINNED BEAUTY

Vicki's face is distinctive for her blue painted eyes that look to the left (Sindy looks to the right) - and, for her broad smile of gleaming white teeth

FRIENDSHIP CHARM BRACELET

In 1968 each new boxed Sindy came with a charm bracelet Which could be worn by the owner, or worn by Sindy as a long necklace Sindy's friends now included a charm of their own which could be added to the bracelet

AN ENGLISH ROSE

By Pedigree | ref: 12GSV

Vicki is Sindy's brand new English girlfriend She has curly hair and a bubbly personality She's a happy, swinging, fun-loving girl who loves parties and having a good time And you'll love having fun with Vicki, too She comes wearing a fabulous outfit A wide-flared purple mini-skirt with green and pink hoops is matched with a polo-neck, short-sleeved top She wears black* court shoes And, Vicki can wear all Sindy's clothes too

With Vicki, you get a sweet tennis racquet charm for your Sindy bracelet Vicki will be a great friend for you and Sindy

-As written in the 1968 Pedigree style catalogue/leaflet

Vicki came in a newly styled box with a London skyline silhouette scene behind her

Vicki images kindly used with permission from www.oursindymuseum.com / Worthpoint *She actually came with white court shoes

Vicki. She's wonderful. She's fashionable. She's FUN.

"A bubble-haired blonde with a gleaming toothy smile" Colette Mansell, The History of Sindy

M E E T M I T Z I M E E T M I T Z I

IS MITZI RED OR BLONDE?

Mitzi was most commonly found with straight, long Claret Red hair with a centre parting Less commonly, she can also be found with blonde hair

MITZI'S HERE WITH AN EXTRA FREE OUTFIT

She came with an extra outfit, 'Dream Date' from 1963 It was complete on card and carefully curved and placed behind her in her box It also contained the original Sindy's Bazaar style leaflet

MITZI ARRIVED STRAIGHT FROM THE CONTINENT

Mitzi's box was the familiar slim oblong, shoebox style as used for previous Sindy doll releases - but, with an illustration of Mitzi on also

A CONTINENTAL GIRL

By Pedigree | ref: 12GMH

Mitzi is Sindy's continental friend She comes from France and has that mysterious, exciting French look She has attractive long, straight, hair, and big blue eyes Her continental looks make her a perfect contrast to Sindy, and Mitzi is a must for your collection of Sindy friends

You buy Mitzi wearing a casual outfit consisting of a blue woollen jumper worn over a green wrap-over skirt and matching green casual shoes And you get an extra outfit, too - a charming pink dress with lace edging Mitzi can also wear any of Sindy's clothes The charm you get with Mitzi comes all the way from Paris - it's a small Eiffel Tower and will look very elegant on your bracelet

-As written in the 1968 Pedigree style catalogue/leaflet

Mitzi image kindly used with permission from www.oursindymuseum.com / www sindydoll wordpress com

Mitzi, Sindy's French friend, was introduced in Autumn 1967 This is what the Fan Club letter said:

"Mitzi is Sindy's continental friend and Sindy met her whilst she was on holiday last year They have written lots of letters to each other since then Mitzi has decided that she would like to live over here for a while so she is working as an Au Pair Girl (this means that she lives with an English family and helps with the housework and shopping)

Sindy is going to show her all her new outfits Mitzi can wear any of Sindy's clothes, so I expect they will be swapping Mitzi decided after her brief visit earlier this year, that she would definitely come over to stay in the Autumn "

Mitzi images kindly used with permission from www.oursindymuseum.com

Mitzi is a rare beauty with big blue eyes and high cheekbones.

J U N E

J U N E

NEW GIRL ON THE BLOCK

June appeared in both the 1972 trade catalogue and style booklet - the 1960's friends were now phased out

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Said to have been named after June, a weekly British girls comic launched in 1961 Sindy had her own page in every issue - with Sindy Club News and competitions

ONE GIRL: THREE LOOKS

There was 3 versions of June to collect See the differences on page 18

A SPECIAL FRIEND FOR SINDY

By Pedigree | Send Away Promotion

June is Sindy's new friend and you can get her FREE if you collect Sindy Heart Tokens.You only need 24 and June is yours.

With only knickers to her name...

