2018 Dolls Given and Received

18-inch circa 1960s high-heel fashion doll marked P11.

Dolls Given

In addition to the My Forever First Lady Bookmark sent to my friend for Christmas, I also sent her another 18-inch high-heel fashion doll to add to her collection.  Shown above, the doll was purchased from a Facebook friend during the spring of 2018.  Plans had been to send the doll in August 2018 with other birthday gifts, but in May 2018, I found a different 1960s high-heel fashion doll, shown here, that I sent my friend instead for her birthday.  Since 14R and other 18-inch 1950s-1960s high-heel fashion dolls are difficult to find, and these are the dolls my friend prefers to collect now, I held this one back to give her for Christmas.

Close-up of her lovely face

She is missing her bridal veil.  Except for the drop pearl earrings and silver high-heel shoes I added, the doll is all original including her off-white taffeta undies.  As illustrated in the second photo above, her face is immaculate, all eyelashes are intact, and her hair is still in great condition.

Possible Dreams Santa "What's in the Box?" #4056203

My friend and I both collect Possible Dreams African American Santas.  This year I sent What's in the Box? by Possible Dreams to her, shown above in a stock photo.  I added a little something-something to the box Santa holds.

She sent Possible Dreams Lollipop Santa to me, which is shown in the next four photos.

Possible Dreams Lollipop Santa #6000705

Close-up of Lollipop Santa better illustrates the little girl's face.

This is how Santa looks from behind.

Lollipop Santa's peppermint-candy-themed gift bag holds a gift and candy.

Lollipop Santa holds a little girl whose arms are reaching for the lollipop he holds.  Santa has a peppermint-themed gift bag that holds a wrapped gift, candy canes, and more lollipops.

Because of their realism, I enjoy collecting Department 57 Possible Dreams Clothtique Santas.  The history is included on the back of Lollipop Santa's box and reads:

Our very first Clothtique Possible Dreams Santa was introduced in 1985.  The stiffened fabric process was inspired by Vintage European Statuettes.  Our unique combination of sculpting and fabrics bring each Santa to life. 

Designed by Ann Dezendorf in the U.S., every Possible Dreams Santa is hand made by a team of skilled artisans.  Each is carefully packaged and delivered with exquisite detail and artistic expertise...

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Doll Gifts From My Friend

The Christmas wish list I shared with my friend included only two doll-related items.  I never ask for anything that isn't doll related, but she always surprises with me with loads of other things.  The photo above was taken of the oversized shipping box of beautifully wrapped presents she sent this year.  The doll-related asked-for items which were included and shown next were the 30th Anniversary 2018 Holiday Barbie and a Hallmark Keepsake Barbie ornament which is inspired by that doll.

30th Anniversary 2018 Holiday Barbie and Hallmark Keepsake ornament inspired by the 2018 Holiday Barbie

The 30th Anniversary 2018 Holiday Barbie is the first African American Holiday Barbie with natural hair and is the only reason I wanted this doll as I do not actively collect Holiday Barbies.  I do collect the annual Holiday Barbie ornaments.  This doll has up-slanted almond-shaped brown eyes that I had not seen previously on a manufactured Barbie.  I have, however, seen this done by a doll collector/artist whose online photos of her work might have inspired the Mattel designer's creation of this doll.  IJS.

Take a closer look at 2018 Holiday Barbie

Hallmark Keepsake 2018 Barbie Ornament out of the box

The back of the 30th Anniversary Holiday Barbie's box illustrates the other two dolls in this Barbie Signature collection.  Note that each doll's arms are positioned differently.

Also included with my doll items from my friend was a reproduction of Barbie's #1640 Matinee fashion.  (I was 10 when this fashion was first released!)

Reproduction of Barbie Matinee Fashion #1640

The fashion, which was originally released in 1965, includes a red sleeveless sheath, waist-length long-sleeved jacket with leopard-print fur at collar and sleeves, and red hat with an attached sheer scarf.  Not shown is a pair of red pumps that complete this fashion ensemble. 

