Sea Wees

If you didn't know what Sea Wees were, then here they are! They were made by Kenner from 1979 to 1984. Their backs are stamped with the copyright C.P.G. 1979,1983, or 1984 Hong Kong. I am basing most of the descriptions from memory and a little help from other Sea Wee collectors. The first three were made in 1979 and were called Sandy(blonde hair with pink fin), Shelly(brunette hair with green fin), and Coral(red-head with turquoise fin). These dolls had hard plastic bodies and long, comb-able hair. They were first marketed with only a sponge lily pad and a comb. Quickly after these came out, the same ones were sold (1980) with a baby mermaid that was colored to match the adult doll (the babies were made of a hard molded plastic with molded hair). These mother-baby combos were called Sea Wees 'N Babies.

Sea Wees 'N Babies...Sea Wees 'N Babies...Sea Wees 'N Babies...Sea Wees 'N Babies...

*Click on any of the thumbnail pictures below for a larger image.*

The third series of Sea Wees to hit the market were called Fancy Sea Wees 'N' Babies. They had the same body mold as the first two groups and were stamped with the same copyright date of 1979. Like the second group, they also were packaged as mother-baby combos. NOTE: From looking at the backs of my MINT On Card (MOC) Sea Wees, Stormy appears to have been included with both the Original series and the Fancy Series.

Fancy Sea Wees 'N Babies...Fancy Sea Wees 'N Babies...Fancy Sea Wees 'N Babies...

Next came the TropiGals(Sea Wees from the tropics!). The adult doll had the same type body mold, but she had a tanned skin tone and she also came with a removable hula skirt. Like the others, TropiGals came with a sponge, a comb, a matching baby and a new addition...a mer-pet! The pets were a combination of a fish and some other type of animal (i.e., a mer-dog would be half fish and half dog). I have included photos of three of the TropiGals mint on their original cards below.

TropiGals...TropiGals...TropiGals...TropiGals...TropiGals...TropiGals...TropiGals...TropiGals...TropiGals...

Following the warm water gals were the "IcyGals". These four differ from the other Sea Wees in that they all have an "icy" theme. Their bodies have molded on fur coats and stoles and the babies have molded on fur coats. The IcyGals have a different copyright(1983) date because of the body change.Their descriptions are below.

IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...IcyGals...

The final group of Sea Wees that were made were called Bubble Ballet Sea Wees. Their bodies had a different body mold from the originals and the IcyGals. To compliment the ballet theme, their arms extended outward in a ballerina pose and the bodies had a molded on skirt. Their tails were a little thicker and had two holes in the bottom. As you can see from the scanned photo below, the holes were used in combination with the combs to stand upright. The Bubble Ballet Sea Wees were packaged not only with combs, but also a lace tutu, a sponge, and a matching baby. The copyright date stamped on the Bubble Ballet Sea Wees is "1984".

Bubble Ballets...Bubble Ballets...Bubble Ballets...Bubble Ballets...Bubble Ballets...Bubble

Also, I have been informed that Kenner made a large plastic molded lagoon where the Sea Wees could dwell. I do not know how many or if any Sea Wees were sold with the lagoon. Kenner also sold two play sets that had a large star shaped sponge with either four or six holes for two adults, two babies, and two pets to float on. These packaged sets were called "Sea Wees 'N Babies". The set with the four-holed star sponge had came with a variant of the original Merry with a cherry colored tail (named Briny) and the other adult was like Sunny only with a green tail (named Shiny). The babies were colored to match the adults. This set may be viewed below. The six-holed star sponge set came with a variant of Flora (with a purple tail) and a variant of Camille (with a light blue tail). This set had matcking babies and pets. I do not have any idea what the names of the later variants are, but you may view a photo of most of this set below in Sea Wee items provided by other collectors. If anyone knows, please tell me. Finally, Kenner made a carrying case for Sea Wees that was pink and shaped like a shell (see photo). Any more details on mentioned and unmentioned items are welcome (photos would be great)!

As a side hobby, I enjoy altering dolls by re-rooting and dyeing hair. I also touch up paint rubs. So, before you give up on any poor Sea Wee, think about fixing her up a bit. As I get extras, I'll probably make some Sea Wees that never existed(I altered an IcyGal "Breezy" by re-rooting her with white hair and lavender streaks and painting her green fin lavender. She is pictured below. I am always looking for Sea Wees at reasonable prices. If you have any that you wouldn't mind parting with, just send me an email!

Take a look at some examples of my restoration and alteration work.

Sunny before and after

Breezy before and after

The three top ones have had head transplants. (left-right): Coral w/ a Sandy body, Sunny w/ a Shelly body (now a Shiny), and Sandy w/ a Coral body. The bottom left are the re-rooted and re-painted ones mentioned earlier.