Cinnamon and Cora

Cinnamon and Sasha Cora

From the collection of Marjorie Loring Gauley, Cinnamon and Sasha Cora #109 arrived by way of Karen Oyekanmi on February 22, 2024. Karen is the founder of the American Black Beauty Doll Artists (ABBDA).

ABBDA recently received over 100 dolls donated to their organization by Ms. Gauley. View a Facebook post here that captures the moments the dolls exchanged ownership. More of the donated dolls were posted here.

For the small role I played in connecting the two women (or reconnecting them), I was offered dolls from the collection before the donation was finalized. Because of the lack of space, I chose only four dolls, two initially and later these two. I wrote about the other two in this post.

The plan was for Marjorie to mail Cinnamon and Cora to me, but when Karen picked up the donated dolls, she volunteered to mail these two to me. They arrived safely and in the most pristine condition. 

Cinnamon

Released in 1973 by Ideal Toy Corp., Cinnamon wears custom-made lavender overalls with a lavender headscarf, an orange knit sweater, a matching shoulder bag with a chain strap, and her original orange shoes. A matching flower appliqué is on the front of the overalls and shoulder bag. 

Several years ago, Marjorie gifted me with a similar outfit for one of my Cinnamon dolls (seen here). With the most recent doll's arrival, I now own three Cinnamons, one of my favorite dolls in the grow-hair family. (A Tara doll, another one of my grow-hair family favorites was also in the lot of donated dolls.)

Sasha Cora #109

Sasha Cora #109

The beautiful ebony-complexioned Cora wears the Summer Dress from 1977. Her socks and shoes are replacements. According to page 75 of Sasha Dolls, the History, Cora was the last of four other dolls shown in the book to receive a dress made of this pink and white striped fabric. The book indicates this fabric was used for other Sasha dolls' dresses of different styles as far back as 1962. Cora will pair well with my original Cora, seen here wearing a brown and white check dress.

Thank you, Marjorie and Karen O., for the roles you played in increasing my collection with these two beautiful dolls from the 1970s. 

Thank you again, Majorie, for your generous gift of dolls to ABBDA. You are a blessing.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page, bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page, and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Circa 1940s Cloth Dolls by Justyne Smith

Eight cloth dolls made by Justyne Smith c. 1940, a gift from Trish Williams

Trish Williams, a fiber artist and quilter of Peoria, IL, sent me the above group photo of dolls on 11/29/23 and asked if I would be interested in them. She wanted to gift them to someone who would appreciate the dolls. In answer to my query about the dolls' provenance, Trish wrote, "This collection of vintage dolls honors James Napier and his aunt both of whom have passed on." I didn't want to press her for more information, but I recorded what she wrote. 

As illustrated in this photo, most of the dolls bear the artist's cloth label on their upper backs which reads "Hand Made by Justyne Smith."

I received the dolls on 12/06/23 which is when I discovered the artist's name. My search for information about the artist, Justyne Smith, was futile. I found nothing online about her. I did find that her nephew, James Napier, was a sculptor from Illinois who was co-owner of World of Sculpture with his wife.

I notified Trish of their receipt on 12/08/23 by Facebook Messenger. I also mailed a thank you card to her to express my appreciation. I kept all the dolls in storage until I could find the time to provide the necessary rehab each needed. I also had to research the best way to clean vintage cloth dolls. They weren't dirty, more dusty than anything else, and their clothing needed attention. 

A Facebook (FB) timeline update from another FB friend and quilter notified me of Trish's untimely passing on 1/15/24. 

A note card from Trish arrived a few weeks after she transitioned. (The top left image is the outside of the note card; the top right is her handwritten inscription; and the lower section was written on the back top of the envelope).

On 2/7/24, I received a handmade and handwritten thank you note from Trish that again thanked me for the card I sent her and for my support. Before I saw the handwritten statement on the back of the envelope that read, "Mom wanted me to mail this. Kemba," I wondered how she was able to send it after she passed. Even though she was gravely ill, Trish extended her graciousness with the thank you note just a few weeks before she passed, and while she was apparently unable to mail it herself, she asked her daughter to mail it for her.

Receipt of the note card from Trish gave me the motivation to start the doll rehab for three of the eight cloth dolls. What was done and what I've learned not to do with the remaining five is outlined below. 

The First Three

The first three are seen in full in this photo before rehab commenced.

This photo illustrates the first three close-up. The doll on the right arrived nude.

This is their close-up from the back upon arrival.

I decided to hand wash each doll part-by-part without submerging them in water. Rehab commenced with the blonde crying doll seen on the far left in the first photo.

Doll 1

The hair and body of the first doll were hand-washed with a mild detergent.

I made the mistake of running water over this doll's face, body, and limbs to remove all the soap I had applied, the results of which are illustrated in the completed photos below. The washed bangs extended below the eyes. To avoid cutting them, I rolled the bangs on sponge rod rollers and hung the doll outside to dry for several days (bringing it in at night). 