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Dolls From My Daughter

After she asked what I wanted for Christmas, I gave my daughter a wish list of two dolls.  Sibahle Collection Zuri, a doll that represents albinism and Barbie Mod Friend's Giftset.  

Zuri

Part of Sibahle Collection's Rainbow Nation, Zuri is a 13-1/2-inch all-vinyl doll.  Her name means "beautiful" in Swahili.

The back of Zuri's box describes the company's mission to create a diverse line of dolls representing different races, skin tones, and skin conditions.

Zuri represents a girl with albinism.  She has gray eyes, blonde 4C-textured hair, blonde eyelashes, and freckles.  

She is dressed in a full-length dress, the bodice of which has black ovals on a tan, rust, or orange (in the back) background.  The skirt has three layers of orange tulle over an orange fabric underskirt.  Zuri can be ordered wearing an orange, pink, or yellow dress.

She wears white undies and has on white flat shoes.

Zuri's hair is pulled up into a high ponytail to create one Afro puff.

In a recent blog post, I shared information and a link to Sibahle's crowdfunding campaign for a doll that represents a person with vitiligo.  I am happy to announce that their goal was met.
Ndanaka, which means "I am beautiful" in Shona, is scheduled to be released in March 2019.

Barbie Mod Friends Gift Set

The week before Christmas, a member of my doll group shared that both Walmart and Amazon dot com had the Barbie Mod Friends Gift Set reduced from $80 to $40.  I had originally asked my daughter to buy another Sibahle doll for me (Neha), but that doll was out of stock.  I thought about asking her to contribute to the crowdfunding campaign for Ndanaka, but because I'd have to wait until March or possibly thereafter to receive the doll, I asked for the Barbie Mod Friends Gift Set instead.

Barbie Mod Friends Gift Set

The gift set includes vintage reproductions of 1968 Christie, Barbie, and Stacey.  The dolls are dressed in mod, brightly colored fashions, and judging from the weight of the box, the material from which they are made closely replicates that used in 1968.  The box is quite heavy!  The box lining is pink decorated with a darker pink "flower power" pattern.  As shown above, they are presented in a box with a clear front panel which provides visibility of each doll almost entirely.  So, for now, I have no plans to remove them from the box.

Close-up of the dolls' faces

The vibrant colors of their fashions and the dolls themselves so remind me of the hours I spent as a child playing with my Barbies (none of which were Black), but the fond memories remain.  I do not recall if I ever owned Stacey, but she is a welcome addition to my adult collection.

In this photo, taken from a downward angle, the dolls' Pilgrim-style pumps can be seen.  Christie's shoes are orange.  Barbie and Stacey's shoes are lime green.

The back of the gift set box describes the dolls' friendship.

The gift set includes the three dolls, three doll stands, and a certificate of authenticity.

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14R and Other 1950s-1960s High-Heel Fashion Dolls

Last year in anticipation of buying birthday and Christmas gifts for a friend, I asked her to share names or types of dolls that were on her want list.  "I'm always looking for 1950s high-heel fashion dolls" was her answer.  I was able to find five for her last year, which will be shared here, along with two that I own, and photos of others that she owns (shown on the left and later in the post).

All of the dolls I purchased for her and the two I own are categorized as 14R dolls.  The dolls I purchased and the two I own vary in size from 18 to 19-1/2 inches.  All have brown sleep eyes.

According to page 138 of Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide 1820 to 1991 by Myla Perkins (Collector Books, 1993), "Dolls marked 14R are a collection of glamour dolls made between 1957 and 1965.  It is not a company mark.  Dolls marked 14R were sold undressed to a variety of companies who then dressed and marketed them.  Companies known to have used the 14R doll were Bell, Deluxe Reading, Eegee, Natural, Rita Lee, Royal, and Sayco.  In some cases, other marks were added to the 14R.  An example of this is [a] doll marked 14R-1.  Some dolls with this mark are known to have been made by Eegee."  A very informative website devoted to 14R dolls also attributes 14R dolls to Roberta Dolls.  See link at end of this post.  As a result of my purchases, I can also attribute 14R-type dolls to Eugene Dolls.

