MIBDH: Early Ideal Dolls

Similar to Horsman, Alexander, and Effanbee, Ideal Toys/Ideal Dolls incorporated black dolls into their doll lines as early as the 1930s.  Below are a few early dolls by Ideal.

Illustration 72 - Ideal Toy Corporation – Black Snow White, 1938

Material: All composition

Height: 16-1/2in/41.91cm

Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Molded black hair with front center part, molded red bow/painted black with brown irises/open-closed with molded painted teeth

Clothing: Redressed in 16in/40.64cm Shirley Temple “Little Princess” dress and cape outfit

Illustration 73 - Ideal Toy Corporation – Saralee, 1951

Material: Vinyl head, arms, legs; brown cloth body with crier voice box

Height: 18in/45.72cm

Marks: Ideal Dolls (on head)

Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Molded black/brown sleep/open-closed mouth with molded tongue

Clothing: Light blue organdy Ideal-tagged dress, white socks, off-white shoes, replaced blue bonnet

Other: See “Spotlight on a Vintage Doll” in Chapter 9. (An excerpt from a February 2002 BDE article)

Photograph courtesy of Gerald Corbin

Illustration 74 - Ideal Toy Corporation – “Saralee’s Brother,” ca. 1951

Material: Vinyl

Height: (approximately) 14in/35.56cm

Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Molded black curly/brown sleep/open-closed mouth

Clothing: Redressed in a red shirt and blue pants

Other: According to Collector’s Guide to Ideal Dolls Identification and Value Guide by Judith Izen, Ideal manufactured head molds for Saralee’s big brother, big sister, and little brother but the dolls were never made.


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Images and text are from chapter 1, Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion by Debbie Behan Garrett copyright 2008