Image Above: Inthe80s.com
If you ever wanted to be a fashion designer when you grew up, maybe you had one of these Fashion Plates sets by Tomy Toys.
With these totally awesome plates featuring raised outlines of outfit pieces, you could create a closet full of looks by combining different plates, placing a blank sheet of paper over top, and bring the unique image to life by running with crayons or colored pencils. You could spend a whole afternoon pretending to be Diane Von Furstenberg or even a designer for Tommy Hilfiger cranking out the hottest designs with everyday, childhood tools. The world of fashion seemed to be at the tip of your crayon…
Image Above: Photobucket.com
And it got better. You could design outfits for the cutest guy group of the early 90s -the New Kids on the Block!
Image Above: Auctionzealot.com
If Joey, Jonathan, Jordan and the others didn’t float your boat, thank goodness you could design for Steve Urkel himself.
Did you have one of these creative toys? What did you want to be when you grew up?
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I must have the NKOTB one! That is awesome!
I wasn’t lucky enough to have the New Kids or Urkel plates, but spent many an afternoon with a box of colored pencils and the original Fashion Plates. Love this post!
I think i still have (parts of) mine! Wow. Thanks for the flashback.
i LOVED fashion plates. I had Barbie ones when I was younger. It had everything from princess outfits to business lady outfits to swimwear. Cute!
I had one of these! Amazing. I believe at that time though I was telling everybody that I wanted to be a singer/dancer/actor when I grew up. I am miserable at all three in my adult life (unless super crazy bum shaking qualifies as dancing, that I can do).
I LOVED Fashion Plates when I was younger!
I never had those, but I had those paper dolls that came with a bunch of fabric and trimmings and stuff and you could make their outfits. I always preferred just drawing the outfits, though.
Can you still get these somewhere?
Oh the memories!!! I also had the barbie ones <3
Hours and hours of young fashion fun!
I had the Barbie one and the Holly Hobbie one.
I bought my 6 year old daughter the Project Runway one this year for Christmas. She was like me, used all the paper the 1st day.
Just looking at the pictures of the Fashion Plates bring back the smell of crayon for me. I loved my fashion plates and remembered when I received them for Christmas one year. Best toy ever. Thank you for this reminder of childhood!
Ha! I totally had the original fashion plates. Grew up to be a graphic designer so I guess I wasn’t too far off. :o)
Oooh, the thrill of Fashion Plates. I finally got a set:
http://averyandwinslow.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-inner-6-year-old-is-flippin-bird.html
ahh! I used to play with fashion plates at my grandma’s house for HOURS! I definitely wanted to be a fashion designer…I’m afraid my drawing skills didnt progress much past those crayons haha
I had Barbie ones! It was impossible to color them as neatly as they looked on the box. :(
these were some of my favorite toys, hands down! Thank you so much for this little stroll down memory lane!
Samantha- I did not know there were Project Runway Fashion Plates! Amazing! A must have at any age for sure.
Oh my gosh – I had those first fashion plates and they were my favorite thing ever. I wonder if they’re still in a closet in my parents’ basement. I need to find them!
The song just got stuck in my head, “With fashion plates you can be a designer, a fashion plates fashion designer!!”
haha – this is awesome! i had one of these, but toally forgot about them until seeing this post. that’s a flashback!
i had this! and i totally forgot about it until reading this post! wow….back in the day… haha.
Oh my did I love these! I always wanted to be a fashion designer or Stylist when I grew up. Now Im a stylist and store manager. Not too far off. haha. My older sister and I used to “sketch up some clothes” and then show our mom and ask her who’s was better. She refused to pick. haha.
Wow! This brings back serious memories for me. I’ve got to look for this on Ebay!
Oh I LOVED my fashion plates! In fact, my mother just dug them out of the attic for my little girl to play with when she visits. So glad mom saved them – and glad to see others who love them too!
Diana–good luck on eBay. If you’re going for the new kids on the block one…..$300. No kidding. Yikes!
