Her original injection-vinyl face was wide-eyed and freckled, ready to tag along for fun, while Barbie’s was sultry, with downcast eyes and pouting lips.

She didn’t have her own clothing labels - everything belonged to “Barbie by Mattel” - though she did share Barbie’s spectacular figure, which was stamped on the bum with both their names. Her first iteration was born in 1963 and gone by 1967.She was barely a memory in my own growing-up years, a name whispered about but a face never seen. Chances are that readers of today don’t remember her, or at least not the “real” Midge. That title belonged the little girl who combed her hair and readied her for “Evening Splendour” or an adventure “On the Road.” Yes, you were Barbie’s best best friend. After all, it wasn’t really Midge who was Barbie’s bff.

You might decide to pack the glamor up with your ponytailed Barbie and leave Midge smiling all alone in the case that identified her as Barbie’s bestie. First, which of your slick-bodied, perfectly coiffed Mattel fashion dolls should be dressed for a party, which for a career? And second, when you and your friends were getting together to play, how could you carry around all those dresses and accessories, not to mention the multiple dolls who wore them? Would you choose your shiny black “Barbie and Midge, Travel Pals” carrying case,with its spaces for two dolls and a limited wardrobe - or, if you were particularly well-stocked, separate trunks for Barbie and “Midge, Barbie’s Best Friend”? If you were a well-indulged little girl in the early 1960s, playtime confronted you with a couple of overwhelming questions.

Midge barbie doll