11/15/05 Dolls

[Minis On The Edge]

Long Before Mattel's Barbie became the toy industry's first "full figure" doll in 1958, buxon female figurines, as fertility symbols, were the standard doll antiquity.

Name some of the earliest dolls that you can remember in stores. Tell us the "retail" name (and the name you gave) of your "first doll".

My favorite doll that I remember as a child is "baby burp" I named her "Cyndi". The one doll I still have is my Cabbage patch doll ("Krystal Ann" is the name I gave her). Ironic thing is her birth date is the same as my son's

I feel I have messed up here! I forgot our guys!! David, Darrell, William and Ed (and our other guys out there), What was your first action figure or favorite toy that you remember growing up? I played really hard with trucks (I had 2 brothers) My dad used to work for International Havesetr and every year they gave us kids the BEST trucks. One Year my dad gave me a Blue & Yellow dump truck. When you push the button, it had hodrolicks so it slowly began to dump the dirt and stuff. I still have that too. My younger brother got a fire engine but we play with mine the most :o

Edited November 23, 2005 by Mini Man

[nuttiwebgal]

my earliest memory of my favorite doll was Mrs. Beasley

ooooohhhhh I loved that doll.

my mum was smart enough to place an identifier on it so when she was kidnapped by a beastly girl down the street we were able to prove she really was my doll....but thats when her spectcles came up missing

but poor Mrs Beasley was left in my playhouse(4x8plywood leaning against our house with table and 2 chairs inside) when we moved and they wouldnt go back for the old rag....I was sooo heart broken! :o I still think of her...she talked too.

now I would like one of those in miniature! rofl!!

nutti

[MicroJivvy]

I had a "baby doll" (plastic head, arms, legs, cloth body) that I have no idea of the brand and I don't think I named her. lol..

Then I had the "Tammy Doll" -- otherwise known as the "Fat Barbie". :o I wanted a Barbie, but my mother was ahead of the times and even though it was the early sixties, my mother (not even close to a feminist) felt Barbies were evil (because of their ridiculous shape).

Poor Tammy. She was an unwanted child and was never loved as a doll should be.

[Deb]

The retail doll I had and remember most was Chrissy. Remember her? Orange dress and red hair that "grew" when you yanked on it. Seemed rather brutal to me but she never complained. She had a dial on her back that would shorten her hair when it was turned. She was very mod in the 60's.

The only dolls I still have are my "yarn dollies" made by my grandmother. Actually, they were the only gifts I ever got from her which is probably why I kept them. They're about 14 inches tall and their bodies are made of braided yarn.....they wear circular skirts of brown and blue floral and matching tea hats. Grandmother was quite talented with a needle and they're very beautiful and very unique.

Deb

[havanaholly]

"Sweetie Pie" was my first doll, she was a "mama" doll with brown glass "sleep" eyes, her body was composition head & limbs & stuffed cloth torso & she came with a sunbonnet & sunsuit that fit me when I got her (I was three or four, I remember having her with me in the car when our family moved to FL when I was 4). My grandmother's best friend was quite wealthy and gave me many dolls, mostly bride dolls.

The first doll I remember getting from the store was called "Lingerie Lou" (so I named her Lulu), she was a precursor for the fashion dolls, she came wearing removable plastid panties & bra & I learned to sew clothes for her & a Betsy McCall-type doll I had. My favorite doll was a ragdoll my paternal grandmother made me.

Both my grandmothers were needlewomen, my mother's maternal grandmother was a professional seamstress who emigrated from Scotland in the 1880s. So I guess I was genetically "hardwired" to make dolls & toys :o :o

[strudles]

From pictures I know I had a Cupie doll, wish I still had that! But I don't remember playing with it. I think the first doll I really remember was Mandi. She was made from a rubbery or soft plastic with stockings and little plastic shoes and blond hair and a straw hat and pretty little dress. She was rather cute. I may still have her tucked away somewhere. There was a whole range of Mandi dolls, red hair, dark hair... Not sure why mine was blond because I wasn't, lol.

Trudi

[hydroped]

Hey! Who says guys can't have dolls? lol You must have forgotten about G.I. Joe :o Actually my first doll - actually I never had a G.I. Joe but I did have a doll by Marx it was a Viking Doll. He was very cool and came with weapons and was Barbie size (like the old G.I. Joes) - I think I named him Vallient after an old movie that had a very young Robert Wagner playing the title role. I'm thinking that's what I named him but I sure don't remember. The cool thing is the Marx company has re-released these dolls and they're selling to adults who had them as kids

On a side note the earliest dolls I actually remember were my older sisters - baby dolls and such which I had a phobia of - and the really pretty china type dolls? I was more scared of them than spiders - I walked in on a movie that dad was watching where this guy gave away these dolls to people he didn't like and in the middle of the night the dolls came to life and killed thier owners - yikes - talk about a way to scare a guy away from dolls! LOL :o

-David

[craftaholic]

The first doll that I remember and still have, was a doll that my Aunt made for me. She is Suzie. My aunt had sewn her. She made her and a whole suitcase of clothes for her for Christmas when I was 3. Suzie has yarn hair and her eyes and nose are embroidery. She also has the year sewn on her rump and a heart on her chest. My 4 year old daughter plays with her now. I also had a Chrissy doll with brown hair. And I do remember pulling her hair out then turning the knob and putting it back in her head. My daughter thinks that is what I am doing to her when I brush her hair. Heehee

[Nameless1]

The first doll I remember is Lucy, who was the size of a one-year-old. If you tried to feed her spinach from her spoon, she shook her head. She wore my old baby clothes.

