The Rock Flowers Archive

Welcome!

This site is intended to be an online archive of Mattel's Rock Flowers fashion doll line from 1971-72

I am a life long fashion doll collector with an interest in 1970s mini dolls and a particular interest in Mattel's Rock Flowers.

Site is under construction so there is not much here yet!

The Rock Flowers Story

In 1970, Topper Toy Corp. released their new headliner doll line: Dawn (and her friends). These "mini" Dawn fashion dolls stood at 6.5 inches, approximately half of Barbie's height, and many companies jumped on the trend and produced their own smaller scale fashion doll lines. Mattel, not one to let a competitor go unrivaled, produced their own groovy, swingin' 6.5" doll line called Rock Flowers. Most of Dawn's competition were simple clones, close copies that didn't do much to alter the form or aesthetics of their own mini doll, but Mattel took their flower-powered Dawn rival in a totally different direction. While Dawn lives in a world of glamorous, glittering mini dresses, the Rock Flowers were covered head to toe in bright neon, fringed, tie-dyed bell bottoms. Dawn had jointed shoulders and hips with a swivel twist n turn waist and pop n click knees, the Rock Flowers from the neck down had a one piece soft vinyl body with an internal wire skeleton that allowed full body posing. Dawn was a fashion model (a standard career for a fashion doll character), but the Rock Flowers were something new... The Rock Flowers were a band.

Mattel spared little expense with making the Rock Flower doll line, each doll included a 6" record featuring two original pop songs written and recorded for the doll line. What some doll collectors might not realize, is that the Rock Flowers extended into the real world! In 1970, Mattel purchased the Ringling Bros. Circus, and through the circus there was started a record label called Wheel Records. Under the Wheel label, they put together a pop band of three young women that were styled to resemble the characters in the Rock Flower doll line. This real life version of the Rock Flowers put out two full albums!

In 1973, a financial crisis hit the toy industry hard. Topper Toy Corp. was forced to file for bankruptcy and Mattel almost went under themselves. Remaining stock of Rock Flower dolls were packaged in plastic baggies without their records or shoes with generic cardboard toppers reading "Fashion Doll" and sold at discount prices. Many leftover clothing pieces made their way onto the clone market, appearing in off brand clone fashion doll packaging.