The Sylvie Vartan French fashion doll by Raynal. France's Princess of Pop

The Sylvie Vartan French fashion doll by Raynal. France's Princess of Pop

Sylvie Vartan, the popular French entertainer, was created in vinyl, as a 12-inch tall fashion doll, by Poupées Raynal for the home market. This doll is not very well-known outside France, but her distinctive looks make her a favorite with collectors who discover her.

Raynal produced a limited range of only 12 outfits for the Sylvie doll. Nowadays, due to their rarity, these clothes have become expensive, and even harder to find than the doll herself – she is a niche-collector favorite. The full line-up consists of twelve Sylvie Vartan outfits – six city outfits and six gala outfits.

We take a closer look at Raynal’s doll, with dolls and outfits from the collection of Franck Drocourt, the preeminent Sylvie Vartan fan, designer, and collector.

Many of the images shown are from his incredible collection, his dolls are often wearing bespoke outfits he created especially for his muse. He points out that the entertainer is the only French icon to have been dressed by some of the greatest names in fashion, including Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Paco Rabanne, Kenzo, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Dior, and Hedi Slimane.

We go behind the scenes to discover the relationship of Mego Corporation with the Sylvie Vartan doll, looking at Farrah, Cher and Wonder Woman dolls. We also find out about a Charlie's Angels doll that never was!

Here are some handy timestamps so you can go straight to your area of interest:

0:00 The Sylvie Vartan fashion doll
0:22 Panne d’Essence with Frankie Jordan
0:30 The Twisting Schoolgirl
0:41 Dis mois que tu m'aimes
1:19 Can’t Stop Dancing
1:28 Launch of Raynal’s oll
1:50 Mego Corporations fashion dolls
2:06 Mego Cher doll TV commercial
2:36 Mego Wonder Woman doll TV commercial
3:42 Mego Farrah doll TV commercial
4:12 Mattel Farrah doll
4:26 Poppy Parker Undercover Angel doll as Farrah
4:54 Raynal doll manufacturer’s history
5:29 Raynal and the Mego connection – doll body
6:18 Sylvie Vartan doll outfits by Raynal
7:30 Sylvie Vartan and les Parisiennes de Edmund Kiraz
7:53 Mego Charlie’s Angels dolls, Farrah and Jaclyn Smith
8:36 The mysterious Mego Kate Jackson doll
8:51 Franck Drocourt’s doll collection
9:07 The Beatles and Sylvie Vartan
9:34 Sylvie Vartan vinyl bust
9:44 Stage costumes recreated for the doll by Franck Drocourt
12:26 Monsieur Drocourt’s Raynal collection
12:56 Inside Franck Drocourt’s doll room
16:36 Sylvie Vartan doll re-dressed with other outfits
17:39 45 rpm singles and magazine covers
18:01 Johnny Hallyday
18:07 Summary
18:36 Credits

[darklight]

I have found this doll in a car boot sale in France last year. She has her outfit but is missing her shoes. I had no idea she was supposed to be Sylvie Vartan! It was a big surprise to find out after a bit of research.
I bought this doll because she looked so unusual and vintage. I like her strange charm.

[ShakepearesDaughter]

This is such a cool doll. I got to know YeYe music a few years back, and this cultural fun stuff you give us makes it even more enjoyable. Plus Vartan is so very pretty, somehow a style and beauty perennial, so it's a nice break from the same old American "glamor faces." Did they ever do a Catherine Deneuve doll? Probably not, but another ageless French icon

[franckosmic]

Magnifique et très émue beaucoup d émotion pour moi
Merci yan

[darklight]

Les parisiennes de Kiraz sont super chouettes.

[bratzliplogical]

Make a video please about the Japanese market Barbie dolls