My mother had also gotten one of the Vogue Ginnies -- this is the first generation of soft plastic ones, but they were still sullen, fat little girls -- with blond hair to commemorate having a light-haired child. (Guess whose hair didn't stay light.)

When I was two, my mother's good friend brought back a Spanish costume doll for me, and that is one of the three dolls I still have. The other two are my mother's Vogue Jan (which looks more like me) and an Italocremona 14" doll from the 1960s.

[Minis On The Edge]

Calamari, I can't beleive I forgot my "Baby Alive" doll!! You could feed her the foods and bottle (And of course, it came out in the diaper) LOL. Me and my aunt had one (She was only 5 years older than me. I LOVED that doll!! I named here Melissa . I think my mom have a picture of me playing with her. When you mentioned your doll it made me think about her LOL. What a good memory to bring back.

David, me and my younger brother used to play with his He-Man action figures in my dollhouses LOL. Also the Star Wars action figures lived in my Tin House.

:o

[julygirl56]

My first doll was a baby doll with soft plastic head, arms and legs. I got her when I was 7. (which would make her 42 yrs. old) She has a soft cotton body with stuffing inside. I named her Patsy. My maternal Gramma made her a new body 20 years ago, along with a new dress and panties. My Mom knitted a new bonnet, sweater and booties for her. They dressed her up when they found out I was pregnant with my daughter. Patsy now sits on the bed in our guest room. She always was special because she was the only baby doll I ever had. Now that my Mom and Gramma have both passed away in the last 8 years, Patsy is more special than ever.

I also still have my Betsy McCall doll from 1961 and my Bubble-Cut Barbie from 1965.

lyn (julygirl)

[Missymew]

I don't remember much about my first doll. My mum bought her as a Christmas present for me so that she could use her as a pattern/model to make baby clothes for my sister who was born May 29th of the following year.

Susanne

[Peggi]

Oh Tracy you make me feel old, I bought Baby Alive for my oldest daughter when she was 4 or 5 I think. I was so glad when that food stuff ran out and she couldn't feed it anymore. :o

I can't remember exactly which was my first doll, but I do remember having a Betsey Wetsey (prelude to Baby Alive) which of course I named Betsey.

My favorite doll (I'm not sure she had a name either by the company that made her or by me) was soft plastic with sewn in hair. I think I changed her name according to what I was playing that day. But I do remember holding a funeral for her and was terribly disappointed when it rained and washed her away before I could dig her up and continue playing with her. (oh boy that sounds morbid, but I was only 4 or 5) and it was suppose to only be a play funeral. LOL :

Peggi

[MiniMadWoman]

Hmmm . . . the very first doll I remember was a little plastic thing about 5-6 inches long that was in the form of a baby or small child wrapped up in, if I remember right, something like a snow suit. It also had a plastic cradle. I remember playing with that thing for hours.

Then I got a Thumbelina. You pulled the string and she would wiggle from side to side. Loved that doll! I called her Lina for short.

Then when I was 12 years old I got Mrs. Beasley for Christmas. I loved her so much! Then my nasty little sister scribbled ink all over her face, and me being somewhat of a perfectionist, didn't care for her any more after that (the sister or the doll! :o ) Somewhere along the way she got tossed. How I missed that doll. Then about four years ago I saw an ad in a magazine for a Mrs. Beasley doll and I bought one. Talk about a second childhood! I still love her!!

[Deb]

Then my nasty little sister scribbled ink all over her face, and me being somewhat of a perfectionist, didn't care for her any more after that (the sister or the doll!  :o )  Somewhere along the way she got tossed.  How I missed that doll. 

I was reading that just a bit too fast and for just a second, I was pretty sure that you said, "How I missed that sister". <cackle>

My brother took apart my talking barbie to see what made her talk. He told me to quit complaining since I could still play with her. Because I firmly believe that there should be a balance to all things in life, I gave his walkie talkies a talk-ectomy and told him not to complain since he could still walk around with them.

Gotta love those siblings!

Deb

[MiniMadWoman]

Because I firmly believe that there should be a balance to all things in life, I gave his walkie talkies a talk-ectomy and told him not to complain since he could still walk around with them.

Deb, you kill me!! :o ROTFLMBO!!!

[shutterbugkc]

Ah, memories. :o My sister had one of those Mrs. Beasley dolls, and I think she eventually wore out the talking mechanism.

