Quick Curls were one of the first dolls that accentuated hair play, after the Growin' Pretty Hair Barbie and friends' introductions. Quick Curls were in production from 1973 through 1980 (Golden Dream Barbie). The key to their "quick curl" was tiny wires which ran throughout the hair. After extensive play, these wires made the hair invariably nappy. Many friends of Barbie, such as Cara, P.J., Skipper, Miss America, and (Golden Dream) Christie were made in quick curl variations. The hardest to find Quick Curl dolls are the brunette Miss America, the Mexican Quick Curl Barbie, and the European exclusive Deluxe Quick Curl Skipper.
Plaited (or braided) ponytails that were factory done are an intriguing rarity. They are hard to authenticate; the top original rubber band must be present. The braid should be very uniform in consistency. These ponytails have shown up on all of the ponytails #1 through #6 that I know of, I have not heard of any plaited swirls. The top knot should go around the top band.
No one really understands the full story behind titian Standard Barbies or titian Twist 'n Turns. The most commonly believed story is that the hair has oxidized over time, much like the first issue Black Francies. But if you look in the 1968 Barbie booklet, there is a titian TNT wearing Hurray for Leather. What's up with that? She couldn't have 'oxidized' straight out of the factory! Maybe the titians were Sears exclusives or something. I've seen black cherry ones NRFB with the Beautiful Blues gift set. The only real difference between the titian Standard heads and the titian TNT heads is eyelashes or not. I think the Standard is rarer. Email me your story about your titian TNT or Standard, and I'll put it up on this site sometime!