Skipper Highlight Reel: Homecoming Queen Skipper

In 1988, Mattel released Homecoming Queen Skipper. Homecoming Queen Skipper was manufactured in both white and black (aa) skin tones. Recently in an auction, I won a ‘lot’ of large eyed Skippers.  The lot featured two AA Homecoming Queen Skippers and, interestingly enough, they were not identical.
 

Homecoming Queen Skipper wears a long white dress with flower embellishments along the bottom of the skirt and by the neckline.  She wears flowers in her hair, as well. Mattel is never too far away from a gimmick and Skipper’s gimmick is found in her dress, which is designed to change lengths.

Skipper has long black hair with a bit of a wave, no bangs. Her eyes are a cool mixture of blue/grey.  Skipper comes with a comb, shoes and purse.

The flowers are where the outfits of these dolls differ. One has large, craft like flowers and the other has smaller, more traditional silk flowers.  Below are images of what I believe to be the first version of Homecoming Queen Skipper.

One major downfall of this first run? Her green legs. I took her out of her box to find her legs speckled with green spots.

While I can’t be certain, there are a few things about the above release that make me believe she was released first. First, there is the prototype.  The box graphics seem to feature a prototype doll that looks very similar to this. The rose details are nearly identical.

Another characteristic that leads me to believe that this version of Skipper came first is the fact that it seems like more fabric was used when you compare this dress to the other nearly identical dress. I see this mostly in the bodice area.
The purse this Skipper comes with is also longer than the purse issued with the other doll I’m going to show you next. Last, the paperwork that was packaged with this Skipper, the Skipper Teen Scrapbook, is, if I remember correctly, usually packaged with the older dolls of this Skipper era. The Skipper with the smaller, silk flowers was packaged with a poster insert that is more reminiscent of what they included with 90’s Skippers.

Ready to see photos of what I suspect was the second release? There are two things worth noting about this second edition besides the flower variation. First, her face is less glossy than the doll featured above. Also, she has no green spots on her legs.

Video Review Below:

Did you know Mattel tweaked the design for Homecoming Queen Skipper mid run?  Which Skipper do you prefer?  Share your thoughts in the comment area.