Michael and Melinda from 1976 - NOT - Grin

Two bloggers-from-the-doll-zone recently posted about Mattel's Michael from The Young Sweethearts, produced in 1976. Thanks, Niel and Erynnis , I enjoyed reading your comments and information about these dolls. What I remember most about these dolls was the evil way I "got rid of" Melinda: I gave Melinda to my younger sister. My sisters were NOT doll-fond in any way. Also, there was a The Young Sweethearts' Wishing Well Park. Here that park became part of Fairmount Park.

I found an old journal - yes, I was scribbling even then. Not so much about dolls and action figures as complaints about younger siblings and neighborhood feuds. So I won't bore anyone with excerpts from that year's journals, LOL. The mentioned Michael and Melinda of The Young Sweethearts by Mattel, Tuesday Taylor and Eric [no last name, lol] by Ideal ... were two of the interesting series of that year. In this newsletter excerpt shown below, Doll Doings from Lifetime Career Schools publication (Vol. 17, No. 9. July, 1976. Page 2)*, here is some information about dolls for that year. [Please click for a larger photo.]

Oh, and here is a new Michael photo with his second girlfriend, Baggie Francie, who also appeared in this year. His first girlfriend was the lovely Suntan Tuesday Taylor. [I'll post about her in the future ;-D]

By the way, 1976 was the U.S. Bicentennial, our two hundredth birthday. The Young Sweethearts dolls were evocative of the time, but not connected to the Bicentennial in any way.


*Published with permission from “Playthings,” copyright 1976 by Geyer-McAllister Publications, Inc., New York