1st Three of 2024

Defa Lucy Fashion Girl's shipping box

Doll 1, Defa Lucy Fashion Girl

A Defa Lucy Fashion Girl was my first 2024 purchase. The doll is described on the cardboard box used to ship it as "Curly Hair Dark Skin Fashion Doll." Defa Lucy is a China-based doll manufacturer.

Defa Lucy Fashion Girl

Inside the shipping box, the doll was in her blister card box covered with a piece of bubble wrap for additional protection.

Defa Lucy Fashion Girl has a very pretty face and is not a Barbie clone but can be considered a Barbie competitor.

 

Full view, still in the box

My only issue with this doll is the super-thin, shapeless legs. It does have click-bend knees. According to other owners of this doll, the curly hair is closely rooted. The clothes are the basic style used for the more popular 11-1/2-inch fashion doll and include a two-piece (top and skirt) of polyester in a multicolored print with orange as the main color, which matches the orange high-heel pumps. She wears blue hoop plastic earrings and has a cone-shaped translucent orange handbag. 

Defa Lucy Fashion Girl is seen in a photo from "The Internet."

Defa Lucy Fashion Girls are illustrated on the back of the box.

Animated illustrations Defa Lucy Fashion Girl dolls are on the back of this doll's box. At the time of my purchase, the doll I ordered and another one with purple hair were the only two available with deeper complexions. (I ordered from Temu's website—I did not use and will never use their app.)

Doll 2, African Girl by Heidi Ott

Heidi Ott's African Girl II

African Girl II is the name I assigned this 19-inch hard-cast vinyl doll that has a stockinette-over-vinyl body. I have another doll with this same head sculpt by Ott that is dressed differently and has a different hairstyle. I received this doll for the assistance I offered another collector in re-homeing her collection. 

I added the socks and shoes.

African Girl II arrived wearing what I believe is the original light-blue smocked dress with matching panties. I added white lacy ankle socks and black Mary Jane-style shoes to the doll's bare feet.

The banged black wig is styled in a high ponytail with two spiral curls. 

Unlike the other African Girl doll that arrived with a deteriorated now-replaced wig, this doll's wig has withstood the test of time. Both dolls were released in 1988. 

Doll 3, Tressy by Ideal

Tressy by Ideal, 1971

Part of the Ideal Crissy grow-hair family of dolls, Sears Catalog-exclusive, Tressy from 1971 arrived with the Heidi Ott doll. This doll has been redressed in a replica of the original Tressy dress, panties, and headband. The black Ideal Crissy shoes are original. The hair remains silky and the grow-hair mechanism still shortens or lengthens when the back knob is turned.

The new girl (on the left) is shown with my originally dressed Tressy. Both dolls wear replicas of the original Tressy headband.

I now own three Tressy dolls as illustrated in the next and final photo.

My Three Tressys

The center Tressy shown above is the first Tressy I purchased during the late 1990s/early 2000s. Dressed in Crissy's Swirla Curla fashion, the doll's center grow-hair mechanism was beautifully replaced by a previous owner, and the two front-side braids were added.  

Related Links

My New Fashion Girl (Ms. Leo's Defa Lucy post)

Making Lemonade from a Lemon

Black Crissy Grow-Hair Family

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Making Lemonade from a Lemon

1988 African doll by Heidi Ott

"When I first saw her... [it] looked like she was swarmed by ants." —Vicky Hoff Forbes

The above quote from another collector who has the same doll by Heidi Ott is the perfect way to describe the way my new-to-me 19-inch doll looked upon opening the shipping box. The doll was covered with black specks of what remained of the disintegrated black wig. 

The seller had described the "disintegration" in the item description, but the auction photos only showed a few specks of hair fibers on the side of the doll's face and some on one of the extremities. That is not what I experienced upon opening the doll's box. I am sure all of what I saw was caused by the doll being jostled around during the shipping process, but I was horrified! Do you hear me? Hor-ri-fied! 

I stopped everything and put on a pair of disposable gloves and a face mask.

