Fleur Dolls - S

catalogue # 385 - 1060, year 1983

body: ballerina (bending elbows and ankles)

hair: blonde, brown, brunette, centre part

shoes: brown kitten heels with small flower

In the 1980s, any office would have hired Secretary Fleur just for her equipment - she was READY to work! She had her own typewriter, copy machine or desktop computer, plus a seriously large calculator and a notebook (it's a real notebook with white tear-away pages). Today, Secretary Fleur is a pure nostalgia trip, down to her demure outfit. She wears a two-piece suit of beige-and-brown check fabric, with a brown collar, buttons, (fake) pockets and a matching shoulder bag.

Her accessories are truly amusing - they all wind up and do something. The typewriter and photocopier both slide, and the computer flashes green lines across the screen to reveal this hilarious message:

abcdefghijklmno

By a typographer

More than Dr. Do

be an architect

abcdefghijklmno

Fun fact: Secretary Fleur has 3 types of calculators too - you can see them all (and many other photos) on Lulemee's blog post about this Fleur.

catalogue # 385 - 1091, year 1981

body: 1970s body with long legs, tiny waist and small hands

hair: platinum blonde, strawberry blonde, brunette, centre part

shoes: white skates

Skatestar Fleur doll is so angry about staying in her box, her face actually changes colour. So if you have a Fleur who has turned almost white (her head and her arms), this is most likely Skatestar. In bottom middle row, you can see my two Skatestars - it's quite a difference. It seems Skatestar was made with two different face molds and from two types of vinyl (or rubber), one of which doesn't age very well.

In any case, this is a gorgeous triplet Fleur in purple, blue or pink skating costume in 4 parts: hat, dress, panties and fishnet tights. There were two shades of pink costume - one soft and rosy, the other darker and more intense - you can see this in bottom right photo. Skatestar Fleur's accessories are: white ribbon sash with a 'first prize' sticker (it's a paper sticker, will not survive any laundry), a silver trophy, and a clear stand with the Fleur logo. Only tips of Fleur's skates fit into the stand, but even without shoes she falls over - the stand doesn't work (design fail).

The front of Skatestar Fleur box has an 'all parts movable' label, but in fact her body is no different than other 70s Fleurs - she does not have bending ankles or elbows. 

Bottom photos of 3 Fleurs and Fleur in pink outfit courtesy of Angela at vintage_fleur_doll.

catalogue # 385 - 1092, year 1981

body: 1970s body with long legs, tiny waist, small hands, bending elbows and ankles

hair: platinum blonde, strawberry blonde (maybe other colours), centre part

shoes: dark blue ski boots

So here we have the most unusual doll of all the early Fleurs - Skistar. She is truly one of a kind - to my best knowledge, her facemold and body were used ONLY for her and no other Fleur doll. Her jaw is a little more square in comparison to other 70s Fleurs, and her lips have a unique peach tint. 

Skistar Fleur doll body looks like a regular 1970s body, but is not! Her arms are rubber with bending elbows (a wire inside) - regular 1970s Fleurs have hard plastic arms that don't bend. Her ankles bend with two clicks (like knees) - the only other Fleur with 1970s body and bending ankles is Dungaree Fleur, but her ankles have a wire inside, not the clicky mechanism.

Skistar Fleur is wearing a very realistic, beautifully made skiing outfit of matching hat, jacket (with a real zipper!) and overalls, with a white turtleneck underneath. She has yellow ski goggles and dark blue skis with a Kästle Mid label - this is a real ski brand. In the bottom left photo, you can see how she is set up in the box. The bottom right photo is a 1981 advert with her friend Skatestar Fleur (it was obviously a good year for winter sports!).

catalogue # 385 - 1006, year 1985

body: non-ballerina (no bending elbows or ankles), legs move to front and back (not side)

hair: red (probably also blonde and brunette), centre part

shoes: blue kitten heels with small flower

No name, no official promo photo - so I decided to call her Striped Dress Fleur and make a promo photo (it's the one with the bicycle, I hope you like it!). She was probably sold in 1985, because the back of her box shows photos of other Fleur dolls sold that year. She was the most modest of them all, and yet her dress regularly shows up in many doll clothing bundles today (most often Sindy's or Barbie's). There are dozens of variations of her dress, with stripes of different sizes and colours. Some dresses close with velcro at the back, and some with a metal snap button.

I have not seen many examples of Striped Dress Fleur doll in box, but I presume she had the same hair colours as all mid-80s Fleur dolls - that is blonde, red and brunette.

