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◆ Did you have this?
👍 I had this💔 I wanted this1980s · toys
Fashion Plates
Mix-and-match fashion outlines you rubbed with crayons like a style DJ. Outfit combos rotated faster than real closet changes.
- Era
- 80s
- Released
- 1977
- Category
- toys
- Availability checked
- 7/7/2026
From the archive
Watch the commercial
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The pitch
Fashion Plates lets you design outfits like a real stylist! Mix and match the rubbing plates, add crayon color, and lift to reveal a runway ready look. Every kid became a fashion designer at the kitchen table.
Why people remember it
- Swapping plates felt like flipping a magazine rack.
- You could make impossible heels and hair without drawing skills.
- Sleepovers turned into runway critique sessions.
Did you know?
- Tom Karen of Flair Toys designed Fashion Plates inspired by Victorian era brass rubbing kits.
- The mix and match plate system allowed billions of outfit combinations.
- Mattel reissued the toy multiple times from the 1980s through the 2010s.
- The satisfying click of plates snapping into the holder was half the fun.
How people search for it
“fashion rubbing plates”, “mix and match outfit drawing”, “80s design toy”
Tags
Questions people ask
- Are Fashion Plates still sold?
- Reissues appear for nostalgia buyers. Vintage sets with all plates intact cost more.
- Did boys use them too?
- Some did quietly. Mostly marketed to girls, but the rub art trick was universal.
