Remembering The Happy Family...

All the talk about the hideous elbow joints on the new poseable silkstone Barbie got me digging for some old Mattel dolls with elbow articulation. I found Happy Family Midge and Alan. Aren't they cute?

Now, let's take a look at them with their exposed joints. Yikes! Granted that the Happy Family dolls were playline, do those elbow joints scare the frack out of you or what? I tried to push Alan's arm up to see if that might help close the gap. Alas, he was meant to have semi-floating forearms. Maybe that's why both dolls' stock outfits were long-sleeved. They need major coverage. And look, they both have metal on their elbows to match their silver wedding bands! Whew, at least they're married...no one can complain about that. While Barbie is trying desperately to recapture her youth, Midge is quietly living the plastic married life with kids. You go, Midge!

This pregnant Midge incarnation (because there was another after her) is my favorite Midge doll. She's very girl-next-door pretty. Simple and pretty. And when the occasion calls for it, she can strut with a pregnant belly, and in heels without an apology. She fascinates me so, Terminator elbows and all. I didn't spend a lot of money on her or the other Happy Family dolls so I can overlook the hideousness of the elbow articulation.