Please Sign the Petition for the Gabby Douglas Barbie

Gabrielle Douglas holds a one-of-a-kind doll made in her likeness as part of the Barbie Sheroes Campaign.

A petition has been created to request Mattel to mass produce the Gabrielle Douglas Barbie.  Please read, and if you agree, sign the petition here (and please share the link).

Thank you in advance!

The actual link:  http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/petitioning-mattel-to-produce-a-limited-edition-gabby-douglas-doll.html


dbg
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Little Girl with Curls

Circa 1920s-1930s 12-inch composition doll with molded curls and brown side-glancing eyes.

Brought to my attention by a fellow doll enthusiast (thank you DS), this doll was listed in an eBay auction with a bid at the time I saw her of less than $20.  In my eyes, she was the perfect size for my composition doll collection.  Her too-cute face and her molded curls drew me in as well. The seller described her as a Pasty-type. I do not see the resemblance, other than perhaps the full-body composition style of Effanbee's 11-inch Patsy (a.k.a. Patsy Jr.), as seen here. The doll's actual height is 11-1/2 inches.

She arrived in better-than-expected condition with my germophobe self not needing to do anything except use a dry cloth to wipe off traces of exterior dust.  She wears what appears to be her original dress made of cotton with an attached apron made of silk faille.  (I had to call my mother, and ask, "What is the silk-looking fabric called that is ribbed?  I have a doll from the 1920s.  They used that for the apron of her dress.)  After her answer, I googled "fail silk" and found the correct spelling along with an image to confirm my mother was correct.  (The woman still knows fashion and materials used for it.)

The doll's nylon panties are probably replaced.  The now off-white socks and beige or pale pink shoes are period-appropriate.  The toe of the left shoe is a little worn, but I won't bother repairing it, even though I know how to do it.  If they were originally pink, they do not match the color of the dress.

Her molded curls frame her face, the ends of which are flipped up.

After my little girl arrived, I checked my black-doll reference books to see if she had been documented.  She had, but her manufacturer's name and her actual name remain unknown.  On page 132 of Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide Book II by Myla Perkins, published in 1995 by Collector Books, she is described as "12". Composition Patsy look-alike with molded hair, molded red bow on left side near part in hair, painted intaglio eyes, closed mouth, jointed composition arms and legs.  Body is one piece with the head.  Unmarked.  Redressed.  1920-30.  A marked Effanbee doll has the same molded hair."  The doll was given a 1995 value of $150.  I won the auction for $20. 

The red bow in my doll's hair confirms that she is the same doll as described and shown on page 132 of Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide Book II.

Update 5/23/21: My little girl with curls appears to use the same sculpt and body as Jolly Joan, an advertising doll for a Portland, Oregon restaurant of the same name. The Jolly Joan doll was dressed as a waitress. I doubt that my doll's name is Jolly Joan. The manufacturer of Jolly Joan probably made a Black doll that was sold to other doll companies under a different name. See photos of Jolly Joan here.

Larger composition and cloth doll with molded curls, repainted by me to restore the composition.

My little girl with curls reminds me of a much larger, 27-inch, unmarked composition doll that I refer to as "Girl with curl" because she has a molded curl on the top right side of her head through which a ribbon can be tied.  I have owned the larger doll for several years.  Her identity remains unknown. Prior to publishing this post, because Perkins mentioned that a doll by Effanbee has curls like my little girl with curls, I searched Google, for "Effanbee composition doll with molded curls" and found this image of an unmarked white doll that uses the same head sculpt and apparently body as my larger doll.  The white doll is also 27 inches, but has sleep eyes whereas my doll's eyes are painted. Unfortunately, the white doll's identity and manufacturer were also unknown.

Little Girl with Curls and Girl with Curl

In this close-up of my two composition dolls with curls, my little one's cute face is better illustrated. She reminds me of of an illustrated or animated character that I have seen before, but I cannot recall the character's name.  Maybe this is a figment of my imagination, but I am glad she is here in three-dimensional form to make me smile each time I look at her.  In the final photo, the two are shown together to illustrate their size difference.

Neither doll was made by Effanbee, whose slogan was, "Effanbee... dolls that touch your heart."