No joke, I sell these at my work now. Mind you, we don’t have New Kids On The Block (sigh), but it’s still pretty great to know that kid’s stores still carry them. :)
I actually still have mine somewhere, but now my little sister uses them. They were Barbie though, and we all know how fashionable she is.
Fashion plates are probably the reason why today I am a fashion designer! It was my favorite toy!
I love this!!! This was my first exposure to fashion, and how fun & creative it could be. Now, I need one again!
Oh, my gosh!!!! I used to have a Barbie one! I had totally forgotten about it! It used to be my favorite toy! :)
OMG – I totally had the original AND the NKOTB versions. I may even still have the finished versions of what I did somewhere…
Agreeing with Abigail — the set my sister and I had never had the designs come out as great as the ones on the box. I might need those Project Runway ones… I am so addicted to that show!
I love this too! I think BB Dakota should make these from their long, thin-legged drawings the sometimes send attached to a piece of their clothing! I’d buy that for SURE!
Heather C- Isn’t that cool to have been inspired by what is considered by some just a “toy?” You’re most likely right about the Fashion Plates instilling the fashion and creativity in you early on and it’s a good thing they did!
We need more creative “toys” like this today.
I had the Barbie one! I wish I never got rid of it, where ever that was and whenever that was!
OMG I had that first kit and drew HUNDREDS of outfits… I drew my inspiration from Betty & Veronica, mostly.
I totally had one of these and LOVED it! Thanks for reminding me about them!
I did have the Fashion Plates! (And I’d completely forgotten about it until this post reminded me!) I can’t help but think that it inspired my early attempts at designing fashion for myself…my one and only Barbie doll spent way more time as a mannequin for me to concoct designs from my mom’s fabric scraps on!
I totally forgot that I had those! Haha, thanks for the reminder :)
I still have the Barbie version that I played with when I was younger. Loved that you could mix and match.
OMG I forgot how totally amazing this was!!!
OMG! I had a Fashion Plates set too! Toys and arts & crafts stuff was so much better in the 90s!
I had one and it was one of my favorite toys!!
I had the fashion plates, I wish I still had them!!!! Man, they were great!
Hours of fun with the old school Fashion Plates when I was a kid. Loved them so much I bought an updated version for my daughter.
WOOOW! I want this, even though I’m not 10 anymore :D!
I loveeeed these!!!!! Great stuff we miss!!
I had the Barbie one!! I forgot all about that thing, it was so cool!
I had the original and the barbie one!
I had forgotten all about this! I had the Barbie one and it was one of my favourite toys, even though I could never colour it in as neat as it was on the box. Thanks for reminding me about how awesome Fashion Plates were!
OMG!!!!!!!! I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THESE!! I LOOOOOOOOVED THESE THINGS! thank you thank you thank you for bringing this up. i was just talking about oldie things with my friends. LOL this will totally bring it back. =P
OMG! I HAD THE BARBIE VERSION OF THIS!!!!!!!
I that exact one of Fashion Plates. Actually, did you guys steal it?!
I miss this sooo much! I was sooo mad when my mom gave it to my younger cousin without my permission!
My original Fashion Plates. It was the only time in my life I had any sense of style before I found this site. Although I was a child model (Very VERY briefly. My grandmother tailor made all my clothes though, so when I wasn’t posing professionally, I was ALWAYS in front of HER camera.) I wore all the clothes she made for me to school, until she couldn’t make them anymore. That’s when lost my sense of fashion and became a plain jeans and T kinda gal. Being raised by grandma, I loved old fashioned things, and would use my Fashion Plates to make vintage looking clothing. Thank God for Mod Cloth, my sense of style has returned and I can look fabulously old school. :)
I loved those! Awww memories!
I had the original set of Fashion Plates. They were particularly helpful in providing surface texture. But I vastly preferred making my own drawings. At the time, when I was age 10-11, I very much wanted to be a fashion designer. I’m more interested in interior design now. I haven’t really learned to sew yet,
OMG I loved this. It brought back memories :)
I always wanted this! I think it is the one thing I wanted that I didn’t get in the 80s.
I’m dying for someone to post the commercial on youtube!