Black Doll Collecting: 2025

Thursday, July 17, 2025

A Stockinette Bottle Doll

Circa 1930s to 1940s black stockinette mammy bottle doll

I named her Laney, and she's here to stay. Laney was donated by an octogenarian who wanted her to be with someone (and hopefully among other dolls) where her appreciation would continue.

It seemed difficult for her previous owner to part with her, and I don't know what her circumstances were at the time, but she seemed sad and afraid that Laney would wind up at an estate sale or worse. So, I accepted Laney and incorporated her into my collection. She has been installed in DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum, where her complete story, as recalled by the previous owner, is shared under the Other/Provenance section.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

I am a Black-doll enthusiast, doll historian, freelance writer, author of The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls; Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion; and The Doll Blogs: When Dolls Speak, I Listen.

Founder and curator of DeeBeeGee’s Virtual Black Doll Museum at virtualblackdollmuseum.com Please visit and become a contributing patron. Black dolls are my passion, my drug of choice. They renew my spirit!

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

The Return of a Googly-Eyed Doll

Two circa mass-produced porcelain dolls

One of my nieces gave me two porcelain dolls. The 16-inch blonde doll wears a blue and white polka dot pleated dress embellished with lace and faux pearl buttons, off-white undergarments, white cotton socks, and black faux leather shoes. A googly-eyed 10-inch doll (a reproduction of an early 1900s googly) wears a white eyelet dress and pantaloons with white tights and pink ribbons tied around each ankle.

The dolls were found in a 19th-century house in New England, and my niece and the owner of the house both thought they were "old" dolls. Because I am a doll collector, my niece wanted me to have them, so I accepted both.

AI-generated description of googly-eyed dolls:

Googly-eyed dolls, characterized by their large, often side-glancing eyes, were a popular type of novelty doll in the early 20th century, particularly during the 1910s and 1920s. The term "googly" is thought to originate from the German "Guck Augen," meaning "ogling eyes". Original versions of these dolls, often with bisque or composition heads and cloth or papier-mâché bodies, are now highly collectible.

Her name is Cindy.

I removed the partially glued-on pink ribbons from Cindy's curly hair, removed and washed her clothes, and fluffed out her curls to create an Afro.

Cindy's wig had tight curls and pink ribbons glued onto both sides.

Cindy's curls were fluffed out with a plastic-bristle brush to create an Afro.

I reattached the pink ribbons to Cindy's hair and redressed her in her freshly washed and dried clothes.

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During my 1990s doll-collecting infancy, I purchased a similar, possibly identical, reproduction googly-eyed doll. I was certainly not a doll connoisseur at that time. If the doll was black and nonstereotypical, I gave little thought about whether or not to purchase it before buying. I don't remember what happened to the first googly-eyed doll. I either gave it away or donated it. Determined to be part of my current collection (cookie-cutter or not, reproduction or not, porcelain or not), this googly-eyed doll by Dynasty is determined to stay.

According to Cindy's hang tag, the doll was made in 1983. So, it is an earlier-than-I-thought mass-produced "collectible doll" designed for adult collectors.

After I gather enough items, I will donate the other doll to an organization that picks up donations in my area once a month, but 10-inch Cindy gets to stay.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Tiny Tears' Booties

Hand-crocheted booties (made for 18-inch dolls)

The pink booties I ordered for my replaced childhood doll arrived. They are a little roomy, but otherwise, fit 1950s American Character Tiny Tears' tiny feet well.

The booties are worn over pink lacy ankle socks.

Tiny Tears stands to model her new booties.

In this picture, she sits while modeling her new crocheted booties.

Some years ago, I could find similar baby booties at dollar stores, but recently, none have been in stock. Even though I no longer actively collect baby dolls, since shipping was free, I plan to order a few more from Etsy seller Mystic Needle, or learn how to crochet, but the latter is highly unlikely.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Barbie Kit Dolls Redressed and New Supermodel Dolls

White dresses for 12.6-inch dolls

A few months ago, I ordered white dresses with a plan to redress my Barbie You Create Kit #3 Dolls or my Xian Xian dolls. I finally redressed the Barbie kit dolls a couple of weeks ago.

Barbie You Create Kit #3 Dolls redressed

The Barbie divas are seen in a full-length photo.

Note that the full-length dresses cover the dolls' feet. This is because the dresses are designed to fit taller dolls that are even taller than the "Tall" Barbie in the middle.

The Barbie kit dolls were redressed before I became aware of and ordered a trio of new 2025 12.6-inch European (Supermodel) dolls from China.

