'Don't eat!': Controversial 1965 Slumber Party Barbie came with scales permanently set to just 110lbs and a diet book telling her not to eat

  • Scale was removed just one year later for Sleepytime Gal doll
  • Current Barbie Pyjama Doll comes with reading lamp, cocoa and eye mask

By Martha De Lacey

Published: 08:49 EST, 29 November 2012 | Updated: 10:40 EST, 29 November 2012

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These days, Barbie can climb the career ladder to its summit and become a pilot, an engineer, a dentist or even a racing car driver.

But in 1965, Slumber Party Barbie came not with a PAYE slip but with a set of pink bathroom scales, permanently set to a rather scrawny 110lbs (50kg), and a diet book instructing her on how to lose weight, with just one instruction: 'DON'T EAT!'

Slumber Party Barbie, 1965 The scale, set to a meagre 110lbs (50kg) was so controversial it was removed just one year later when Sleepytime Gal was released

Slumber Party Barbie, released in 1965, came with a weighing scales and a diet book warning girls not to eat

Slumber Party 1965 came with a bathroom scales set to a slender 110lbs, a 'don't eat' diet book and pink silk pyjamas

Slumber Party 1965 came with a bathroom scales set to a slender 110lbs, a 'don't eat' diet book and pink silk pyjamas

The controversial doll also included a pink satin pyjama top and bottoms, a pink robe with a sash, pink open-toe heels with blue pompoms, pink curlers, bobby pins and a blue brush and comb.

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The scale was removed just one year later, and the 1966/7 version renamed Barbie Sleepytime Gal, but she still came equipped with her diet book and its one simple rule.

Barbie's 1965 diet book came with the weight-loss instruction 'DON'T EAT!'

Barbie's 1965 diet book came with the weight-loss instruction 'DON'T EAT!'

These days, a healthier body image is being impressed upon young girls who wish to play with a bedtime Barbie.

Barbie Pyjama Doll comes with accessories including a lamp for reading, an eye mask for getting an undisturbed night's sleep, face cleanser, a mirror, a cuddly bunny, a hairbrush and a mug of hot cocoa.

Barbie Pyjama Doll, currently available to buy, comes with a reading lamp, a mug of cocoa, a cuddly bunny, a telephone, an eye mask and make-up

Barbie Pyjama Doll, currently available to buy, comes with a reading lamp, a mug of cocoa, a cuddly bunny, a telephone, an eye mask and make-up


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