 = Midge ( Barbie ) = 
 
 Midge <unk> is a fictional doll character in the Barbie line of toys by Mattel that was first released in 1963 . Midge was created , along with <unk> , to counteract criticism that claimed Barbie was a sex symbol . She was marketed as Barbie 's best friend . No Midge dolls were sold for the rest of the vintage years after the 1960s . 
 Midge was re @-@ introduced in 1988 as part of the play line , though two vintage reproduction dolls were made specifically for collectors in 1993 and 1998 . The dolls sold in this time period usually had red hair , often with freckles , and her eye color was usually blue . Also in the period , Wedding Day Midge was sold , with the groom being Alan Sherwood , who had been marketed as Midge 's boyfriend in the vintage years . Midge and Alan had three children introduced named Ryan , Nikki , and Cassandra . They also had twins who were never introduced . This was known as the Happy Family line , and in the set , Midge was sold " pregnant " with Nikki as a newborn baby . The Happy Family product became the subject of controversy when some parents disliked the " pregnant " Midge toy because they believed that Midge was too young to have children . 
 In 2013 Mattel decided to revamp Midge 's history , <unk> her as a best friend of Barbie 's , but unmarried , without children , and with no connection to Alan . 
 
 = = Vintage years = = 
 
 When Barbie first came out , she was the subject of a lot of criticism , some of which that claimed Barbie was too mature @-@ looking for children . Midge was the first same @-@ size friend of Barbie ever sold , and was created to oppose these controversies aimed at Barbie . She had a fuller , gentler face mold that was less sexually intimidating , although her body proportions were the same as Barbie and they both stood at 11 1 ⁄ 2 inches ( 290 mm ) tall . This allowed the two dolls to be able to share clothes and accessories . Her head mold was stamped " 1958 " , the same as Barbie . When Midge arrived , the markings on the straight leg body mold they shared changed to include both her and Barbie . Midge had shoulder @-@ length hair that flipped at the ends . <unk> had an option of buying a doll with one of three different hair colors : red , blond , or brunette . Her face was usually brushed with freckles . The dolls that were sold without freckles had a longer hair style and are now hard to find . Depending on the doll 's hair color , the color of her two @-@ piece swimming suit varied . If Midge had red hair her <unk> was yellow and orange , for blond hair it was in two shades of blue , and if she was brunette it was pink and red . The first vintage Midge dolls had a value of $ 175 <unk> ( Mint In Box ) in 2007 . 
 For the first two years that Midge was sold , she had " straight legs " that could not bend at the knee . A rare Midge with teeth was sold the first year and is now sought after by collectors . One year later , in 1964 the dolls that were sold had slightly longer hair . Midge 's boyfriend Allan arrived as well . Early in 1965 , <unk> <unk> Midge was sold , and consisted of a Midge head with short <unk> hair and three <unk> . This was the Midge counterpart of the Fashion Queen Barbie . Since she came with only a head , another doll had to provide for the body . In 1965 Midge with <unk> legs was introduced . She had shorter " <unk> " hair , like the American Girl Barbie , with a blue <unk> . Her swimming suit was different as well , and was now one @-@ piece and striped . 
 
 = = Return = = 
 
 From her introduction to until 1967 , Midge was marketed as Barbie 's original best friend , but no dolls were sold for about 20 years until 1988 , when California Dream Midge was sold as part of a beach line , which used the " Steffie " mold . The same " Steffie " mold was used for Cool Times Midge in 1989 . In 1990 , she began to use the " <unk> " mold for All Stars Midge and The Beat Midge . In 1991 she was married to Allan ( now spelled " Alan " ) . Before and after the Wedding Day Midge doll was sold , many Midge play line dolls were produced . Before Wedding Day Midge , Midge dolls still had freckles , but up until Hawaii Midge was sold in 1999 , the dolls lacked freckles . Most of the dolls were red @-@ haired with blue or green eyes , but some dolls were brunette . The most commonly used head mold for Midge in this period was the " <unk> " mold , stamped 1985 . 
 A 35th anniversary Midge reproduction doll was sold in 1998 for collectors , made to look like the vintage Midge dolls . She had red hair , was dressed in her original orange and lime two @-@ piece swimming suit , and came with a reproduction of the Senior Prom outfit from 1964 – 1965 as well as a reproduction of the box the Midge dolls originally came in . Earlier in 1993 , for Midge 's 30th anniversary , a Midge reproduction doll was also produced , but she did not possess a reproduction of her original <unk> or the original box . Like the later version , she came in a reproduction of the Senior Prom outfit . 
 In 2013 , Midge appeared on the <unk> Barbie : Life in the <unk> where it is revealed that she has moved to Malibu . With this , her canon has been changed extensively , and she is a teenager who is retro at heart and still uses old @-@ <unk> terms . The whole ' Happy Family ' canon has been dropped altogether due to controversy . Two Midge dolls will be released in 2013 - one is as part of a collectors set with Barbie , and the other on her own in the Life in the <unk> doll line . 
 
 = = " Happy Family " line = = 
 
 The year after Midge and Alan were married , a picture of the couple with twin babies was shown in a pamphlet , but the dolls were never produced . However , in 2003 , she and Alan were re @-@ introduced with a family consisting of them and three different kids , three @-@ year @-@ old Ryan , and newborn baby Nikki . This was known as the " Happy Family " line , and was similar to the discontinued Heart Family line of the 1980s . The dolls came in both European American and African American versions . This was the first time an African American Midge was ever produced . 
 Midge was sold " pregnant " with Nikki , who was a tiny baby inside Midge 's magnetic <unk> <unk> . This led to some controversy with some consumers saying that the doll was inappropriate for children , or that it promoted teen pregnancy . Another cause for this controversy was that Midge did not initially have a wedding ring , but this was later fixed . She also was packaged without Alan . <unk> complaining about the doll led to Wal @-@ Mart pulling the Happy Family line off their shelves . A new version of this Midge was produced for Wal @-@ Mart , this time not pregnant and with a cardboard cut @-@ out display of Alan and Ryan standing next to her inside the box . The Happy Family Line included everything from a talking house , a backyard swimming pool , neighborhood market , and playground . 
 Later , around Nikki 's first birthday , Midge was " pregnant " again with another child , who wasn 't named or given a specific gender , as the gender was a surprise when the owner opened the doll 's box . Midge 's new baby was later named Cassandra . Midge has two known parents who are simply called " <unk> " and " <unk> " . At first , the <unk> dolls were sold together as part of a big set consisting of the dolls and a kitchen play set , but for Nikki 's first birthday they were sold separately . Midge , Alan , and Ryan gave Nikki a dog for her birthday . They too came in both Caucasian and African American versions . They use different body molds , to reflect their age . 
 
 = = Head <unk> = = 
 
 Midge 's first appearance was made with her own headmold , Vintage Midge 
 Later , we have Midge using <unk> ( by Barbie and the <unk> ) headmold 
 Before Teresa made her debut , Midge used Steffie headmold 
 Midge comes and goes so many times , but with her 50th birthday , she returns with the Steffie headmold 
 Florida Midge uses <unk> headmold . 
 
 