This is how the China dolls were shipped.

The China fashion dolls arrived wrapped in bubble wrap inside a thin plastic mailer. (Their method of shipping the dolls always horrifies me, but I take a chance because of the price. At the time I ordered these, they were $6.32 each. Their method of shipping is the reason I never mention the site's name on my blog.)

I took additional full-length and close-up photos after each layer of plastic was removed from the dolls.

Underneath the bubble wrap, each doll was inside a thin plastic bag.

The heads and hair were protected with another thin piece of plastic as illustrated here and in the next close-up photo.

Close-up of the head/hair plastic protection; the plastic covered their faces and the full length of their hair.

All of the plastic is removed in this photo and in the next close-up photo.

These articulated dolls are prettier in person than their online photos illustrate.

Their faces are quite pretty. I'm not enthused over the coral lip color, but it's better than pink. Other collectors have compared these dolls to Poppy Parker by Integrity Toys. There were six brown-skinned dolls available with a choice of light or dark brown, or blonde hair in slightly wavy and straight styles. I chose two with slightly wavy hair (light brown and dark brown) and one with straight blonde hair.

The extra articulation extends to the elbows, underneath the breasts (which provides only slight movement), the wrists, and the knees. The ankles are not jointed.

After their July 4th arrival, I redressed the new girls in the white dresses the Barbie kit dolls had worn.

Supermodels in white dresses

Supermodels in white dresses striking poses

A final close-up together

The dolls were photographed with the Barbie You Create Kit dolls to illustrate the height differences.

The curvy-bodied Barbie and the tall-bodied Barbie are much shorter than the supermodel.

These two supermodels tower over the petite-bodied Barbie kit doll.

Because of their 12.6-inch height, the full-length dresses do not cover the supermodels' feet, which gives a better overall appearance. I have since ordered more fashions to mix and match between these dolls and other fashion dolls. Why? Because a woman/doll can never have enough clothing (or shoe) options.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

Thursday, July 3, 2025

American Horror Story

Image generated by ChatGPT using DALL·E, an AI model by OpenAI, using the prompt, "create a simple doll image of Frederick Douglass."

I contemplated writing a "Happy 4th of July" post, the holiday that celebrates the day in 1776 when the Thirteen Colonies declared independence from British rule. However, not all American people could celebrate their independence in 1776, and life, as a whole, was not happy for them. Enslaved Americans were used for free labor, sold back and forth between plantations, separated from family, fed scraps, bred, denied education, brutalized, and, if they survived, endured other unimaginable situations daily.

Things eventually changed in America, and chattel slavery was outlawed, only to be replaced by other legal methods to keep Black people in check, never being allowed the full freedoms and privileges of mainstream society. Yet, survival and achievements by African Americans occurred despite insurmountable obstacles.

Here we are, 249 years later, with an unchecked government chipping democracy away, stripping citizens of human and civil rights, and any past gains to further enrich the wealthy, all under the guise of making America great again. When has this country ever been truly great?

Since January 20, 2025, life in America for most citizens who desire a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has been nightmarish. It is as though we are in the midst of a never-ending horror story that becomes more frightening each day with calamity after calamity, corruption after corruption, deflection after deflection, rooted in the head of government's constant grifting and unquenched thirst for authoritarian power.

Frederick Douglass, circa 1850s in a Creative Commons image

There's no time for celebration. “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, You may rejoice, I must mourn.”—Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852

Read Douglass' speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" and ask yourself, have we all become enslaved by the current authoritarian-like, horrific regime with spineless politicians and the stacked Supreme Court allowing such lawlessness? What can we do to right the overwhelming corruption when the cards are stacked against us? Will there be an uprising between the people and the government? What is the answer? It is not as simple as voting them out when the voting system is rigged by and in favor of corrupt politicians. I wonder what Frederick Douglass would ask now.

An upside-down American flag is a distress signal.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

The Virtual Black Doll Museum on Pinterest

DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum on Pinterest

DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum is on Pinterest with nine sections. Each section allows viewers to see categorized installation groups of individual pins that link to each installation.

The Doll Videos/Commercials board links viewers to the weekly YouTube video recaps of installations that are published each week. Other doll-related videos, such as vintage doll commercials, are also pinned to this board.

Access the main board here.

Access the categorized boards at the links below.