I love them both, but the little one has stolen my heart.




dbg
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A Beautiful One-of-a-Kind Toddler by Sue Sizemore

Named by me, Maya is a one-of-a-kind painted cloth doll that stands 17-inches and has straight legs. The doll was made by the talented cloth doll artist, Sue Sizemore. I have one other doll by Sue in my collection, a mature woman, which was found on eBay several years ago. I have always wanted another of her dolls that represents a young child, specifically a toddler with straight legs.

Sue offered this doll in a Facebook post at less than half of what she would normally sell. By the time I read the post, the doll had been marked sold. I posted a comment which stated: I wish I had seen her before she sold at that price. I love her face, but also love the fact that she can stand and not just sit. (Many of Sue’s dolls are babies made to sit and they are much smaller than 17 inches.) Later on that day, I saw an update from Sue that read, “She is still available.” Through personal messaging, the sale was completed.

One side of Maya's hang tag bears her name and the year made; the flip side has a brief description and the artist's signature.

Since the doll had not been named, Sue allowed me to name her. I chose the name Maya, which Sue wrote on her hang tag and signed on her back before shipping her to her new home.

On her back, the artist's signature and the year made are underneath the doll's name.

Such a sweet face, Maya has painted brown eyes and facial features. She wears a soft yellow and tan checkered dress that has two front pockets and matching pantaloons.

She has straight toddler legs.  Her yellow shoes are painted onto her feet.

Two goldtone necklaces with ivory pendants, one flower shaped with faux diamond, the other rose-shaped, are at her neck. Tiny square acrylic earrings are sewn onto her earlobes. Dark brown alpaca wool was used for her hair, which is styled in soft curly bangs and two curly side ponytails. Each ponytail is tied with fabric that matches the dress.

While photographing Maya, I found two string-wrapped figures in the right pocket of her dress. I sent Sue a personal message and asked if they were left there by mistake. She replied, “She wanted some toys.”

How sweet is that?

Maya posed for a couple of additional photos.

Most of the month of July, I have written about doll purchases made in June, which was definitely a great month for finding desired dolls at prices I just simply could not refuse.  Maya was my last June purchase.

dbg
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Circa 1970s Tammy/Sindy Competitor

Circa 1970s Tammy/Sindy Competitor

Found in June on eBay at an acceptable price, based on the prices dark-skinned 1970s fashion doll clones/competitors usually sell for, I snapped up this circa 1970s Hong Kong-marked fashion doll in a buy it now. The auction was offered by a Canadian seller. My BIN price after converting to US dollars was a little less than the Canadian dollar price.  The small packets parcel arrived within two weeks.

I love her face, which is different from any clone/competitor I own.  Her thin plastic body and the quality of it is similar to that of dolls by Shillman , with Shillman possibly being slightly better in quality.  The face is reminiscent of Ideal's Grownup Tammy and/or Sindy's friend Gayle by Marx.  Her face, however, is not as full as Gayle's.  Her swivel waist is her only extra articulation and her fingers and toes are fused.  A new body would be a nice upgrade for her pretty face, but I will probably leave her as is.

She arrived wearing a Barbie-tagged red blouse with sailor collar, a red/yellow/green floral-print pencil skirt, and a brown plastic belt, the length of which I shortened to fit her thin waist.  Her feet were bare.

Initially, I was very disappointed in this purchase because of the poor quality of the body.  It screams today's dollar store fashion dolls.  My displeasure led me to immediately remove this type doll from my eBay saved searches.  After being on my desk, standing alongside my CPU (waiting to be photographed and spreadsheet documented), she seemed to peek out at me each time I glanced in her direction, appearing to sense how I felt about her.  She almost looked ashamed.

I have since warmed up to her and found shoes to match her clothes. The eBay search for this type doll, however, will remain deleted from saved searches.  



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Effanbee's Amosandra a.k.a. Patsy Baby circa 1936

Patsy Baby sold as Amosandra by Effanbee in 1936

After learning of her existence, in June I discovered a buy it now eBay auction for the above little cutie, Amosandra by Effanbee. Due to price and rarity, she is one of the most difficult to find black Patsy family dolls.  The buy it now was unbelievably low, so I grabbed her!

