During the last decades some SL Skippers were found which differ from the SL dolls sold in 1964 and 1965. These Skippers are often being referred to as “Sample dolls” or "Prototypes" I call them “Test-market” dolls, because they definitely were neither Sample dolls nor Prototypes. They came in the regular boxes and had the basic hair colors. A very small number was sold as "Dressed Dolls" (pls. see chapter "Dressed Doll Boxes). Doll markings: Skipper © 1963 Mattel, Inc.

These dolls are much rarer than the later Skipper dolls, but not as rare as they would be if they indeed were sample dolls, and for sure they aren't prototypes. Without much doubt though these dolls were the first Skipper dolls ever produced in small numbers. For a long time it was assumed, that they were handed out to Mattel employees only, prior to mass production. This must have been in 1963. But some of them definitely were also sold in stores to the public - in the same box and with the same accessories like the regular issue. I once met a German lady who showed me her Test Market doll and told me that her father got her from the New York Toy Fair in 1963. I couldn't find any proof for this though. In the meantime, I talked to another original owner of a Test Market doll who also thinks she got her doll in 1963.

In the “Miller’s” Magazine (October/November 1994)^[1] there's an article in which author states that she had seen a photograph of a Skipper prototype doll with the same leg mold and no marking on the feet.

From the time Barbie was introduced, Mattel was interested in finding out more about what little girls liked about their dolls and how they expected them to look. In 1959 for example, the company published a newspaper for members of the Barbie Fan Club to join the Barbie Advisory Panel. The letter of the Barbie Advisory Panel included a questionnaire of several pages asking the little girls questions like how many Barbie dolls they owned, whether they would like a a boyfriend doll for Barbie and what they thought of Barbie’s hair^[2]. In the letter enclosed it says that some members of the Barbie Fan Club had been selected to become members of the Barbie Advisory Panel. And that Mattel, the creators of Barbie, wanted their advice on future plans for Barbie, because the members of the Fan Club were the people Mattel wanted most to please’^[3].

Almost certainly Mattel did some market research on Skipper dolls as well before mass producing them. Maybe the girls interviewed found the very first issue too plump, and found that their legs were too short and looked chubby due to the wide stance. So the legs were altered before mass production. 

What differentiates the “Test Market Skippers” from the regular Skipper dolls? 

• The legs of the Test Market Skippers are 0.2 inches shorter than the rest of their body and the body/legs of the regular Skipper dolls. 
• Their legs are made of a different material (rougher and not as shiny, supposedly resin) and have a wider stance.
• Their feet have a slight incline and the JAPAN marking on the right foot is written from toe to heel. Additionally, one or (most of the times) two legs have markings on the inner part of their thighs (one or two digits and one or two letters).

• Test Market Skippers were found with shorter bangs as well as with bangs the same lenght like the ones of the regular dolls.

• They have two rows of bangs – instead of one like most Skipper dolls - but there are some regular Skipper dolls with two rows of bangs also. Some production issue dolls even have three or four rows of rooted bangs.

• Their hair of the TM dolls is made of a different fiber and looks more natural than the hair of the later dolls.

• Test Market Skipper’s heads don't have markings on the inner rim (the other Skipper dolls do, please go to the chapter “Head Markings” for further information).

•  Test Market Skipper dolls weigh less than regular Skipper dolls.

Following you can find pictures and some additional information about Test Market dolls as well as info about Prototype and Sample dolls, Salesman Sample dolls, ...

1964 Sears Skipper ad (introduction of this new doll) showing only Test Market Skipper dolls)

A prototype is a unique doll sculptured of carved plaster and covered with wax. The face is hand painted. All later forms (for example for production sample dolls) are made of imprints of this form. A prototype doll doesn’t have markings on the body or feet. The Skipper doll with centered (hand painted) eyes shown in the first Skipper commercial from 1964 (shown further below) is a prototype doll.

An African American Prototype Skipper doll was made in the 60s, but unfortunately the doll was never chosen for production. This doll has the same body - and most of the facial features of a regular Skipper. However, her mouth is sculptured like Skooter's! Her skin tone is brown. She has dark brown eyes and black, short, thick hair.  Like the doll shown in the first Skipper commercial , her eyes are centered. She is dressed in a prototype bathing suit with red panties and an attached, red and white striped top with a red bow.

This doll was displayed at the 1986 Barbie Convention in Phoenix, Arizona (pls. see above and below pics). Photographs courtesy of M.M.

This "Black Skipper" is pictured in ‘The Collectors Encyclopedia of Barbie Dolls and Collectibles’ (2 versions of this book).

Eventually, in 1989, the first  African American  Skipper was actually launched on the market - the AA Homecoming Queen Skipper #2390. She was made in China and had a 1987 “Teen Fun Skipper” body and head mold

Here you can see the

differences in appearance:

Left side: Regular Skipper

Right side: Test-market Skipper

Notice the difference in size

as well as the wider stance of

the test-market doll.

This picture shows four Test Market Skippers.

The lines show where the width of the feet was measured (pls. see above explanation).

The first three girls all have the same width: approx. 1.42 inches. The Skipper to the right has an extra wide stance of 1.81 inches.

On this picture you can see a regular Skipper compared to two Test Market dolls.

As you can notice, the doll in the middle has a wide stance, but the feet of the one to the right are even further apart.

There are obviously at least two kinds of Test Market dolls. The one in the middle is the kind you see more often. Her feet are approx. 1.42 inches apart. The one on the right, which is the rarer kind, has feet that are approx. 1.81 inches apart (measured at the outer side of the feet).

Regular Skipper dolls' feet are around 1.02 inches apart (slight variations are common).

There are also differences in how the eyes and eyebrows of the dolls are painted, and there are differences in the thickness of hair and lenghts of the bangs.

Left side: Regular Skipper

Right side: Test-market Skipper

This picture of two titian dolls shows the difference of the Test Market doll's hair (to the left) and the regular Skipper's hair (to the right).