Around 1987 or 1988, Otto Simon released the Pretty Baby New Look box set collection - probably at the same time as the six New Look baby outfits, because they were all promoted together. Below, you see the text and photo printed on the back of each box set, promoting the collection in four languages: Dutch, French, English and German. The description says there are individual boy and girl dolls, and a twin set. In fact, there are three sets in total - see them all below.

This little Pretty Baby girl is ready for her bath! The baby doll is wearing a one-piece light-pink swimsuit with halter neckline. After the bath, she will dry off with her pink terrycloth towel, and brush her hair with the white plastic comb. Hidden on the side of the box is a round pink rattle - you can see it in the second photo. The blue bathtub is more like a splash pool. It is quite large and round, with three steps and a small slide. A classic rubber duckie is included as an accessory - so cute!

A rocking horse is a classic childhood toy - and this Fleur Pretty Baby girl has hers. The baby doll is wearing a lovely dress of blue and striped fabric, with a full skirt and puffy sleeves. In her hand, she holds a round pink rattle. The horse is made of one pink piece of plastic - it has no legs so it's rounded at the bottom - with a molded seat for the doll. The horse has a painted purple noseband, eyes and eyebrows. Also included in the box - a white comb and brush. At the bottom of this page I mention the poor aging of the vinyl used for the dolls - unfortunately, the same problem happened to the horse. While it has kept its original colour, it is as shiny and sticky as the doll.

Here's the third Fleur Pretty Baby New Look set - twins! The box contains a short-haired boy dressed in a two-piece plain blue outfit of shorts and wrap shirt, and a longer-haired girl dressed in a two-piece pink outfit of shorts and wrap shirt. The pink fabric has a subtle pattern of dots and flowers. Also in the box - one hair comb, one hair brush, and a pink terrycloth towel. There are also two rattles - one blue, one pink - but they are missing from my photo. Do note the absence of Fleur logo on the top left of the box - probably a printing mistake at the factory.

The Fleur Pretty Baby New Look collection had two individual dolls sold separately - a boy and a girl. The boy is shown below, dressed in one-piece white-blue striped romper, and accessorised with a blue rattle, pacifier and white comb. You can see the boxed boy and girl in this photo on Flickr. The baby girl wears a pink polka-dot dress with a white bib insert, puffy sleeves, and white lace trim around the hemline, sleeves and neckline.

Big thanks to my friend Angela of vintage_fleur_doll for the picture of the NRFB baby boy. The last photo of two dolls is from fashiondollshop.nl.

In the photos below, you see the Fleur New Look babies and the original Fleur Pretty Baby. The differences are obvious - hair, body size and facial features. But the biggest difference is the colour of the vinyl. Unfortunately, the New Look babies have aged very badly. All of the New Look babies in my collection - NRFB and loose - have turned yellow, shiny and sticky. This chemical aging also damages the clothes they are wearing. If you have this yellow baby, it's best to store it separately from its outfit.

The original Pretty Baby (released in 1984) is obviously superior in quality to the New Look baby (released in 1988). The design of all New Look items was outsourced to England, so it is possible the production also changed - perhaps just the materials (new type of vinyl?), or maybe even a different factory. The loss of quality is truly disappointing.