Next, the following photos were taken before cleaning up the hairy mess. (I vacuumed the inside of the shipping box before it was discarded and vacuumed as much of the particles from the doll and the clothes as possible.)

Black synthetic hair fibers covered the doll's face, body, arms, and clothes, including the socks.

This looks disgusting, right?

It was horrendous!

I removed the wig cap from the doll's head. It still had two braids attached. The third remaining braid was lying in the box!

It was so bad that specks of hair were also under the clothes attached to the body and legs.

Several minute particles of the disintegrated wig fibers were in the shipping box.

After the doll's clothes were removed, I vacuumed the doll, the clothes, the inside of the shipping box, and the area where the shipping box was opened.  

In this picture, a layer of dishwashing liquid was on all vinyl surfaces and left on overnight before washing off to remove the tacky feel of the vinyl. The dark areas on the stockinette-over-vinyl body are damp spots from the disinfectant wipes used to clean it. The body is not stained.

I have always loved the quality and sculpts of Heidi Ott's made-in-Switzerland dolls. I own several others. After first seeing photos of Vicky's doll (in the restored state) some seven years ago, I fell in love with the authenticity of the head sculpt and wanted one in my collection. I was so enthused over her doll, that I don't recall reading her description of the doll's condition when she purchased it. I now own a doll exactly like Vicky's including the original disintegrated wig issue. I wasn't expecting to have to make lemonade from the unexpected lemon I received, but I had no other feasible choice. 

Before proceeding any further, I contacted the seller to voice my utter displeasure about the doll along with photo proof of the doll's condition. The seller wrote back, not with an apology initially, but with a defensive reply stating that the disintegration was described, that it was the reason the doll was wrapped in a plastic bag (more accurately, a plastic bag was wrapped around the doll), the reason the auction had a low beginning bid, and that her now-deceased mother-in-law (MIL), who was the original owner, paid $400 for it. This did not soothe my frustration, so I replied, agreeing that the wig disintegration was mentioned, but not to the full extent. I described all the things I had gone through thus far to begin the clean-up and restoration process. I further informed the seller that had I known the doll's true condition, I would never have placed a bid as high or would not have bid at all. The seller mellowed some and replied with an apology, which I accepted. We communicated a few additional times about her MIL's collection and her new understanding of people who collect dolls. She shared that her husband's ex-wife kept the doll's baby brother in remembrance of her MIL. We ended our communication by wishing each other an enjoyable weekend. I knew what my weekend would entail—arduous work in improving this doll's condition and overall appearance. 

What Was Done Next

I hand washed the clothes and baby sling and soaked these overnight. The socks were separately hand washed. I wiped the shoes with a damp cloth on the outside and inside.

After washing, the clothes (and socks—not shown here) were air-dried.

She was redressed and tried on several on-hand wigs. This brown curly wig that I've had for several years suits her...

...but it's not the look that I desired. Underneath the wig, she wears a black stocking cap to cover the glue residue that remains on her head. (I made the stocking cap using a knee-high stocking by cutting off the excess and tying the end in a knot. I didn't take a picture of it, but it looks like this.)

Synthetic hair

I used two bags of Senegalese twist braiding hair to make a wig, but first I created a head covering to feed the twisted strands through.

A black woven headband was cut to size and stitched in the center to fit the head. The strands of synthetic Senegalese twists were fed through the holes in the headband and knotted to create the doll's wig. To prevent any scalp from showing, the black stocking cap, mentioned previously, was placed underneath the woven headband after the wig was made.

The New Wig

I love this wig (the first of its kind that I've made). 

Close-up view—doesn't she have a gorgeous face?

Profile view

This view from the back illustrates the unevenness of the twists which will remain uneven.

Baby Sling

I didn't know what I would do with the baby sling designed for carrying her missing baby brother on her back. Initially, I allowed her to hold it.

She's still holding the sling.

I did not want to store the sling, so I wrapped it around the upper part of her body.

