Made for children over three with a box date of 1981 (MCMLXXXI), this version of Debbie Goes West by Uneeda is Assortment No. 70870. The subtitle on the box reads "The Best Dressed Doll in Town." Could this be because of her western outfit and accessories, which consist of a brown and white gingham shirt, yellow vest, tan felt hat, chaps, fringed pouch and skirt, brown boots and lasso?
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| The back of the box provides the doll's name, contents description, stock or assortment number, copyright information and year, and manufacturer's name: Uneeda Doll Company. |
As seen here, a white version of Debbie Goes West exists as well. At least one other doll with a different name also "went west."
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| Donna Goes West wears an outfit that is identical to the outfit worn by the white version of Debbie Goes West. Photo courtesy of D. Spears. |
I was alerted to the eBay auction for my doll by a doll friend who owns the Woolworth-exclusive, Donna Goes West. Both versions (Donna and Debbie) were probably manufactured by Uneeda but sold through different merchants. Based on the photo, Uneeda is not on the front of Donna's box. According to my doll's original $3.99 price tag, marked down to $2.66, my doll was sold through YDC.
At the time I received the auction alert and asked if I was interested in Debbie Goes West, because of her name, I answered, "Yes!" I rarely see dolls named Debbie. I own only one other, whose name is Baby Debbi (note the different spelling). The baby doll was made by Super Doll in 1965.
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| Baby Debbi a 16-inch doll by Super Doll, 1965. She arrived dressed in infant's clothes. |
Baby Debbi is featured on page 276 of Modern Collector's Dolls by Patricia R. Smith and was given a 1973 value of only $10!
One additional doll that I would not mind owning but refuse to pay the secondary market value of is Debbie the Elegant Doll, which is a Barbie clone of sorts. Her body is a bottle. White versions of Debbie the Elegant Doll dressed in a variety of fashions were also made, but of course the black versions are the rarest and most difficult to find since fewer were made.
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| July 1957, yours truly at age two. |
As a child of the 50s, when dressing children in cowboy and cowgirl outfits was popular, I didn't actually go west or live west, but I did follow the trend of dressing up as though I did.
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