June was a new friend for Sindy in 1972 What was unique about her was she was never sold in the shops June was a 'free' doll that you sent away for when you had collected enough heart tokens Heart tokens could be found on boxes of Sindy dolls and her fashions at the time - you had to cut them out and attach them to a collectors card and then you sent away for the items To receive a June doll you needed to send 24 Heart Tokens, along with a postal order for 10p to claim June arrived in a pair of white knickers only - so you would need to buy her some clothes! (clever marketing Pedigree!) There was three versions of June released

> For more in-depth information about June please visit www oursindymuseum com

Images kindly used with permission from www oursindymuseum com / Sky Copper

@sindytude

The first June was this rather strange looking doll that was the same size as Patch She had thick brown hair and very pink lips This version was not available for long - so is very rare

A much prettier version of June arrived the following year On a trendy body she came with two hair variations: a classic 70's feather cut and a side-parted page boy style

A few years later a new basic skinny leg funtime style body was used for June She came with various short bobbed and bouncy fringe hairstyles This June was slightly more expensive - she required 30 heart tokens and a 20p postal order Her blue painted eyes looked straight ahead and she had a wider smile than Sindy with pale lipstick

M E E T G A Y

L E M E E T G A Y L E

ST BLACK SINDY s she was named oduced by MARX TOYS in the USA

ITTING PRETTY me in a red floral afore dress with a white blouse She came with white and white briefs

OLD AS SINDY'S FRIEND s two known box s that state Gayle Sindy's Friend" or y ' s Friend Gayle"

AN AMERICAN FRIEND

By MARX TOYS | USA ref: 1001

In 1978 Louis Marx was licensed by Pedigree to distribute Sindy in the USA The Marx Sindy was given bold, bright, predominantly yellow packaging It was labelled as a 'Marx' product instead of Pedigree, this was to take advantage of the familiar local toy brand name The new logo also featured a new tagline "Sindy a whole world to share"

The African- American Gayle was sold exclusively in the US, making her highly sought after and hard-to-find, epecially in her box

Gayle images kindly used with permission from @sindydolls.etsy / Pinterest / Steven Roberts

The Marx 'Sindy' came with a new catchphrase and a new logo..

Gayle, as she appeared in the 1978 MARX Toys Catalogue

"Now that we ' re friends, let's share my world." Sindy, 1978

M A R I E M E E T M A R I E

MARIE WAS INTRODUCED IN 1986

Auburn haired Marie arrived in nautical blue and white striped suit worn with a blue camisole and white or blue heels

THE EYES HAVE IT

Marie was introduced with unique lilac hued eyes

THREE TIMES A LADY

There were three issues of Marie - and she was only available for one year

A NEW GIRL IN TOWN

By Pedigree | ref: 42100

The second Issue: Marie appeared in shops in the later part of 1986, she was not catalogued She came in a very 'Princess Di' inspired outfit!

beautiful auburn haired Marie arrived in 1986 Her logo showed her with green eyes, but she actually came with unusual lilac eyes The first boxed Marie arrived in a chic nautical inspired outfit She had soft silky hair and a notably paler skin tone to Sindy The second boxed issue of Marie saw her in a stylish black velvet bolero and green polka dot pencil skirt ensemble Her hair is much coarser and her skin-tone is darker than her original

The final issue of Marie was as a double wedding set with Mark to celebrate the marriage of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson in July 1986

Flashing that gorgeous smile, Marie is ready to be Sindy's friend and share her world

Marie images kindly used with permission from Paul Jackson / Matthew Hadley @dollsabouttown

"Marie has lovely shiny red hair with matching eyebrows and lilac eyes. She has an open smiling mouth and is marked: Marie on the back of her head." petradolls co uk

M E E T

M A R K M E E T M A R K

FRIEND OR BOYFRIEND?

The 1986 catalogue stated "Casually, yet, tastefully dressed Mark is obviously out to catch Sindy's eye "

A TRIO OF MARKS!

Like Marie, there were three issues of Mark in 1986 only

HIS 'N' HERS FASHION Mark also got some dual fashion sets to share with Sindy (or Marie?) There were three outfits: iceskating attire, an evening look and a wedding suit

THE BOY NEXT DOOR

By Pedigree | ref: 42101

At last Sindy can share her wonderful world with her friends Mark and Marie Ready to be her constant companions, Mark and Marie add that additional something to Sindy's world that makes having friends ever so special

-As written in the 1986 Pedigree style catalogue/leaflet

Mark, like Marie had three issues in 1986 As the first fully-jointed male, Mark came with a moulded hairstyle and was very European in looksand far trendier than Ken! The first Mark came in a very fashionable 80's jacket with turned-up sleeves, a red open weave tee shirt, white trousers and trainers The second issue was Jazz Dance Mark - here he sported a striking fitness outfit And, then ultimately he was released as a double wedding set with Marie where he wore a dashing naval uniform with gold braids and medals

Images kindly used with permission from Paul Jackson / Sky Cooper @sindytude / Matthew Hadley @dollsabouttown

Mark is the perfect companion for Sindy wherever she goes

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

By Pedigree | ref:42106

Every day is a Royal Wedding Day with Sindy's Friends

Ever wondered how Sindy met Mark and Marie?