Next, I scanned the doll room and found an 8-inch vinyl baby whose head is marked 1987 Spectra. The baby fits in the sling perfectly. I have an identical baby that has a browner complexion that I will probably use instead of the one illustrated next.

The replacement baby fits perfectly in the sling.

About This Doll

This unnamed doll and her siblings appear in the back of Heidi Ott's 1988 catalog. They are the only Black dolls in the catalog.

When I made my first attempts to locate a doll like this, I was under the impression that she and her 19-inch tall brother represented Jamaican children. "Jamaican" is how some online sellers referred to the dolls. In the accompanying 1988 catalog, they are described as African as evidenced by the following descriptive statement. "The head is made of unbreakable material which can be washed with soap. The hair is 100% human hair except for the african dolls." (African was spelled with a lowercase "a.") Whatever synthetic fibers were used (designed to mimic the texture of coarse hair) they did not withstand the test of time.

The actual names of the dolls in the catalog are not revealed by Ott, who explained, "Naturally, all my dolls have their own names, but unfortunately, they have to remain a secret. The reason being is that many firms in countries all around the world have registered almost all [childrens'] names in existence, therefore I wish to avoid any legal action involving copyright." (Obviously, in later years, Heidi changed this stance and began sharing her dolls' names.)

As illustrated in the 1988 catalog, Heidi Ott's African dolls included a 19-inch all-vinyl boy, a 19-inch all-vinyl girl, and two soft-bodied 13-inch babies. The vinyl is quite heavy and has been mistaken for porcelain.

The catalog page on which the African girl, her brother, and two babies appear only provides their catalog numbers and heights in centimeters.

This zoomed-in photo of the 1988 catalog page of the African girl illustrates her original wig style and wiry texture.

In addition to the 1988 catalog, my doll has the original hangtag and certificate signed by Heidi Ott.

The front of the hangtag

The original retail price is on the back of the hangtag. I paid only a fraction of this. 

The certificate is printed in German.

Translated (using Google Translate), the certificate reads:

Certificate
Each original Heidi Ott doll is manufactured in limited numbers. It is signed, numbered and registered on the back of the head. This Heidi Ott doll was lovingly created with a lot of manual skill and a lot of work. Have fun with this doll. Wishes you (best wishes to you?) Heidi Ott.

I can attest to the fact that "this Heidi Ott doll was lovingly 'restored' with a lot of manual labor," and I've successfully turned a lemon into lemonade. 

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.

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!

Target's Dolls of All Nations Will the Real Artist Please Stand Up?

Yvonne from the 1996 Target- exclusive Dolls of All Nations Collection (Second Edition)

During the mid-1990s, Target released The Dolls of All Nations Collection.  My newly acquired doll, Yvonne, is from the second edition of this collection. The dolls were Target exclusives, distributed by Dayton Hudson Corporation of Minneapolis, MN under the Unimax label.  The box date is 1996.

I vividly recall shopping in Target during the time the first edition of this doll line was stocked on Target's shelves.  Wanja, the doll that represents Kenya is part of the first series of Dolls of All Nations (1995).  I purchased Wanja from Target the year of release.  I never saw Yvonne in stock.

Yvonne (Uganda) and Wanja (Kenya) from the Dolls of All Nations Collection, 1996 and 1995, respectively.

Nearly 20 years after the doll was released, Yvonne was recently purchased for $7.99 plus shipping and arrived in never-removed-from-box state.  The box shows shelf wear but Yvonne is perfect.  This all vinyl doll stands 12 inches, has painted brown eyes, and black rooted hair styled in multiple braids with green ribbons braided through each.  She wears a coral dress with African print belt, matching head wrap, multicolored beaded necklace, gold tone elasticized bracelet, and black sandals.  A doll stand is also included.

The back of Yvonne's box reads:

1996 Hello, I am named Yvonne.

I come from Uganda.

It is one of the 52 nations on the

continent of Africa. 

 You will be pleased to know I speak your 

 language, English, and I also speak our 

native language, Swahili.

