A vintage 1970s Tinkerbell manicure set case
An old Tinkerbell manicure set: Cream Lotion, Pink n’ Pretty Polish and Natural Polish
Add to that the fact that I have somehow held on to this little case of beauty treats for four decades, and you can see how much of an impact an inexpensive drugstore toy had on me and some other girly-girls in the seventies.
Old Tinkerbell “pink n’ pretty” nail polish from ’70s manicure set
Vintage Tinkerbell cream lotion from a seventies manicure set
Retro Tinkerbell natural nail polish from this girls’ manicure set
DON’T MISS: See top vintage nail polish colors & retro brands
Vintage Tinkerbell manicure kits: Hand Care Carry All from 1979
How little girls love to be young ladies! Remember the young lady in your little girl this Christmas with Tinkerbell grooming accessories.
Choose from bubble bath, dusting powder, lipstick, cologne and hand lotion.
The Tinkerbell Magic Workshop for Little Girls: Budding beauties with class (1978)
From the Fort Lauderdale News (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) August 13, 1978
Thank heaven for little girls.
But little girls turn all too quickly into big girls — big girls that have to know important things like how to set their hair, polish their nails, put on makeup, walk, talk, and sit in a ladylike manner.
Well, let me reword that. They don’t have to know these things. But they want to.
As “liberated” as times are, most girls pay close attention to their looks. And these days, they start a lot earlier than in my day.
So Jordan Marsh got the idea of sponsoring a three-week course for teenie-weenies with wobbly legs and errant feet. It’s called the Tinkerbell Magic Workshop for Little Girls.
Open to young would-be ladies from the ages of 6 to 12, the course covered the basics of good grooming, manners, posture and other assorted things like how to sit, how to walk, even how to shake hands.
In the first class, the girls at the Fort Lauderdale store were instructed in the fine art of grooming by specialists from the Glemby Salon.
Nothing too complicated. Just how to wash and take care of their hair, how to wash their faces and how to keep their complexions sparkling clean. All things a lot of grown-up women still have trouble with.
ALSO SEE: Love’s Baby Soft: Because innocence is sexier than you think? Eww. (’70s & ’80s)
The girls, 25 in total, were also given a Tinkerbell tote bag which held emery boards, lotion, lip gloss, polish, brush and comb. All of which no well-groomed young lady should be caught without…
The instructor, part-time model Keyna Albert, worked patiently with the girls, teaching them the basics of modeling. Pivoting, walking and proper posture.
And Marilyn Godsey, fashion coordinator for Jordan Marsh, expressed astonishment at how quickly the girls picked up the pointers.
‘At such a young age, they really grasp what is being taught and they are so eager to learn,” says Ms. Godsey.
Working with the mini-females for a straight hour was anticipated as a problem. After all, the attention span of a youngster (and many adults) is only 20 minutes.
But the secret was in keeping the girls active and participating in every phase of the course.
The idea of teaching little girls how to make the adjustment from tomboy to prom queen is apparently catching on.
Says Ms. Godsey, “The idea originated with Jordan Marsh, but now department stores all over the country are starting their own classes.”
In their last class before the fashion show to be held next Wednesday afternoon, the girls were told what time to be at the store for a fitting.
“You mean we have to wear clothes from the store?” asked one pig-tailed lass.
“Do we get to keep them?” asked another 6-year-old potential bombshell.
But one little girl was quite upset that the fashion show was going to disrupt her television viewing plans.
“But 3 o’clock is when Popeye is on!”
Such is the price of beauty.
Tinkerbell BO-PO: Brush-on, peel-off nail polish (1982)
TINKERBELL JUST INVENTED “BO-PO.” IT’S THE WORLD’S FIRST BRUSH-ON PEEL-OFF NAIL POLISH. IT’S GREAT BECAUSE:
Susie: “Because it’s fun! It comes in 6 exciting colors, and they all peel off easily. Besides, Mom loves it ’cause it doesn’t need nail polish remover.”
Mom: “Because it never requires nail polish remover, and it’s non-toxic so it’s safe! Besides, Susie loves to brush it on and peel it off and I love to see her have fun!”
Look for BO-PO and Tinkerbell’s many other good-grooming products in stores everywhere. Shown: Hocus-Pocus Pink – Other colors: Pink-a-Boo, Plum Loco, Reddy or Not, Red-iculous, and Out of Sight Clear.
Retro Tinkerbell BO-PO nail polish, with actress Danielle Brisebois (1982)
Leave it to Tinkerbell to discover the latest thing in good grooming … BO-PO comes in six exciting colors, and they all peel off easily. WITHOUT NAIL POLISH REMOVER.
And they’re non-toxic, so they aren’t just fun…they’re safe, too! Look for BO-PO and Tinkerbell’s many other good grooming products in stores everywhere, and see for yourself why everyone’s talking about BO-PO.
ALSO SEE: 109 colors of retro Revlon nail polish (1981)
Tinkerbell BO-PO, lip pomade & cologne for kids (1985)
“When I was a little girl, I used to love surprises! Once in a while, for no reason at all, my mother would give me a Tinkerbell treat, and those were the best surprises of all.
“Well, now I’m a mother, and my little girl loves Tinkerbell just as much as I did — so today, I’m going to surprise her with a Tinkerbell treat. Maybe some BOPO brush-on peel-off nail polish. It needs no messy remover. Or maybe a lip pomade or some cologne.
“Any Tinkerbell item makes a perfect gift — especially since they’re so affordable! There’s nothing more fun than an unexpected treat, especially when it’s Tinkerbell.”
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5 Responses
Oh my goodness! I finally found it! I have looked for a picture of this manicure set for ages! It is such a fond memory of mine. I purchased my set as a souvenir from Disneyland in’77. The only thing missing from the set pictured is the handle which was a little white nail brush. Eventually I ran out of hand lotion and the “clear” nail polish dried up so my mother finally tossed it out…but I have kept fond memories of that little manicure set all of these years. Thanks for blogging about it, it was great to see it once again!
I had these, too and, wow…. such great memories! Thanks for posting!
I feel so ancient! I’ll be 44 next month and I remember saving my allowance to buy anything with TinkerBell on it. Perfume, powder, nailpolish, tinted lipstick.
Oh, those days of carefree moments.
Thank you for reminding me of this. I, too, had the set from the mid 70’s. So much fun and such great memories. I wish I still had it.