A page from the first issue of ‘Sindy Magazine’ from April 1986

Soon, there will be a very special Royal Wedding And, now you can have your own Royal Wedding every day with two of Sindy's closest friends

The Royal Wedding:

Sindy's special friend makes a stunning red-haired bride in a French-lace wedding dress with full veil and bouquet The Handsome groom wears elegant full dress uniform fit for a Prince

-As written on the 1986 advert

Did you know? The wedding dress Marie is wearing in the promo photo is 'Beautiful Bride' from 1985, she actually came in a different wedding dress in stores, also Mark's sash was red not blue!

Images kindly used with permission from Paul Jackson / Matthew Hadley @dollsabouttown

Prince Andrew Duke of York and Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson on their wedding day in July 1986 (Image: Panini Stickers)

The Royal Wedding Set: Advertisement from the back of an issue of 'Sindy' Magazine, 1986.

CASUAL FRIENDS

Sindy had a lot of friends. Want to meet a few more?

MEET THE REST OF THE GANG

By Hasbro | By Vivid Imaginations

SECOND TIME AROUND!

Paul reappeared via Hasbro in 1987 (ref:8070) he was listed in the style catalogue a ' a friend and companion to Sindy '

TWISTER TWINS

Sindy gained a new pal, Tanya in this Twister set from 1996 (ref: 18631) Hasbro had purchased the rights to Tanya, a clone doll by Ceppi Ratti in Italy

A NEW BEST FRIEND?

In 1994 Sindy gained another African-American friend Crimp & Bead Imani (ref: 4412) - and she was marked as Sindy's best friend She was launched at the Notting Hill Carnival after Hasbro acquired the doll rights from Olmec Toys, who had been producing her for a couple of years prior OlmecToys were an independent toy company producing black dolls and action figures

EUROPEAN PALS

Meet 'Gallop Fun Petra', issued around '94/95 Hasbro used the Petra Von Plasty 'Airfix Petra' doll as a tie-in with the new 1990s Sindy's when they launched Sindy in German speaking countries She was incorporated as Sindy's new best friend (again)

MEET MEL

The 1990's saw Mega Pop Star Mel (ref:26000) by Vivid Imaginations arrive This was followed by Party Nails Mel (ref: 26162) both launched in 1998 Hot Pop Star Mel arrived in 2000 and Beach Party Mel the following year

Images kindly used with permission from Sky Cooper @sindytude / Matthew Hadley @dollsabouttown

A good friend is like a four-leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have

SINDY

asindytributetothequeenoffashion

God Save the doll queen

The sad passing of Dame Vivienne Westwood on December 29th 2022 sent Mam'selle down into the Sindy fashion archives Vivienne Westwood was a beloved English fashion designer who was renowned for bringing modern punk and new-wave fashion into the mainstream

And, we knew somewhere the Queen of fashion had to have crossed paths with Britain's most loved doll, Sindy So, step forward the Vivienne Westwood 30thBirthdaySindyDoll.

In the early 1990s, Sindy celebrated her 30th birthday For the occasion, the PR manager at the time for Hasbro (they had the licence for Sindy from 1986-1997) organised her a party And, Sindy wore an outfit designed by the one and only Vivienne Westwood Donning her bespoke Rose Pink sateen dress with a corseted bodice and padded skirt, a crown-style hat over a coiled styled hair do, pink ballet wedge heels with ribbon ties, and an iconic Vivienne Westwood 'orb' logo pendant Sindy sure looked every (eleven) inch the catwalk queen

‘LEFT: TheVivienne Westwood’ 30th Birthday Sindy Doll by Hasbro / Image: V&A MUSEUM

The party was held on a glass-roofed venue in London and was attended by Vivienne Westwood and her muse, model Sarah Stockbridge, who wore a real-life version of the costume They crafted the smaller outfit for Sindy, but it never actually went into production and only two prototypes were ever made.

One doll, with the ribbon missing on one shoe and the bottom of the orb missing on her necklace, was sold at Vectis (A Specialist Toy Auctioneer) where it fetched £260 (around €311/$338) in 2017 The other is in the V&A: Museum of Childhood, now known as 'Young V&A' in East London, the museum will reopen this summer and also ha selection of Sindy pieces within its collec

Right: Vivienne Westwood, the undisputed Queen of punk (photograph by Rankin); Below: With Malcolm McLaren, whom she founded avant-garde boutique SEX on the Kings Road London in the 1970's; Bottom: Model in theadultsizeoutfitoftheSindy30thbirthdayoutfitin1993

Left: Sindy sported Vivienne's signature high heels made infamous by Supermodel Naomi Campbell who fell in the designers Louis 12-inch heels on thecatwalkin1993 (image:BritishVogue)

Where is the other Vivienne Westwood 30th BirthdaySindyDoll?