In her book, Effanbee Dolls That Touch Your Heart (Collector Books, 1983), Patricia R. Smith documents that Patsy Baby was added to the Patsy family of dolls by Effanbee after Amos and Ruby (of the Amos 'N Andy Show) "gave birth" to Amosandra during the 1936 radio broadcast.  Listeners of the radio show showered the imaginary baby (Amosandra) with gifts, including dolls*.  Effanbee and at least one other known company, Sun Rubber, manufactured Amosandra dolls.  Effanbee used their Patsy Baby mold for their Amosandra.

Smith indicates, "Effanbee made Patsy Baby-kin and Baby Grumpy into a black doll with three tufts of yarn hair."  According to Smith, this doll must be marked Effanbee in order to be authentic, as there were others made by other companies during this time.

My doll bears the Effanbee Patsy Baby mark on the nape of her neck (shown above) and on the mid back.

Her heart-shaped wrist tag bears the mark:  Effanbee Patsy Baby-Kin.  She wears an untagged, but period-appropriate dress with matching panties.  The original black embroidery yarn used to create her three tufts of hair is intact.  She has some minor crazing and paint rubs and her stringing is loose. These are all very minor imperfections for an 80-year-old doll.

~*~*~*~*~

The Amos 'N Andy characters originated in the late 1920s on a radio broadcast with two white male actors as Amos and Andy who used broken dialect and intonations to portray the southern African American characters.  Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll also appeared in blackface as Amos 'N Andy in public appearances.

Elinor Harriot, a white actress, was the voice of Amos's wife, Ruby.  Harriot is shown in the next two photos with several dolls received from dedicated show listeners after the birth of Amosandra during the 1936 broadcast season.

*Elinor Harriot, the voice of Ruby (and other female characters) on the Amos 'N Andy radio broadcast is pictured in a circa 1936 photo.  She holds a large baby doll and is surrounded by several others, many of which are Effanbee's Amosandra (Patsy Baby) seen in the back and to Harriot's left and right.

In this scan from page 70 of Smith's book on Effanbee dolls, Elinor Harriot is shown holding several doll gifts sent in after the birth of Amosandra, many of these are Effanbee's Amosandra.

To further document the existence of Effanbee's Amosandra, Smith featured the above photo of Patsy Baby/Amosandra on page 118 of her book on Effanbee dolls.

Updated 09/26/2021: Visit DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum™ to view the installation of Effanbee's Amosandra. 

dbg
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Madame Alexander Zodiac Collection Gemini Twins #21350

Gemini Twins from the Madame Alexander Zodiac Collection, 1997

Released in 1997, as part of the company's 75th Anniversary celebration, these Gemini Twins are from the Zodiac Collection by Madame Alexander.  They were offered on eBay for a reasonable price, but because they were missing their original hang tags, their 75th anniversary gold tags, their parrots (which are a little scary looking so I didn't really care if they were missing), and their floral headbands, I asked the seller if he would lower the price and he did, considerably!

Purchased in June, I used some of my birthday money to buy this pair of 8-inch identical, hard plastic dolls that wear ivory Roman-style dresses with gold lamé Roman sandals.  Their hair is styled in two side ponytails with multiple braids that are accented with tiny daisies.

The twins hold replaced white parrots and have reproduced hang tags that bear their illustration.

To reproduce their missing hang tags, I used an image of the original, which was copied and printed twice onto card stock before cutting out and punching a small a hole at the top through which a wire was threaded to attach the tags to their arms.  Two white parrots were purchased on eBay to replace their original parrots, as seen in the above photo and a closer view in the next.

I purchased two mini dollhouse white parrots like the one shown above to replace the twins' original parrots.  One of the original parrots is seen next.

Original parrot is shown upside down in this Internet-captured photo.  Scary-looking, right?

Now they are only missing their gold 75th Anniversary tags and floral headbands.  I will fabricate new headbands for them as soon as I find the same or similar cloth flowers as the ones that decorate their braids.

The twins show off their multiple braids.

The Madame Alexander Zodiac Collection Gemini Twins was another June purchase I could not resist.  I am grateful the auction was brought to my attention by a fellow doll enthusiast.

dbg
Check out my eBay listings here.