All except one of the dolls I purchased needed a little help to make them presentable as gifts for my friend.  I will share before and after photos of these with details of what I changed or added.

The doll in the ill-fitting blue ball gown and light blue faded shoes, above left, was redressed in a pink ballerina outfit that includes white tights, white slippers with white ribbon ties, pearl earrings and necklace (above right).  The doll's hair was quite dry upon arrival.  I washed, conditioned, reset and styled it as illustrated in the photo on the right before sending her to my friend. The complete ballerina fashion and jewelry were found on eBay from a seller who continues to sell this in pink and a variety of other colors.  (The before photo above was taken by the eBay seller.)



The above photos on the far left and in the center are before photos of Eugene's 18-inch My Little Lady from the 1960s.  The doll arrived in her original box, which is an added plus.  Her hair, however, was jacked up, very fuzzy and flyaway.  I washed, reset, and styled it, as illustrated in the photo on the far right, which was taken by my friend because I failed to take an after photo before sending the doll to her.   Before sending, I also had to repaint the doll's black shoes as some of the original black paint had begun to chip away with the slightest touch.  Now she is near mint with original box.  (The before photo above was taken by the eBay seller.)



This doll has the loveliest face of all the ones I purchased.  Unlike the others, she has a stuffed vinyl body.  She arrived wearing a lovely pink satin dress, white satin panties and slip, and bare feet.  (Her before photo was also taken by the eBay seller).  I redressed her in a two-piece aqua sweater fashion (above right), added the pearl necklace, and purchased shoes (poorly) handmade for 14R and Miss Revlon dolls.  To make them fit her ankles, I had to cut and resew the elastic straps on the shoes.  Mounds of glue residue also had to be removed. Needless to say, I did not provide this eBay seller any feedback.

The aqua two-piece wearing doll's hair was pretty unruly upon arrival.  After shampooing, I applied gel and placed several metal hair clips on both sides and in back to create waves.  One side is wavier than the other.  (I tried.)  I gave her a new pair of vintage doll earrings, too.

Except for wiping off their vinyl, I did not have to redress or restyle the hair of the next two dolls.




The doll in the lime green hand-crocheted dress is 19-1/2-inches tall.  She has frosted brown hair with brown sleep eyes.  The doll on the right, also 19-1/2 inches, is My Dream Bride by Eugene.  She wears her original bridal gown, veil, and white high-heel shoes.  Much to my surprise, after their arrival, I discovered that the above two dolls are featured in Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide, books 1 and 2, respectively. Based on the return shipping label, I concluded that the eBay seller was Perkins' granddaughter.  I shared their provenance with my friend.

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My Little Lady (the center doll in the photo on the left, previously described) was photographed by my friend with two 25-inch 1950s high-heel fashion dolls.  Two other 25- and 23-inch 1950s high-heel fashion dolls from her collection are shown in the above photo on the right.  She has stylishly redressed each of the taller dolls.

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The two 1950s high-heel fashion dolls above have been part of my personal collection for several years.  Both wear their original fashions.  The bride is marked 14R while the one on the right is marked with a P.   Both wear the typical pearl drop earrings.  A full view of each is next.




I have also created a Pinterest board where photos all dolls featured here, as well as others, have been pinned.

A prior post on two additional 1950s high-heel fashion dolls can be read here.  These are not 14R dolls but they do fall into the 1950s high-heel fashion doll category.

This website is devoted to 14R dolls and includes a wealth of information about the dolls and the companies that used 14R- marked dolls.

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Check out my eBay listings here.