Different entities have been co-branding since the 1950s. The first such partnership was said to be when Renault joined forces with luxury jeweler Van Cleef and Arpels. They offered consumers the Renault Ondine with a specialty feature of a dashboard and steering wheel that was said to be inlaid with precious stones.
Fast forward to the mid-1960s, when Kellogg’s was one of the sponsors of The Monkees’ TV show. Not only did the show say “sponsored by Kellogg’s,” but the “Pre-Fab Four” made several commercials for the brand.
Star Wars has been a particular master of co-branding. Over the years, they’ve had partnerships with the likes of Lego, Sears (they sold a handful of Sears-exclusive Star Wars play sets in the mid-late 70s), Duracell, General Mills, Campbell’s, Verizon, Kraft, Bose, Covergirl, Crocs, Dole Fruit, Coca Cola, Le Creuset, GE, Jeep, HP, Gillette, Subway, Porsche, Toms, Fortnite, Samsung, Dodge, Disney (even before the franchise was bought by Disney), United Airlines, and the list goes on and on.
And speaking of United Airlines, does anyone remember the partnership United had with Barbie?
I’m not talking about the Barbie Dreamplane airplane play set that Mattel released a few years ago (complete with a puppy, snack cart, and 15+ accessories!).
Nope, I’m talking about the actual United-branded plane Barbie toy, called Barbie’s Friend Ship, that was released in 1972.
Y’see, from 1972 to 1974, United featured what was called their “Friend Ship” livery. This is how Norebbo.com described it:
This was an evolution of the wedge livery. It featured a thicker red stripe, four blue stars on both the vertical stabilizer and fuselage (near the titles), and a modified “United” typeface. This was the last United livery before the iconic Saul Bass design was unveiled in 1974.
Here’s what the livery looked like (PC: Clinton H. Groves collection via Wikimedia Commons // GNU Free Documentation License):
And some way, some how, United and Barbie teamed up together in 1972 to make Barbie’s Friend Ship, a vinyl fold-out toy plane. It was a sort of Barbie-esque version of the United plane.
PC: Pinterest
The plane was released in the early 1970s, during a time when there were lots and LOTS of fold-out vinyl play sets out there:
- Matchbox City & Matchbox Country
- Baby Tender Love Nursery
- GI Joe Adventure Team headquarters
- Lots and LOTS of Barbie stuff. Surprise house, dream house, mountain ski lodge, country camper, live-in fashion world, etc.
So why NOT a vinyl fold-out plane that opens to over 4 feet long?
Anyway, here’s a 1972 ad for Barbie’s Friend Ship:
1. A Great Gift Value — Barbie’s Friend Ship
It’s over 4 ft. long and has seats, lounge, table, service area. Plus printed tail section, pilot’s cabin, plastic serving cart, accessories, smock. Folds into vinyl case with handle. Dolls not included. (“Friend Ship” and other United Airline service marks used with permission from United Airlines)
X 921-5617 A — Easy assembly. Mailable: weight 6.40 lbs. $9.992. Stewardess outfit
Jumpsuit, apron, hand bag, flight bag, 4-pc. uniform, shoes. Fits 11-1/2 in. fashion doll — doll not included
X 921-5633 A — Mailable: weight 0.40 lb. $2.333. Pilot Outfit
Jumpsuit, jacket, 4-pc. uniform, flight bag, hat, shoes. Fits 12 in. high doll — doll not included.
X 921-5658 A — Mailable: weight 0/40 lb. $2.33
Save 66c when you buy both outfits (2) and (3) as a 2-pc. set.
State both catalog numbers and pay only $4.00
(As a comparison, $10 in 1972 is the equivalent of a little over $73 today.)
Here’s a 1974 commercial for the play set:
And a woman’s homemade “tour” of the toy that gives some close ups of the vintage play set:
The Barbie Friend Ship was only produced from 1972 to 1974. During that time frame, there were some small changes made in the product; the decoration on the box were refreshed, the plastic seats changed colors and the advertised price apparently jumped to a whopping $11.88 (as a comparison, $11.88 in today’s money would be just shy $77).
But in 1974, the Barbie Friend Ship was discontinued. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that 1974 was the same year United’s Friend Ship livery also ended, before they switched to the Saul Bass design.
By the way, if you thought that was the only time Barbie has partnered with an airline, you’d be incorrect. She has also been known to partner with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Pan Am, TWA, and perhaps other airlines over the years. But United was the only partnership that included a plane; all the rest were just fashion costumes of Barbie as a “stewardess,” flight attendant and, in more recent years, a pilot.
***Many thanks to Sue Ellen K., of DreamFinder Travel, for inadvertently suggesting this topic!
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