1968 was a wonderful year for Sindy. She was restyled, with long hair, curled in a flip at the ends and with a side parting hence the name “Sideparts”. She had 'real' eyelashes and a twisty waist. Paul was no more, but she still had Patch for company and a whole new group of friends who also have their own page on this website.
Sindy was given some lovely new clothes, and now you could buy her in four new outfits which replaced the original 'Weekenders'. Each doll came with a new Sindy charm bracelet which Sindy could wear as a long necklace or which could be worn by her new owner. Sindy's friends now included a charm of their own which could be could be added to the bracelet.
There are few things to note from the 1968 style leaflet; the black 'Leather Look' skirt was now named 'Leather Looker', and the leaflet still referred to the light green long-sleeved turtle-neck sweater that we have so far been unable to identify.
A purple and purple-check, all-in-one cotton mini dress. It was designed to look like a mini skirt with braces over a short-sleeved top. The dress fastened at the back by two flat metal poppers, they can be black painted, white painted or plain chrome. It came with purple kitten heel court shoes. It was subsequently redesigned in pink (please see 1969 Sindy).
There are two variations of this outfit with different tops. The distinctive pattern is very similar. One top has pink, orange, yellow and white stripes. The second version has blue, orange/red, yellow and white stripes. Here are the two outfits side by side. In the photo on the right you can also see the sandals that came with the outfit.
'Skating Girl' was re-introduced in 1968 as a boxed doll outfit called 'Ice Skater'. Essentially it was the same outfit (slightly revised) as the original version introduced in 1963. A circular felt skating skirt and matching red cotton jersey tights. A red, white and black striped jumper with white ribbed cuffs, neckband and waistband. There was a matching hat and scarf which could be found with red or white wool pompoms. It also had the white felt mittens with red over-stitching and white skating boots with silver blades (please see 1963 Sindy Outfits for a fuller description). However this version was made in Hong Kong and so it is slightly different, the pattern of the white, red and black striped design is thinner in width and the scarf was now made of the same fabric as the jumper and hat. The pompoms were now made of wool. Please see the second photo on the right above for a comparison of the pattern, the original version of the jumper is shown at the top of the photo.
A spectacular outfit consisting of an empire-line, long royal blue velvet dress. It had long sleeves with bell cuffs lined with a stiff matching netting. It fastened at the back with two flat metal poppers. With it came a white silky ribbon sash which had ?Miss Sindy? printed on it in black, it fastened with a little dainty gold stud similar to a split pin. She also had a pearl necklace (the same as the one used for 'Come Dancing') and a silver crown. She wore black kitten heel court shoes on her feet.
We know of four variations of this dress, as well as the royal blue, there is a pink velvet version, and a dark red velvet version with two flat black painted poppers. There is also a red, fine needlecord version of this dress. Like 'Fashion Girl' this dress can be found with a variety of poppers, they can be black painted, white painted or chrome coloured (see photo below), there is even a version with white plastic poppers.
There is some debate as to whether these crowns were metal or whether they were plastic. Given the number of dresses seen, the number of metal ones are very scarce by comparison and we have wondered whether they might have originally been metal but were quickly replaced by the plastic version (we would be keen to hear what other collectors have to say on this point).
This outfit was renamed ?Miss Sindy? in 1969.
A complete Spring cleaning outfit plus all the cleaning tools Sindy would need to do the job properly. Her outfit consisted a pair of beige drill trousers with a front-fly opening fastened by a brass coloured metal popper. On top she wore a bright orange, short-sleeved cotton shirt with a round collar, turned-up sleeves and two white & yellow gingham patch chest-pockets. The shirt fastened at the front with three brass coloured metal poppers. She had a white & yellow gingham frilly half-apron with ties of the same material and two orange patch pockets. She also had a matching headscarf. On her feet she wore brown flat lace-up shoes. The tools were wonderful replicas of cleaning tools of the time; a cylinder vacuum cleaner with a hose and floor attachment and there was even a white lead with a grey three pin plug at the end of it. There was a brown broom, a real turkey feather duster on a plastic stick (similar to the stick used for the burgee in “Sail Away”but brown rather than cream), a red plastic bucket and a tin of Ajax scouring powder (which actually appears to have scouring powder in it but whether this is original we cannot say).
Described as “the most up-to-date colour combination”, this bright red and yellow outfit is now very hard to find in good condition. It is made of soft coloured vinyl with bonded seams and with a indented 'stitch' pattern decorating both the edges and the yellow trim detail. The wide coat is bright red with a yellow collar, attached belt and two large patch pockets. It fastened with three brass coloured metal poppers. For her head a yellow Sou'wester with three rows of indented 'stitching' decorating the brim. There was also a pair of yellow Bermuda shorts with front-fly opening fastened by a brass coloured metal popper and the same indented 'stitching' at the waist and on bottom of each leg. The yellow of the hat and shorts matched the trim on the coat. A pair of red knee-high boots completed the outfit.
A beautiful white fun fur outfit comprising a white collarless knee-length coat lined with white taffeta which fastened with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners, a matching cossack hat and white calf length plastic boots trimmed with fur.