The first doll was hung outside to dry for several days and even after that, I kept the doll nude inside for a couple of weeks to be sure that it was thoroughly dry.

The apron of the dress was torn

While the first doll dried. I repaired the torn organdy apron of its dress. I folded the frayed edges under and secured them in place with Stitch Witchery between the folds. This created an inverted off-center V. I added a button to the top of the inverted V and sewed matching buttons for the two buttonholes in the back. (The dress was not dirty, so I did not wash it. I did hand wash the doll's panties, which are not shown.)

One side of the torn apron has been repaired with Stitch Witchery.

Both sides of the torn apron have been repaired and a tiny button added to the top of the repair.

Two buttons for the two buttonholes in the back have been added in this photo.

After drying, the rollers were removed from the bangs. Some areas of the cloth dried darker than others. I believe this was caused by the type of spongy, possibly dyed, stuffing the artist used. Some of the color of the sponge stuffing must have bled onto the outer fabric. I contemplated painting the face but decided to leave well enough alone. She's crying and maybe that's because of her uneven color.

To complete this 17-inch doll's rehab, I added ribbons to the ends of the re-braided yarn braids. She's still sad, however.

Close-up of the 1st doll's completed rehab

Doll 2

The doll that arrived nude was surface-washed next. But again, my heavy-handed use of too much water on the face caused it to dry darker in some areas. I applied a remedy that will be illustrated below.

Doll 2 has been hand-washed and rinsed.

There were tiny holes in the cloth feet before washing. The holes enlarged with my heavy-handed washing, rinsing, and squeezing out the water. Some of the spongy stuffing is exposed through the larger holes.

Doll 2 hangs outside to dry. (My husband didn't like this look and said, "What is this the K K K? We don't hang black dolls by the neck here."  So, I removed the jute from the doll's neck that I had attached to a clothes hanger and placed it around the doll's waist the next time I took it outside to hang dry.

Full-length view of dried Doll 2 with patched feet. Note that the dark area on the face is heart-shaped.

To lighten up the darkened heart-shaped area on the face, I applied powder makeup. The heart shape is still visible but not as much in this photo.

This is a close-up of the face after the powder makeup was applied. Again, painting this area was an option, but I didn't want to make it worse.

I did paint Doll 2's feet because I didn't care for the patched look. The painted feet are illustrated next.

The feet have been painted and sealed.

In my closet of infant and children's clothing, I found an infant-size pink and white dress that fit this doll perfectly. At a dollar store, I purchased infant-size pink booties to cover the feet, but I actually like the exposed painted feet better.

She was dressed in this picture before I applied the makeup to her face. Can you see the heart shape?

The pink booties cover the entire foot area.

Here she is (before the makeup was applied) wearing her booties.

 

After makeup, the heart shape is still visible on this 25-inch doll's face, but I will leave her face as is. The heart shape is there for a reason.

Doll 3

After discovering the untoward results of using too much water on these dolls, I used baby wipes only to wipe down the boy's cloth surface after the clothes were removed. I used baby wipes on the red yarn hair as well. One of the lapels of his white shirt was stained. I treated the stain with stain remover, soaked the shirt in Oxy-Clean and Liquid Tide with Oxy-Clean overnight, and hung it up to dry after a good rinse. I did not wash the pants or the coat. I ironed all his clothing pieces after the shirt dried. This process in pictures follows:

The hair and body of Doll 3 have been wiped with baby wipes—no submersion in water for this one.

He arrived with some light spots on the left lower cheek area. Except for surface wiping with baby wipes, I didn't attempt to alter this area.

His shirt has been washed and ironed and his pants have been ironed.

Finally, this 26-inch boy wears his complete ensemble including his ironed jacket.

A Combined Before and After Photo

Before (top photo); after (bottom photo)

With three completed, I have five more to go.  

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

A Council of Dolls

A complimentary copy of A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power

In July 2023, I received a request to use this photo of my Newborn Thumbelina doll in HarperCollins' social media promotion of the book, A Council of Dolls. With permission granted, and after I took and submitted a better photo of the doll for their use, I received the above complimentary copy of A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Powell.

Dolls from my collection that represent the council of dolls, Ethel, Mae, and Winona.

A Council of Dolls tells the stories of three indigenous American women partly through their dolls. The story begins in the 1960s, flashes back to the 1930s, and further back to the 1800s before ending in 2010. Tiny Thumbelina (not Newborn Thumbelina) is one of the doll storytellers. The person in the book who owned Tiny Thumbelina chose it because the doll's brown complexion was closer to hers than the white version of the doll. The other two doll storytellers are a composition Shirley Temple doll and a handmade indigenous girl doll made of buckskin and beads.

In my review of the book below, I use my Newborn Thumbelina and dolls from my collection similar to the two other doll storytellers.

Newborn Thumbelina stands in for Tiny Thumbelina whose book name is Ethel.