Antique Black Dolls (80+ years old)

Vintage Black Dolls (1940-1960)

Vintage Black Barbies (1967-1980)

Modern Black Dolls (1961-present)

One-of-a-Kind Black Dolls

Doll Videos/Commercials

Museum Products

In the News

Miscellaneous

After each installation is published on the museum website, a pin is added to the associated Pinterest category. Because the boards are not stagnant and change frequently, follow DeeBeeBee's Virtual Black Doll Museum on Pinterest to receive notifications when new pins are added, and feel free to share and re-pin.

DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum is the first and only virtual Black doll museum where culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant, antique, vintage, modern, and OOAK Black dolls are celebrated 24/7 with detailed installations for each doll (photos, full descriptions, references, and available provenance).

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

Thursday, June 26, 2025

My Childhood American Character Tiny Tears Replacement

1950s American Character Tiny Tears

I recently began reminiscing about one of my first childhood dolls, a 16-inch Tiny Tears by American Character. My version was on the market from 1956-1958 and had a hard plastic head, a rubber body, blue sleep eyes, and rooted honey-blonde saran hair. I have several fond memories of nurturing the doll whose clothes eventually separated from its body, which forced me to devise a pair of panties for it using a sock, scissors, a needle, and thread. She came with a plastic doll baby bottle, and a bubble-blowing pipe. The doll's design is described in the online article, "Treasures: 1950s Tiny Tears doll is collectible," by Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson, Tribune News Service, Jul 28, 2015.

Tiny Tears by American Character, introduced in the 1950s, was designed to cry by using a mechanism that involved a small reservoir of water and a squeezable belly. When the doll was fed water from her bottle and her belly was squeezed, the water would flow through two small holes near her eyes, simulating tears.

According to the Doll Reference site, a 13-1/2 inch black* Tiny Tears was made from 1956-1958, but my childhood doll was white, which is the doll I chose to replace. I was about 3 when I received it and played with it for a few years, or at least until I was 5. I remember being fascinated by the release of tears from the tiny holes in the inner corners of the doll's eyes after the doll was bottle-fed water and her tummy was squeezed. I made clothes for her with socks (as described above).

One Sunday, I faked not feeling well so I could stay home from Sunday school and church. Late in the afternoon, after Mama returned from church, I sat on the front porch with a sock on my thigh, attempting to sew something for my doll, and I accidentally drove the needle through my thigh. I ran inside the house and told Mama (who knew I wasn't really sick that morning, probably didn't want to be stressed out by my earlier theatrics, and allowed me to stay home with my daddy). Before she attended to my accidental self-inflicted puncture wound, she said, "That's what you get for not going to church!" Expecting to be immediately comforted, I was shocked.

It would be a long time before I pulled a fake sickness stunt again, and the few other times I did, if it involved not going to church, I was always extra careful about the activities of that day for fear of getting paid back with an injury for not going.

The replaced doll arrived in very good condition, wearing a period-appropriate dress.

Tiny Tears gets new clothes

While the replaced doll is not "the" doll I owned as a child. She is a suitable stand-in. She arrived wearing a period-appropriate dress that I later replaced with a beautifully made pink and white polka dot dress, bonnet, and panties sewn by a professional -- no needle thigh stabbing was involved for the replacement doll to witness.

She looks adorable in her new clothes.

Tiny Tears wears pink lacy ankle socks.

I ordered a pair of pink knit doll booties for Tiny Tears. These will replace the ankle socks or will be worn with the socks after the booties arrive.

*Often referred to as the Black tax, in today's market, 1950s black Tiny Tears dolls by American Character are priced multiple times more than white versions.

References

American Character Dolls 1950s USA

Treasures: 1950s Tiny Tears doll is collectible

1956 Black Tiny Tears

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

A Quick Redress or Three

Deluxe Style Barbie Doll 3

I purchased Deluxe Style Barbie 3 for the fashion that I wanted one of my dolls to wear. The pink baby-doll dress appeals to me because it reminds me of a dress I wore during my youth.

Deluxe Style Barbie Doll 4 wears her original clothes.

I had envisioned redressing Deluxe Style Barbie 4 in the baby-doll fashion, but after considering her petite height, I opted to redress a taller doll.

Fashionista #239 originally wore a silver lamé dress with side cutouts with cowboy boots and a too-small cowboy hat.

I chose Taya (Fashionista #239) to wear the new fashion, and she wears it well as illustrated above.

Barbie Style Fashion Signature Doll #2 (Goddess) wears Taya's clothes.

Since the fashions remain unopened in Barbie Style Fashion Signature Doll #2's package, Taya's silver lamé dress, cowboy boots, and hat are worn by that doll.