Petition Mattel for a Limited Edition Gabby Douglas Barbie

One-of-a-kind Gabby Douglas Barbie, part of the the Sheroes Campaign

The above and following images, quoted text, and videos are from a Barbie Facebook page status update posted on July 11, 2016, at 9:30 a.m.

We're excited to honor US Olympic Gold Medalist Gabrielle Douglas with a one-of-a-kind ‪#‎Barbie‬ doll made in her likeness! Watch as Gabby talks about inspiring girls to be true to yourself and dream big.‪#‎YouCanBeAnything‬ ‪#‎Shero‬

The Gabby Douglas Barbie is a one-of-a-kind.  Perhaps if Mattel is flooded with requests and/or petitions for this doll, they will follow through and produce a limited edition.  Pleas, petitions, and requests worked to make the Ava DuVernay Barbie a reality, so let's do it again!


Update
A petition for the Gabrielle Douglas Barbie has been created. Please sign it here.
The actual URL:  http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/petitioning-mattel-to-produce-a-limited-edition-gabby-douglas-doll.html  

Please share the link and ask others to sign, too.  

Thank you in advance!

dbg

dbg
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Hasbro World of Love, My Souls #2 and #3

Second edition World of Love Soul by Hasbro, was released in 1973.  The shrink wrap is still intact.  The right side of box is a little crumpled as is the cardboard illustration of the doll, but the doll is mint and that is what matters to me.

As mentioned in my previous post, after restyling a played-with World of Love Soul, I communicated with an eBay seller who offered to sell me a never removed from box (NRFB) second edition Soul (shown above).  The price was one that I could not refuse; therefore, I purchased the doll along with two mint in package fashions from the same seller (see next two photos).

These two fashions (Quilted Pants and Buttons 'N Stripes) appear in the company's 1973 catalog.

I also purchased this pair of  World of Love apple green boots from the seller mentioned above.

~*~*~*~*~

My Soul #3

First edition NRFB World of Love Soul by Hasbro 1971 with instruction sheet on putting doll's boots on and off.

Within days of purchasing the second edition Soul, the MIP fashions, and boots, I went on to win an eBay auction for a first edition, NRFB Soul!  She is my Soul #3.

This note regarding the dolls' boots is included in each World of Love doll's box, both the first and second editions.

~*~*~*~*~

During the same week, another seller offered the following lot of World of Love fashion pieces for $1.99; and yes, I won that auction too.

The loose World of Love pieces shown above are L-R:

• Fashion worn by the Deluxe Love doll:  Yellow maxi dress with orange and white flower power coat (the coat would be worn over the dress). Coat has four brass eyelets through which a missing orange lace would be threaded for closure.   Also missing is a head scarf that matches the jacket fabric.
• I have been unable to document the fashions the pink multicolored neck scarf and navy blue felt shoulder bag were released with.  The shoulder bag has a dome-shaped white button above a snap closure.
• The denim Jacket went with JazzyJeans fashion, while the acid-washed bell-bottom denim pants with silver stud trim at mock pockets and hems were part of Adam’s original fashion.
• Corduroy Knicker Suit:  Gold jacket and knickers with brown, orange, and gold shoulder bag (the gold and white plaid corduroy cap and brown knee-high boots are missing).  

These individual pieces came with a World of Love (WOL) booklet which illustrates dolls, fashions, and other WOL accessories.  I scanned some of the illustrated fashions:

The illustrated fashions above are Felt Pants Suit #4473, The Gaucho #4474, and Suede Fringed Vest #4475 (suede is misspelled as seude). 

 

These fashions, which were sold separately by Hasbro, are from L-R:  Quilted Pants #4450 (I purchased this from the seller of the second edition Soul); Love Jumper #4451; Belted Jumper #4452; Buttons 'N Stripes #4453 (I purchased this one, too); Sport Gear #4454, Multi Color Mini #4455; Plaid Cape #4470; Jazzy Jeans #4471 (the jacket was included with the loose pieces I purchased); and Jersey 'N Jumpsuit (the caption for this one reads: 'N Jumpsuit).  I was offered Jersey 'N Jumpsuit by the seller of the second edition Soul, but I passed (next photo).

The first seller offered this Jersey 'N Jumpsuit WOL fashion that I declined.

Soul #1 (my first Soul doll) poses with the first and second edition dolls, my #2 and #3 Souls.