I, however, had a huge Raggetty Ann that I always had to have to go to sleep with. Over time, her hair fell out and my grandmother made her a wig of long red hair. I loved it! It think I slept with it every night until I was about twelve. I still have it.

[darrellandmelissa]

I remember having a "chrissy" doll. I pulled her hair out one day and gave her a haircut. She sure looked funny when i turned the dial. I also remeber have a rather tall battery operated doll that came with a 45 record. I think her name was "swingy" the doll sort of danced by wiggling and moving her arms some. I dont rember playing with dolls much (packed them up on my 12th birthday). I spent most of my time playing with HO trains and building and racing slot cars. Of course I always "borrowed" my younger brothers Tonka trucks and hot wheels a lot. I was pretty much a tomboy growing up and the dolls were my fathers idea to make me girly (Raised by a single father in the 60's). Along with a bedroom set I hated all white/gold french provential canopy bed stuff and yucky pink gingham bedding and curtains, Gosh i still rember how much I hated that bedroomset, but sure wish I had it today.

Melissa

[Shakyshaky]

Do teddy bears count? I still have the one I recieved as a shower gift when I was born. He is just teddy.

The first dolls I remember playing with are barbie and strawberry shortcake. ( I still have most of them) boy I sound like a pack rat. I really don't keep everything. :o

I know I had a doll before that because my mom told me that I named it tampon and I took her a week to get me to change it. ( that's tv for ya.)

[MicroJivvy]

oh this thread got me thinking not only of my first dolls, but my favorites... it took some googling to figure out what they were called, but I found them!

http://www.dollreference.com/kiddles_kologne.html

Liddle Kiddle Kologne dolls... I had the rose and the violet one... I thought the rose was kind of stinky, but I still remember/smell the violet one and it brings a smile to my face... I thought it was heavenly!

[Nameless1]

Because I firmly believe that there should be a balance to all things in life, I gave his walkie talkies a talk-ectomy and told him not to complain since he could still walk around with them.

Deb, you are almost making me regret that I didn't have siblings near my own age. You would have been fun, if dangerous!

Liddle Kiddle Kologne dolls... I had the rose and the violet one... I thought the rose was kind of stinky, but I still remember/smell the violet one and it brings a smile to my face... I thought it was heavenly!

Oh my, MicroJivvy! The Kiddles! I had some of those! Just thinking it about it, I can smell the violet one.

I also had a rival brand of storybook dolls in that size, but I can't remember what it was. Prince Charming looked tremendously wimpy, but Goldilocks was a tough cookie.

[CatColorado]

I *think* my first doll was a stuffed gingerbread girl. I remember seeing her in my crib and she was as big as I was and had rickrack hair. I had her for a long time (at least through grade school) but I don't know what happened to her.

[Deb]

Oh my, MicroJivvy! The Kiddles! I had some of those! Just thinking it about it, I can smell the violet one.

I remember the Kiddles!! I'd totally forgotten till you mentioned them! And I can still remember the scents too! I remember "Hi Heidi" too. When you pressed a button on her tummy, her hand shot straight up in the air. I think that was supposed to be a wave, but I always thought she just knew the answers to all the questions. :o

Deb (happily traipsing down memory lane)

[nuttiwebgal]

my mother would never buy me kiddles!

my aunt(4 yrs older) had several! but we did have Velvet and Chrissy

I had Chrissy....unfortunatly she suffered a horrible accident and had her hair melted by a lamp when she fell on it.

anyone have a MIMI doll of the World. she had long blonde hair came in purple outfit red tights and you could buy records for her with different outfits. she sang songs in different languages.

and I had a Ballerina doll. she had a plastic crown was hard plastic and with batteries she danced. in my older just before boys stage I loved those dolls.

nutti :o

[darrellandmelissa]

Well my first foray into "action figures" were really the little toy plastic soldiers about an inch and half tall. The soldiers had little miniature tanks and cannons and such.

But my favorite (and it shows a beginning MINI habit) was Fort Apache. It had a plastic fort. The wall sections were about 6 inches wide x 6 inches tall and pointy at the top (could never be sold now a days as being dangerous to small children), and they snapped together on the edges. There was a GATE section and the commanders building. Then there were some buildings (also made of plastic log sections) That sat up on the wall fences any place you had a ninety degree corner. These had window openings on all four sides for the cavalry guys to shoot at the Indians from.

It came with a complete division of cavalrymen with all they needed to operate. A flag pole and flag, a couple of cannons, and of course horses and saddles. The Indians weren't left out either. They had tee pees, horses (but no saddles unless they managed to steal some from the Cavalry) and fires to light their flaming arrows with, and of course their bows and arrows. They also had a neat sort of hammock like thing made again of plastic logs, they drug behind a horse to pull their injured warriors off of the battle field with. The Cavalry didn't have any sort of ambulance device so when one of them got hit with an arrow, flaming or otherwise, he just fell off of the tall log wall/fence and broke his neck and died. But then they did have those cannons which pierced tee pees better than arrows pierced a log fort.

So there's my childhood memory for the day.

Darrell