This doll is sometimes called a 'special offer' Fleur, because of her no-frills box and lack of accessories - but because her box does not have that label (like these dolls do), she is here in the S section.

catalogue # 385 - 1095, year 1982

body: ballerina (bending elbows and ankles)

hair: blonde, red, brunette, centre part

shoes: white kitten heels with small flower

If there is Rainy Day Fleur, it's only logical to have Sunny Day Fleur, isn't it? This doll - as most early 1980s dolls - has a smaller and harder head than Fleurs from mid-late 1980s, and very faint blue eye shadow.

She wears a bright red, sleeveless shift dress with white stripes and turtleneck collar, plus a white belt with a gold buckle. Over the dress, she wears a sweater with elbow-length sleeves. The sweater is made from the same material as the turtleneck of her dress and has no buttons. There is a matching white bag, trimmed in the same fabric as the dress. On her head, a sunny day essential - a stylish white hat, with the same trim as the bag.

Unfortunately, the Fleur factory had a bad habit of using glue to hold down some dolls' hats - which means it is impossible to remove the glue without washing her hair. If you have a Fleur with the same problem, be very careful - Fleur's eyelashes do not survive contact with water.

Fun fact: Sunny Day Fleur appears on the back of the 1983 Fleur book 'Een meisje als jij' (see bottom right photo) and in a few furniture promo photos (furniture coming soon).

catalogue # 385 - 1011, year 1987

body: ballerina (bending elbows and ankles), tan

hair: blonde, red, centre part

shoes: white flip flops, extra pair of blue running shoes

This very, very special Fleur doll is one of the last classic Fleurs - soon after, the New Look Fleur made her debut. Even though it was almost the end, Otto Simon obviously still cared a lot about what they produced. Sunshine Fleur is the only Fleur doll with straight centre-part hair and a golden tan. In the box - a full set of amazing surfing accessories: surfboard with removable sail, floating chair, white bag, pink towel, pink sunglasses and two pairs of shoes. The doll is wearing an orange one-piece swimsuit, flower sarong, red life jacket and visor hat. Even her box is unusual - Sunshine Fleur is a cartoon version of herself, in the fun style of 1980s beach commercials. The whole set is simply beautiful, down to the very last detail.

Fun fact 1: Sunshine Fleur body is darker than a regular Fleur, but lighter than Florida Fleur. See photo bottom row right for a body and tan comparison.

Fun fact 2: Sunshine Fleur's surfboard has 3 holes (2 for the feet and 1 for the sail), while Surfing Fleur's surfboard has only 2 holes (for the feet).

The advert in middle row is courtesy of The Vintage Toy Advertiser - a reference website for vintage toy ads.

catalogue # 385 - 1018, year 1986

body: non-ballerina (no bending elbows or ankles), legs move to front and back (not side)

hair: blonde, red, brunette, centre part

shoes: blue running shoes

1986 was a great year for Fleur - many favourites were released, including this superfun Surfing Fleur. She's dressed and accessorised for a great day at the beach, with a blue surfboard (customised with her signature flowers!) and red-and-white life jacket with real sponge stuffed in front (not helpful when drowning, but very realistic for playtime).

Surfing Fleur's outfit has 3 parts - flowery shorts, matching front-tie blouse (with cute ties on the sleeves), and a nicely fitting blue bikini top. On her feet - white socks and blue running shoes.

Fun fact: there are a few interesting differences between the actual doll and her advertisements. In the official promo photo (top row left and right) her surfboard is red, but should be blue. In the catalogue and ads (bottom row) she has a red visor cap, which is not included in the box. And in the bottom left photo, she has white shoes, but normally they are blue.

Photos of NRFB Surfing Fleur courtesy of Angela at vintage_fleur_doll.

catalogue # 385 - 1012, year 1987

body: non-ballerina (no bending elbows or ankles), legs move to front and back (not side)

hair: platinum blonde, blonde, red, centre part

shoes: white flip flops

This platinum blonde is ready for bed! Sweet Dreams Fleur doll wears a long, blue, empire-waist nightgown, and a tulle jacket trimmed with blue lace. The nightgown is decorated with a blue bow and the same lace as the jacket. Fleur's accessory is a sweet, heart-shaped pillow - blue with white polka dots and white lace trim.

Sweet Dreams Fleur doll has unusual 'silky soft' platinum blonde hair. In the official promo photo (top row left) her hair is red, and in the catalogue ad (bottom row right) her hair is blonde. The only other known doll with platinum blonde hair is Country Walk Fleur.

Fun fact: the white flip flops are not on her feet, but in a little plastic baggie (good to know for NRFB collectors).