Taya and Goddess pose together in their new clothes.

After returning Goddess to her package, I gathered all the dolls I redressed in pink last year and took the following group photo.

Taya is added to the group of dolls that I redressed in pink in October 2024.

This was indeed a quick redress or three. They all display well together on the corner of my desk.

Related Posts

Perfect in Pink

Deluxe Style Barbie #4 Unboxed

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Mattel's 80th Anniversary Barbie

Stock photos of Mattel's 80th Anniversary Barbie

This lovely doll, which features the closed-mouth Brooklyn sculpt, celebrates Mattel's 80th Anniversary, not Barbie's 80th anniversary (Barbie has only been around since 1959). She's available at the Mattel Creations website and on Amazon.com (where you can enjoy free shipping with or without Amazon Prime).

Mattel's description is copied below:

Eight decades of iconic toymaking warrants a special design to mark the occasion. Behold our Mattel 80th Anniversary Barbie doll, a stunning keepsake that honors the legacy of a company that has inspired generations. She looks red carpet-ready in a glittery gown accentuated by bow-like sleeves and a dramatic tulle bustle. Ruby pumps complement her dazzling look, while red nails and drop earrings with a golden “M” pay stylish homage to the old-school Matty Mattel logo. Mattel 80th Anniversary Barbie® Doll
Doll Designer: Carlyle Nuera
Packaging Designer: Jennifer Cretacci
Label: Black
Face Sculpt: Closed-mouth Brooklyn
Body Type: Model Muse Curvy
Includes Certificate of Authenticity

Happy shopping!

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

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

__________

Black Doll Enthusiast

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

An OOAK Doll by Lorna Miller Sands

A one-of-a-kind cloth-bodied polymer clay doll made in 1990 by Toridan (Lorna Miller Sands) is a new arrival.

I purchased this one-of-a-kind doll by Lorna Miller Sands earlier this month (June 2025). On Friday the 13th, after several days of non-delivery, the seller checked on the doll's whereabouts and was told the post office sent the doll to the incorrect USPS distribution center! I contacted the post office to get clarification. I was assured by the very nice USPS customer service representative, Amber, that the package would be transferred to the correct distribution center and delivered to me within a few days. The transfer occurred after 48 hours, and I received shipping notifications from the post office and the seller that the package would be delivered on Monday, June 16, 2025, by 9 p.m. It arrived with the doll intact much sooner at 1:48 p.m.

Whew! This was a pins and needles experience!

Also made in the 1990s by Lorna Miller Sands, Rashahn is my first OOAK doll in polymer clay by this artist.

After purchasing Rashahn, a 1990s Lorna Miller Sands one-of-a-kind baby boy, from another collector several years ago, I subconsciously wanted to add an OOAK girl with straight legs to my collection. Without actively looking for one, this one "found me!" Standing 18 inches tall, her name is Carly, which is incised by the artist in the back of her neck above "Toridan." Lorna's dolls were branded, Toridan, during the 1990s.

Carly can sit or stand (with the aid of a doll stand).

In this picture, Carly stands on a straddle doll stand.

Immediately above and below, she is with her baby brother (they are scaled differently, but display well together).

I have to wash her dress and find the same textured dark-brown hair to cover the exposed glue at Carly's the hairline. Lorna is known to have used human hair (from her children) when she worked under the Toridan brand.

After I spruce her up and take better pictures, Carly will be a DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum installation. I'll the installation link to this post after it has been published.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Early 1900s Composition Doll Discovery

Legs and feet of two very rare early 1900s black composition dolls

On May 18, 2025, I was contacted by a textile conservator seeking information about two quite rare antique black dolls. I offered what little information I knew about one of the dolls' makers, but I had no idea the other doll existed. Giddy about my newfound knowledge of both dolls and eager to share it with the doll community, I gained permission from the organization that owns the dolls to document them in separate installations within DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum.

Which dolls are these? Discover more by following the links below for the June 9, 2025, and June 11, 2025, museum installations, and let me know your thoughts on these two gems!

June 9, 2025, VBDM installation

June 11, 2025, VBDM installation

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

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

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Black Doll Enthusiast

World Doll Day 2025

World Doll Day - Give a girl a doll.

"Every year on the second Saturday in June, World Doll Day celebrates the idea of a doll delivering a universal message of love and happiness. The day also encourages you to give someone a doll, especially to a child who does not have one" (National Day Calendar).

World Doll Day falls on June 14, 2025. Do you have any special plans?

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

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

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