Ethel is a black Tiny Thumbelina that helps Sissy tell her story. Sissy, born in 1961, endures multiple episodes of abuse from her seemingly bipolar mother, Lillian, who was traumatized in childhood after her forced attendance at an "Indian" boarding school where she, her sister Blanche, and other Native American children were stripped of their cultural heritage. The children were not allowed to speak their Dakhóta language. All their belongings were burned upon arrival at the school. Their hair was either cut or shaved, and they endured or witnessed other atrocities at the hands of white teachers and administrators. It's not surprising that Lillian's inability to overcome her childhood trauma caused her to periodically (more often than not) lash out at both her husband and Sissy and act out in other unbecoming ways that ultimately lead to tragedy. Ethel (Tiny Thumbelina) witnessed it all and attempted to advise and console Sissy.

A Shirley Temple-type composition and hard plastic doll represents the doll character, Mae.

A physically ill child, born with a congenital heart condition in 1925, Lillian's brief doll companion and confidante was a Shirley Temple doll named Mae. Mae's doll life, unfortunately, was short-lived. Thanks to Lillian's daughter, Sissy, and Sissy's Godmother, Ethel (for whom Sissy's doll was named), a replacement Mae arrived several years later.

A tiny celluloid doll wrapped in a leather carrier represents the doll, Winona.

Winona, the oldest and wisest of the doll trio was also a survivor of teacher abuse. Burned beyond recognition on the first day that her human, Cora, entered the "Indian" school, the doll's resilience overpowered the burning blaze. Winona's remains continued to guide Cora (Lillian's mother and Sissy's grandmother) through the 1900s travesties she endured at boarding school and later in life from an abusive husband who was also traumatized in childhood by his attendance at the same school.

Without the doll storytellers, I might not have finished reading A Council of Dolls, which took a while to do and even longer to write this post. I'd read a few chapters before putting the book down for days or weeks because it was difficult to process the generational trauma that Mona Susan Power made me feel I was experiencing as I read. The book gave me a keen awareness of a fraction of what Indigenous American children endured and the psychological effects that resulted. Children were taken from their families (similar to enslaved Africans) and forcefully indoctrinated to believe their natural way of life and belief systems were unacceptable and that the white-established way of life was to be practiced and revered. 

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Betty Teen-Type Fashion Doll

Betty Teen (type)

The eBay seller identified this doll as an unbranded Betty. A Google search led me to several photos of white Betty Teen dolls by Tong and/or M&C (circa 1980s-1990s). These dolls are said to have been popular in Russia as a Barbie alternative during the 1980s. Their popularity rose in the US during the 1990s. Black versions are more difficult to find. 

I saw a similar doll on Pinterest several years ago and pinned the photo to my Vintage Black Barbie Clones and Competitors Pinterest board in hopes of identifying her and owning one like it. Well, this one looks very similar to the one I pinned, but she's not the same doll. So, the hunt is still on for the pinned doll. 

Full view of Betty Teen-type as she was upon arrival

This 11-1/2 inch fashion doll has the usual five points of articulation with an articulated waist and click-bend knees. The eyes are painted brown with painted upper and lower eyelashes—not rooted. The mouth has dark red lip coloring and the lips are closed. (The pinned doll's lips are slightly fuller.)

My doll arrived wearing white panties. Her severely tangled hair was appropriately described by the seller, but I knew I could make it manageable. 

Betty Teen-type with hair washed, conditioned, and detangled.

After she arrived, I washed the hair with a shampoo conditioner three times. I don't know if the brown water that resulted was from dirt or the dye in the doll's hair. Afterward, I applied a leave-in conditioner, finger-combed it to separate as many of the tangles as possible, and then used a fine-tooth comb to detangle small sections from the ends upward. 

Next, I trimmed about one-fourth inch of rough edges and gave her a temporarily banded ponytail.

Finally, a light gel was added to the bangs and an elasticized ponytail holder was wrapped around the head to hold the flyaway bangs down while the hair dried. 

So in Style Grace was willing to part with this ensemble to allow Betty to wear it.

I already knew what I planned to dress the doll in before she arrived—a purple floral-print handmade dress, a straw hat, and purple high-heel shoes. The dress was a gift from a doll friend who attended a Barbie convention years ago. So in Style Grace, shown above, was the first and only doll until now to wear it.

Grace wears her new light blue, pink, and white sleeveless dress and jacket with gray high-heel shoes.

Grace's original purple stud earrings were exchanged for pink stud earrings.

Betty Models

Betty models the clothes and shoes that Grace wore previously.

The purple pumps are too long for Betty's smaller feet.

She looks quite elegant in her new clothes.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the doll therapy involved in rehabbing Betty which only cost me about $13 (6.99 for the doll and the rest was for tax and shipping). 

Betty wears a better fitting pair of lavender high-heels in this photo taken with Grace.

Other dolls by different names such as Gloria, Tanya, and Steffi use the "Betty" head sculpt. Because my doll is unbranded and the original maker is unknown, I'll continue to refer to her as Betty. 

Read more here about Betty Teen dolls in an interesting article by Ekaterina Ziborova published on February 6, 2013.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!