It is amazing how restyling a doll led to desiring an upgrade and willing not one, but two into existence.  I need to doll play and wish more often.

dbg
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Hasbro World of Love, Soul #1

Soul by Hasbro is from their 1970s The World of Love doll line.

Soul is from Hasbro's The World of Love collection of 9-inch dolls from the 1970s. The first dolls debuted in 1971.  The handwritten tag that accompanied my doll reads "Soul" World of Love 1971 Hasbro. (Other dolls in the series were Love, Peace, Flower, Music and one guy, Adam, said to be named for the son of one of the doll designers.)

Soul has a twist and turn waist and posable arms and legs. I purchased her for $6 during the 1990s in preloved condition, redressed in royal blue bathing suit. It was just recently that a desire for a mint in box version surfaced. I love her funky psychedelic colored original fashion and recall wearing similar fashions in 1971, while a high school sophomore.  I had searched eBay, but at the time I began writing this post, I had not been successful in my attempt to locate another Soul in the desired condition and price I was willing to pay.

My next option was to redress the $6 doll in an authentic World of Love fashion, but there again, I had not been able to find one that was a must-have.

Black stretch headband

While looking in a rolling file storage drawer for a headset for my grandson to use with his XBox One, I found two stretch headbands that I had purchased some time ago to use specifically to make doll clothes.  I could make a nice dress for Soul with this, I thought.

I cut the ends of one of the headbands to a length that would create a full-length dress.  To create a shrug, an opening was cut in the center of the remaining shorter piece.   Soul's arms insert into the center of the opening (one arm at a time) which creates the sleeves of the shrug.  (See the final photos of this post.)

Because her hair had fallen flat over the years, I first tried to fluff it out with a plastic bristle brush. This did nothing to improve the appearance.  My next option was to give her a root job using hair I have saved from each shampoo.  (I now have two snack-size Ziploc bags full of shed hair just waiting to be utilized for a doll.)  Soul became the first candidate.  (Yes, it's my hair.)

Soul was snugly positioned between my legs holding the felting needle and holder, preparing to receive a root job using my saved curly locks.

Her head is firmer than I thought and would require extra force with the felting needles I use for rooting.  So I decided to glue the hair directly onto her head.  (I could have dipped her head in boiled water to soften the vinyl, but I opted to use glue instead of rooting.)

Using Aleene's Tacky glue, I applied the glue directly on top of Soul's hair and placed several pieces of my hair on top of the glue to create a nice size Afro.

Soul is getting her new Afro shaped.

The added hair was formed into the shape of an Afro with my cupped hand before loosely wrapping plastic around the hair to hold it in place while the glue dried.

Saran plastic wrap helped hold the hair in place while the glue dried; I left this on for about 30 minutes.

End Result
Soul models her new hairstyle and clothing in these final photos:

With her new dress and shrug, Soul wears a pair of Barbie Basics black T-strap heels.

 I am loving Soul's new 'do and fashion.  I think she loves it too!

In addition to the original Soul released in 1971, other versions were released in 1973.  One of the 1973 dolls wears the same fashion as the original doll. The only difference I found between the 1971 and 1973 Soul is the packaging.  The latter doll has an inserted flap with full-length illustration of the doll and the box is shrink wrapped; there is no top.  The original version has a cardboard box top with the doll's illustration on the top of the box.  There is also a Deluxe Soul in the company's 1973 catalog which comes with a personalized T shirt and an extra dress-up fashion.  (Navigate to the 1973 World of Love catalog at the link provided at the end of this post.)

I kept this post in draft mode for several days after Soul was restyled because a never removed from box (NRFB) first edition Soul (1971) was listed on eBay with a low beginning bid.  I placed the doll in my eBay watch and continued to watch it until the final seconds.  A few days after placing that doll in my eBay watch, I communicated with another eBay seller about mint in package World of Love fashions.  That seller informed me he had a NRFB Soul (1973, second edition) to sell.  Wow... could this be true?, I wondered.  Because this post has taken on a life of its own, I will post a followup soon.

In the meantime you may view the other World of Love dolls and the many extra fashions that were included in the 1973 catalog at this link.


dbg
Check out my eBay listings here.