Sindy was far superior to Barbie

Barbie was better looking in a porn star way but Sindy was a more appropriate friend. I can see why DMs did not approve of Barbie.

Edited to say this is far and away the best thread on MN today

As far as I can remember every Tressy got a stuck mechanism in the end.

I still own a few Sindy dolls. I always loved the ballerina.

I had the brunette ballet Sindy. That girl was flexible. These days I think it's called hypermobility as even her ankles could go in any direction 😂

I had so many clothes for her that my mum made for her. She even had a wedding dress and her own wardrobe full to the brim. The reason she had so many clothes (and bedding) was because my brother, two years older, decided to experiment with a box of matches underneath his bed. Cue his entire bedroom up in flames. The wedding dress was made from remnants of net curtains and other random unscathed fabric pieces made up much of the rest of her wardrobe.

I reckon my mother just sewed all her frustrations away.

I had both and loved them but HATED Barbie’s weird feet that were made for high heels.
I thought they did it great in the Barbie film

We had Pippa dolls, which were about half the size of Sindy. I saved all my pocket money and bought my one and only Sindy when I was about 11. Pippa is now apparently quite sought after and expensive. Of course, I don't know what happened to mine. 🙄

I had a Cindy/Sindy Ballerina and loved her. She looked more realistic with ''a nice figure and a pretty face''. I always thought she was far better than Barbie, who looked to be unrealistic with a tiny waist and big boobs!

I definitely grew up with the idea that Barbie was a cheap tart compared to Sindy! I’m intrigued to see some later pics posted of Sindy dolls with small heads as mine were definitely the disproportionately large headed-generation and I loved them for it. My doll playing years would have been about 1978 to 1984. I had the three-storey house with external lift, pride and joy of my bedroom. My Dad told me when I was older that he and our next door neighbour had assembled it on Xmas Eve after a few too many beers and it took them hours, cursing every single tiny plastic screw!

My ballerina Sindy (a brunette) had poseable arms and legs but the others did not. Ballerina Sindy also had articulated wrists but her hands eventually snapped off so she was very much a disability champion for many years. My favourite was a tennis one with blonde hair in high bunches like Tracy Austin.

I remember Tressy. We found out the hard way that her hair didn't grow indefinitely.

My sister had a Tressy. We wanted to know how her hair grew. We used a hacksaw to cut off her head and then tried to re attach it using a gas burner. Tressy used to wear a lot of scarves after that! I can't believe the amount of torture we subjected our toys to at the age of 8 😂

Gosh reading all these posts have sent me right back. I'm 52 now but I can still smell the Sindy smell and remember the excitement of getting a new Sindy as a present. I loved the ballerina one. I also had a Sindy house. I don't think modern toys have that special 'smell' 🤣 My Wendy house also had the smell. Plastic. But I loved it. Now I sound bonkers but smells really do take me back 😋 I also had few baby dolls like Baby Alive where you fed her mushy food. Aw feeling nostalgic now but need to not look on vinted or eBay ...........

Team Sindy!

DM wouldn't let me have a Barbie because she was 'common'. 🤣 DM is such a snob but this was really a bit much! 😳

I had the caravan, house, dressing table, bed...so many outfits....actually, I reckon (because she is a hoarder) my DM will have still got it all up in their loft! I daren't go up there to check cos of , you know...spiders...gah...

Ha ha! Had this same set - and IRL a skirt just like the one with the belt!

What I really wanted as a kid was something like this though, which I got for DD1. I've have absolutely gone mad in a Disney store and was desperate to dress up as a princess, fairy, or preferably both. Late 1970s and early 80s were full of primary colours and brown and orange and all I wanted were pink and sparkly things.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/136780506295

I had a Tressy. And a Sindy and Barbie. Barbie was my favourite, then Tressy - I wasn't keen on Sindy.

Actually, in our house Barbie was the slut. Sindy was innocent and fresh.

This was my first Sindy (not the actual one, though who knows, it could be?)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/317210401622

Practically Kill Bill. She had yellow trainers too which I loved.

My mum thought Barbie was common and tarty. It says more about my mum than Barbie IMO. Though Sindy had a better range available in the UK in the 1980s. Strangely big head and massive eyes though.

I had Sindies, DDs had Barbies (Sindys didn't exist by then). I like both. Dolls allow a lot of imaginative and creative play.

I am actually considering a trip into the loft this evening to retrieve the Sindy box so I can have a jolly good play

Does anyone else really want to buy one now and dress them up? Just looking at these pictures, I'm having flashbacks to that feeling when you got a new outfit, and you'd open the package and then dress your Sindy in it.

I had the house which I LOVED, but my friend had an even fancier version with working lights and all sorts. And the inflatable tent and sleeping bag, and the yellow buggy car (that my brother played with more than me...).

I still have my Tressy.. she has survived varous generations of kids playing with her.

Sindy was awesome. I liked her eyes/face way better than Barbie and the dolls had such cool accessories. My favourite were Paint a Picture Sindy, who had her own paint palette and brush, and Pearly Princess Sindy, who had jewellery you could wear. Pics attached for your nostalgic viewing enjoyment! 😁

Seconded.

Cynthia?

I had Sindy, Pippa was her younger sister and her bf was action man. I loved my Sindy's - I also had the house, and horses for Sindy and Pippa too. Action Man didn't get any extras - he was just lucky to have Sindy as his girlfriend.

Edited to clarify that Pippa and Action Man were my choice of DSis and BF for Sindy - I may have pinched them from siblings