TLSM has a good friend in Greece, Dr. Maria Sozopoulou, who knows a lot about Bibi-Bo. She has restored and sold two dolls to The Little Sindy Museum. One from the first period (1980-1984) and another from the second period (1985-1990).
For a closer look at The Little Sindy Museum’s doll collection, click on a doll image below.
Dr. Maria Sozopoulou says:
“Bibi bo is a Greek doll created by El Greco in 1980, a company that
was founded by Apostolos Vakakis. El Greco had two factories, one in Attica
and one in Zakynthos.
There are two periods of this doll: The First period (1980-1984), in
which the doll is fair white with a romantic style and light make up, and the
Second period (1985-1990), in which the doll is tanned with more intense
make up.
Bibi bo has a boyfriend, John John, who has two periods too. In the
first period he is fair white with black hair, and in the second one he is tanned
with brown hair. She also has a friend, Lili Lei, that can talk and a sister, Betty
Bo.
Bibi bo has various types of fashion outfits that are divided in two
periods, wardrobes, rooms, vehicles, a swimming pool, and other
accessories.
Her circulation was only in Greece and lasted ten years. In 1990 it
stops after the terrible fire that destroyed the factory of El Greco in Attica,
causing the closure of the company.
Bibi bo today is a collectible doll, but with many problems on her body,
which is the same type as the double cup waist body of the Sindy Pedigree
Ballerina of the 70s with the ball jointed hands. The body melts badly and in
most the cases it misses the hands and the waist cup.
Despite her problems, Bibi bo is beloved by Greek and foreign
collectors for her unique style and sweet face! She is the sweetest of all!”
CV Dr. Maria Sozopoulou:
Dr. Maria Sozopoulou was born in Agrinion of Aitoloakarnania, Greece. She studied philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology (present Department of Philosophy) of Philosophy School of University of Ioannina. She completed at the same Department her MA studies in “Hellenic Philosophy – Philosophy of Sciences”, and her Ph.D. studies in platonic philosophy. Since July 2020 she is a Postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Professor Dimitris N. Lamprellis at the Department of Sociology of Panteion University of Athens. She participated in International Scientific Conferences in Greece, Europe and U.S.A. and she has English publications (peer review). Her book entitled “Conceptions of Publicness in Plato’s Philosophy” is published by Papazisis publisher (in Greek language). She is a Research Fellow at the Applied Philosophy Research Lab of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, a Board Reviewer and Copy editor at the CONATUS scientific Journal, and a member of the Editorial Secretary of the Annual Journal of Philosophical Research dia-LOGOS. She teaches at the MA «Animal Welfare, Ethics and the Law» (Jointed MA Program of the Department of Philosophy of NKUA and the Hellenic Pasteur Institute). She is a member of the “International Plato Society”, member of the “Historical Archeological Society of Western Central Greece”, member of the Artistic and Cultural Society of Agrinion “En-Techne”, and since 2019 she is an elected member of the Board of Council of the Philological and Literary Society of Agrinion «Kostantinos Xatzopoulos». She has worked in the past as a philologist, musician, and piano teacher at the Primary and the Secondary Education. She is also an artist, specialized in watercolors and pastels, and also a doll-artist.
Dr. Maria Sozopoulou also do doll repairing – reconstruction, repro body parts [reproduction of the whole bibi bo body] and repro shoes and have a shop: Seven Turquoise, Greece https://www.etsy.com/shop/SevenTurquoise
For more information please visit: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9165-1914
El Greco Bibi Bo as shown at TLSM.
