Do You Remember the Sunshine Family — The Forgotten 1970s Dolls That Tried to Rival Barbie?
You remember Barbies, Cabbage Patch Kids, and maybe even those collectible Madame Alexander dolls that you were supposed to keep on a shelf instead of play with — but do you remember the Sunshine Family? Our friends at the Pop Culture Preservation Society recently reminded us of this forgotten line of Mattel dolls from the 1970s.
Released in 1974, the Sunshine Family were conceived of as something like the anti-Barbie — a wholesome, hippie-influenced family living the simple life in the country, “sharing true love and devotion” as their ad jingle put it.
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Sunshine mom Stephie had flat feet, unlike Barbie’s high heel-ready toes. She, like her husband, Steve, wore simple clothes, worked at the family’s crafts store, and cared for their baby, Sweets.
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The Sunshine Family came with almost as many accessories as Barbie. But the Sunshine accoutrements were far less flashy than Barbie’s Corvettes or salon kits; kids could buy the Sunshine Family’s crafts store play set (complete with spinning wheel!), a camper van to drive them around, or a simple dog house for the family’s dog and cat.
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And the crafts weren’t just imaginary — as was noted in a commercial for the dolls, each came with a booklet filled with craft ideas and other suggestions for how you could get a piece of the Sunshine Family lifestyle for yourself.
The Sunshine Family were successful enough to expand — in the years following their initial creation, Mattel also released Sunshine grandparents, and neighbor families including the Joy Family and the Happy Family.
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Despite the many spin-offs, the Sunshine Family line was discontinued in 1978 — hippie aesthetics were on their way out, and Barbie herself was getting into disco-inspired looks. But if you’re feeling nostalgic for the Sunshine Family and their groovy lifestyle, many of the toys are still available on eBay.