Paper dolls of black entertainers and celebrities emerged in America during the late 1960s. One of the most popular 1960s black celebrity paper dolls, produced in several different book and boxed sets was fashioned after actress, Diahann Carroll's role as Julia (based on her 1968-1971 television show of the same name).
Julia paper dolls (known to me) were published as books and boxed sets by Saalfield and Artcraft (a division of Saalfield) from 1968-1973. Colorforms/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1969) produced the Julia dress-up kit (shown in the first image). The Colorforms set only includes Julia while the Saalfield/Artcraft books and boxed sets include four paper dolls and fashions for each: Julia, her son Corey, his neighbor-friend Earl; and Earl's mom, Marie.
It appears that Saalfield was the first publisher (1968) followed by their subdivision Artcraft, who later republished earlier Saalfield versions. Even Saalfield republished their own paper dolls during the same year (1968) but presented these in different packaging. The first image shows two boxed Saalfield paper dolls, #6055:150, wherein the paper dolls and fashions are identical, but the box graphics differ... a clever way to increase profits from the same merchandise.
Julia paper doll book #1335 by Saalfield 1968, photograph courtesy of Ruth Manning
Saalfield's #1335 Julia paper doll book from 1968 was republished with the same title, same cover, same dolls, and same fashions in 1973 by Artcraft as paper doll book #4435.
Diahann Carroll as Julia boxed set by Saalfield #6055, 1968 Photograph courtesy of Ruth Manning
Another 1968 Diahann Carroll as Julia boxed paper doll set by Saalfield, #6055, illustrates Julia (headshot) wearing a red turtleneck, a smaller headshot of Marie holding a bouquet of flowers, head-to-torso shots of Earl (wearing a green plaid shirt), and Corey (wearing a red, yellow, and white striped shirt, holding a baseball). (This description preceded my acquisition of the above image.) Are the paper dolls and fashions the same in this set as the other Saalfield boxed sets? Probably with perhaps some slight differences.
Artcraft's Diahann Carroll as Julia paper doll book #5140, first published in 1968, has a final copyright date of 1971. Photograph courtesy of Ruth Manning
Please share your knowledge of other Julia/Diahann Carroll as Julia paper dolls that are not referenced here. Thank you in advance.
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