She is owned by a collector in the UK, who has had her since 2017 Mam'selle caught up for a chat

How did you hear about the auction for this special Sindy? I purchased the doll from Vectis - here they auction items from many ex-employees from the likes of Hasbro, Pedigree and Palitoy The one I have was previously owned by the PR manager of Hasbro - it was given to her at the event

Other than her being extremely rare, what else drew you to this Sindy? I guess I was a bit of a rebel myself - too young to be a punk, so I was a New Romantic I dressed like Adam Ant - with the full war paint and all! Vivienne had also designed clothes for Adam and the Ants I liked to be different, maybe I saw a bit of myself in Vivienne and her fashions I knew when I saw this doll she was special, maybe people hadn't really heard about it - I guess I got very lucky

Would you ever part with her? I'm considering selling her Although, it seems a bit callous now to part with her - it's probably the right time I've had to sell a huge amount of my doll collection last year to buy a car I had a boxed Gayle, Vicki, Mitzi, Poppet, Top Pop Sindy and many more - sadly all gone to new homes now These things happen - I've loved collecting them though

Above: The other Vivienne Westwood Sindy which sits in a fellow collector's collection Below: The Press Association Image that was sent out to magazine and newspapers (pre internet days this was how PR was done) Although, note that they state Sindys 30th Birthday to be on October 31st 1991 This was when thepresspartywas withtheplanneddollllaunchtobein1993

During her time Viv also designed a sustainable uniform for the Virgin Atlantic crew, 'the' wedding gown worn by Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in the 2008 'Sex and the City' movie , she has won British Designer of the Year three times: in 1990, 1991 and 2006, and had one of her signature tartan designs featured on a Royal Mail commemorative postage stamp celebrating British fashion in 2012 As the sole owner of her company and of her name she was also a savvy businesswoman and an outspoken political activist Dame Viv died December 29th 2022 in London, aged 81

Dame Vivienne Westwood once the Queen of Punk was known for creating the most exciting and outrageous designs for over 40 years Born in 1941, Vivienne was a unique talent and innovative British fashion designer She was infamous for her catwalk fashion collections, her debut 'Pirates' in 1981, 'Savages' (late 1981) and 'Punkature' (1982) and of course her relationship with musician fashion designer and manager of the Sex Pistols Malcolm McLaren (1946-2010) Together they ran the SEX boutique at 430 Kings Road Chelsea (originally it was Let it Rock, which they first opened in 1971)

t H E s i N D

Sindy as you've never seen her before... asindytributetothequeenoffashion

custom sindy's all

by steven Roberts

d o l l p u n k

Doll Punk Shopping:

1. Punk outfit, from a selection at Etsy

2. Necklaces from a selection at www.aliexpress.com

3. Nylon and Saran Hair fibres, from www.thedollhairemporium.co.uk

4. Bags, from a selection at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Pollydollydaydreams

5.Punk Rock Sindy Card, £2.50 from https://biteyourgranny.com

6. Bratz Dolls Bracelets, from eBay

7. Punk Nail Stickers, from Etsy

8. Boots, from £1.69, wwww.aliexpress.com

9. Fishnet Tights, from Etsy

D E A R S I N D Y . . .

after before

Sindy Collector Shafqat so wanted a tanned dark haired Sindy, so she sent 'Sweet Treats' to the Sindy Spa and took the plunge with some hair dye and some DIY rollers.

Follow her fail-safe tips for an at-home dye and curl job that will add some warmth and bounce to your dolls hair for winter.

And, see how her Sweet Treats Sindy became Merida.

STEP ONE: Cover Sindy's hair line with Frog tape to protect her face and cover her body in a few layers of cling film and an old towel for added protection

STEP TWO: Mix up hair dye as directed on the box and brush it on, leave on hair for 30 - 45 minutes Wash hair dye off with a mild shampoo Repeat step if you want a deeper shade

STEP THREE: Make some hair rollers out of kitchen foil - cut strips and crunch them into long sausage shapes Tightly twist hair around them and leave overnight for the hair to dry and set

STEP FOUR: The following day carefully remove the foil rollers If the curls are too loose you can re-do some with the same foil and leave overnight again

RANGE ROVER 1986

In the eighties Sindy got a brand new Range Rover (44771) It would be hard-to-miss - in its bubblegum pink shade. With tilting front seats, seat belts, towing hook and a removable roof it was decorated with metallised and brightly coloured labels. This cool and comfortable vehicle meant Sindy and her friends could go anywhere, anytime in pure Sindy style. It retailed for approx £29.99 in 1986.

playsindy