Trouser suits were “in” and because Sindy was always the first to wear the latest outfits, naturally she had one in a groovy 60s pattern in apple-green and orange that was described as “way-out” made of thick cotton. This outfit consisted of a collarless, long-sleeved jacket which fastened at the front with two brass coloured metal poppers. Under the jacket, Sindy was given a sleeveless, roll -neck top in apple green which fastened with one brass coloured metal popper at the back of the neck. She then had the choice of a matching mini-skirt or trousers. The mini-skirt fastened with one brass coloured metal popper at the back of the waist and the trousers had a front-fly which also fastened with a brass coloured metal popper. Sindy also had a choice of footwear; for the mini-skirt she had a pair of shiny black knee-high boots and for her trousers a pair of apple-green flat lace-up casual shoes.
A sleeveless low-waisted dress made of a purple silky fabric which fastened with a brass coloured metal popper at the back. It had a fuchsia coloured hip-height belt with a gold buckle and the hemline was also edged with the same silk fuchsia material. There was a matching fuchsia ribbon made of the same material for her hair.
Lovely accessories to complete Sindy's outfits consisting of, a turquoise, dark blue and gold block print wide floppy brimmed hat trimmed with a co-ordinating turquoise blue binding, a white patent handbag with a real opening flap with separate compartments which was decorated with a blue strap and a gold metal buckle, and a pair of black kitten heel court shoes.
Apparently inspired by the famous “Mondrian” dress by Yves Saint Laurent, this was an up-to-the-minute fashionable colour block sleeveless mini-dress made up of four panels of pink linen and tangerine silk. It fastened at the back with one brass coloured metal popper.
Sindy's party pack and a way for Pedigree to use up excess items. In the description and picture in the style guide, this pack consisted of the portable record player (from 'Dream Date'), two Coke bottles (from 'Bowling') and the Dollybeats pop poster (from Paul's 'Time Off'). For Sindy herself there was a pair of white kitten heel court shoes and the necklace (from 'Bridesmaid).
However we have an unopened version of Pack A (shown above) where the gold clutch bag from 'Dream Date' has been substituted for the necklace and it hasn't got the shoes.
We have heard from another collector who has the same pack as the one shown above, so perhaps this was the pack that was actually sold rather than the one described in the style guide. If anyone has a different party pack we would be pleased to hear from them.
This pack contained extra accessories for Sindy's riding interest. The pack contained her hard riding hat, crop, brown flat lace-up shoes and the two blue grooming brushes (from 'Pony Club'). It also included the blue curry comb and a rosette (which we think were from 'Sindy's Horse').
This pack contained extra shopping accessories. The red PVC bag, umbrella and two oranges (from 'Shopping-in-the-Rain'), two Coke bottles (from 'Bowling') and bizarrely Patch's wellington boots (from Patch's 'Sou'wester').
This pack contained Ringo the dog, his lead, bowl and bone (from 'County Walk') and Sindy's red knee high boots and umbrella (from 'Shopping-in-the-Rain').
We would be very interested to hear if anyone has anything different in their pack.
Another strange little pack loosely associated with picnics. It contained a brush and comb (from 'Undie World' and/or 'Sleepy Time'). A pair of green lens sunglasses ('Seaside Sweetheart' or 'Winter Holiday'). The pink flask with a very light blue lid and white mug (from Paul's 'Motorway Man'). An orange (from 'Shopping-in-the-Rain'). Sindy's brown flat lace-up shoes and a pair of white nylon socks. And to put everything in there was a denim duffle bag (from Paul's 'Time Off').
An accessory pack for Patch. It contained her satchel, pen, pencil, ruler, ink and exercise book (from Patch 'Schooldays'), a diary (from Sindy's 'Lunch Date'), an orange (from Sindy's 'Shopping-in-the-Rain'), either the pink or blue flask (we have seen both in unopened packs) and white mug (from Paul's 'Motorway Man') and her ballet shoes (From 'Swan Lake'). If you have this pack and would be happy to share it with others please let us know (it would of course be acknowledged).
Pack B (Ref 12S87) Traveller (aka Travelling?)
The Traveller pack (which may also have been called "Travelling"?) contained a pair of Sindy's brown flat lace-up shoes, her newspaper from 'Shopping in the Rain', a pair of her green lens sunglasses ('Seaside Sweetheart' or 'Winter Holiday') and her camera and bag from 'Happy Traveller'. An ideal travelling kit for its day!
A long-sleeved mini dress made of thick pink cotton printed with orange polka dots. It had white cotton sewn-on cuffs and a matching button-down collar fastened with two minute white buttons. The dress had two shallow patch pockets (one on each side) and it fastened up the front with three white painted poppers. For her feet Sindy was given a pair of black kitten heel court shoes.
A trendy turquoise-blue suedette mini-skirt which fastened at the back of the waist with one black painted metal popper.The skirt was fashioned with slits in the material at hip height to form tabs to hold a black shiny plastic hipster belt with a gold buckle. There was a co-ordinating black long-sleeved ribbed jumper with a turtle-neck which fasted with one black painted metal popper at the back of the neck (which is very similar to Patch's 'Easy Life' jumper). Black flat lace-up shoes completed the outfit (not mauve shoes referred to in the leaflet).
With Sindy's Wardrobe Trunk there was an additional outfit of a dress and a pair of shoes. The dress was a variation of the 'Summery Days' dress (see also 1963 Sindy). A short-sleeved cotton shift dress printed with a green and orange-hued multi-check. It was decorated with a five petalled yellow flower with a white centre and a brown stalk and two leaves in an orange circle. It was trimmed at the neck with a green/brown grosgrain bow and it fastened at the back with two chrome coloured flat metal poppers. It came with a pair of white sneakers.
