I offered to post this query from a young woman seeking to find her childhood doll. In her initial email, she wrote:
I'm sorry for troubling you, and I hope this isn't too bothersome, but I've been trying to find the brand name of a doll I had when I was a little girl, back around 1997-1999-ish (though she may have been older than that, but she was in good condition when I had her). I don't know many doll collectors, but I was recommended to your blog.
To the best of my recollection she had a soft body and feet made of cloth, but wasn't especially floppy; her body was white (the color white, not the race) with different-colored shapes like triangles, squares, and circles all over. (It's been suggested to me that she was supposed to have actual clothes to go over that, but I don't remember her ever having any; I might have gotten her second hand.) She was black, of course, with a plastic head and I think plastic hands, curly hair that I'm pretty sure was in puffy pigtails, and a small roundish nose. I am pretty sure there was also a white variant (really they were just palette swaps of each other) with blond hair, but I never owned it; I think I just saw that one at a Goodwill somewhere, also when I was very young.
If that's not enough to go on I can try drawing a diagram, but my art skills leave much to be desired, haha.
I shared the doll's description with other collectors and like me, no one could identify her childhood doll. The following drawing was shared in a subsequent email, which might help others recognize the doll by its distinct cloth body.
Again, sorry if this is in any way a bother!
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| About the drawing she wrote: I've
taken a shot at drawing it. I was super lazy with the eyes because I don't
remember if it had irises or not. I also am not entirely sure if the feet were
green or not.
Readers, if you know the manufacturer of this doll or the doll's name, please post a comment. Thanks in advance.
dbg
Check out my eBay listings here.
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I actually own the white version of this doll. She has a pink floral fabric body and striped pink and white feet. Unfortunately, I don't have any information about the manufacturer because she has no markings.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting, Dove.
DeleteDoes your doll have a body tag, a cloth tag stitched to a side seam of the body or stitched to a seam on the doll's bottom? This cloth tag usually outlines the materials used to make the doll and the type of stuffing that was used. On the other side of the tag is usually the manufacturer's name and the country of origin.
dbg
No, she has absolutely nothing in the way of a body tag. There may have been one at some point that was removed, but I doubt it because I don't remember there being one. When I got her from some cousins she didn't have any clothes, so any clothes she has are homemade.
DeleteOkay, thanks. I am wondering if your doll was actually like the one the person is hoping to identify. You mentioned a floral body. This doll has a body with geometric shapes, which is distinctly different.
Deletedbg
Dove, do you have a picture of the doll you have? The different versions may simply have different body prints.
DeleteI don't know if the blue top comes off but of all the stuffed body dolls I've seen, this one by Avon seems the most like Dove's description and there was a white version of it so I figured it wouldn't hurt to mention it, just in case.
ReplyDeletehttp://m.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-MINT-1987-AVON-Plush-14-AFRICAN-AMERICAN-AA-Soft-Body-Doll-w-Lilac-Eyes-/302088295913?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE
Wow... I think you might have nailed it, Maricha. The doll looks a lot like the drawing. I will have to dig deep to see if I can find the email address of the person seeking info on her childhood doll and make sure she sees this auction.
DeleteThe doll is very cute, by the way! Thanks for taking the time to share this.
dbg
I don't remember the blue top, but yes, I'm pretty sure this is it! Thank you so much, Maricha and Debbie!
DeleteYay!!!! I am so happy this doll mystery is solved. Thank you again Maricha for your great doll sleuthing!
Deletedbg
You're welcome :-) I hope it's the one. I thought that perhaps this young woman was having trouble finding the doll and her manufacturer despite contacting knowledgeable collectors like you because it wasn't a company normally associated with dolls or the doll was a carnival prize or promotional item. So I looked in that direction. I had no idea Avon sold dolls before this and she's very cute.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine looked for a white plush cat toy for years until I vaguely recalled that white plush kittens were once offered as trade ins for proof of purchase of Royale paper. Companies used to really go all out to promote sales.
I knew Avon sold dolls. I own a few, but nothing like this: A Girl Scout, a female baseball player, and a Ken and Barbie-type bride and groom. They also have sold Avon-exclusive Barbies in the past as well. I never purchased any of those. I think I have one other Avon doll, whose name is Kenzie, at least I am associating her with Avon.
DeleteI also remember several other companies who used to offer dolls as premiums for customers who sent coupons as proof of purchase of their products along with a small payment or just postage and handling. You don't see much of that these days.
After finding original email, I sent the link to the eBay auction and a link to this post so she can let us know if the Avon doll is the one she owned.
dbg
Yes! Those are some interesting Barbies.
DeleteI also know a few people who had Kraft bears as kids and never realized they were promotional items until they saw that commercial featuring a woman who sees flashbacks of her life with one of them and gets the other teddy bear as a gift for her newborn.
Those bears are really cute (I used Google to find a photo).
Deletedbg
You're welcome Amanda. :-)
ReplyDelete