Because our climate is tropical and warm, my country

is home to many flowers and forests.

We also have many colorful birds living near our rivers.

When my family travels in our long canoe to visit friends in

the next village, we see ostriches, flamingos and storks.

Monkeys swing from tree to tree along the river's edge.

It is as if they want to visit our friends too!

My family is perhaps bigger than yours.

It includes many cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

We live together in a village that is close to the coffee farm

we own.  Each member of the family has a job to do.

It is my job to carry cooking pots to the river for washing.

I also make ngunza, a delicious thick sauce made

from cassava leaves, tomato paste and peanut butter.

Isn't my dress colorful?

It is the traditional dress of Ugandan women and girls.

It is called a busuti with a long, full skirt,

square neck and a cloth tied diagonally.

My friend, would you like to come in our canoe?

You can share my long bamboo pole

for pushing, and we will go to see

the hippopotamuses bathing in the

river with their babies.

(I wonder who wrote that blurb.)

While the Dolls of All Nations dolls resemble Swiss doll artist, Heidi Otts' Little Ones dolls (a high-end collectors doll line, also released in the late 1990s), Ott did not sculpt the Dolls of All Nations.

Ott did sculpt the 18-inch Faithful Friends  dolls that were Target exclusives from 1997-1998.  These traditionally dressed dolls were designed to compete with the original, historical American Girl dolls. When conducting research to prove or disprove recently circulated information that Ott sculpted the Dolls of All Nations dolls, I found that she did not.  Under the heading, Background, in paragraph 7 of the online details of a lawsuit Ott brought against Target on July 29, 1999, Ott alleges that the dolls Target sold as Dolls of All Nations were knock offs of her Little Ones, proof of which is cited in the text, which can be read in its entirety here.

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Black Dolls from Around the World - Switzerland

Dolls by Heidi Ott, a Swiss-born artist, are featured in this, my final blog on black dolls from around the world.  I own only seven dolls by this artist, one of which is not African American or black, but dark in comparison to other European dolls.  Their images and  descriptions follow:

Tom, Baby Harry, and Saddie

From their hand-painted eyes, to their realistic facial expressions, great detail is realized in Heidi Ott's dolls. Part of the "Little Ones" series, Tom, Baby Harry, and Saddie were made during the late-1990s. They have vinyl heads, arms, and legs with stuffed knit bodies.  Tom and Saddie have vinyl breast plates.  The larger dolls are 13 inches; Baby Harry is 9 inches.  Tom and Saddie have black, rooted human hair.  Baby Harry's hair is molded.  Their feet remain as they arrived from the artist, bare, but they wear their complete original outfits. 

Saddie and Tom close up

Baby Georgia (BG) from the year 2000 is a lug to carry!  She is 29 inches and weighs at least 10 lb... at least.  BG has a brown, human hair, afro-style wig that has a few tiny braids throughout.  The braids were originally accented with fuchsia beads that I replaced with white beads.  This big baby is from the "Dreamkid" series.  She holds her vinyl "Dreamkid" teddy bear.  BG has a male counterpart whose name is Samuel (owned by a fellow collector).  See his pictures below. 

Samuel by Heidi Ott, photo courtesy of Phyllis Schlatter

Samuel has painted hair.  He has been nicely redressed by his mom, Phyllis.

Lucie, a tan-skinned Heidi Ott Original doll is made of vinyl with stuffed, stockingette body.  She stands 17 inches and holds a vinyl and cloth 7-inch baby.  Lucie wears her original outfit and replaced shoes.  I have been unable to document her (possible 1990s) year of manufacture.  Purchased at an estate sale for $15, Lucie has been one of my doll children since the summer of 2005.  After purchasing Lucie, an identical doll was offered on eBay with a buy it now amount of $299. 

Ott's Will and Ellie (made in China/distributed by Dayton Hudson Corporation) are from 1996.  These 18-inch (American Girl-style) dolls are made of vinyl with stuffed knit bodies.  They feature natural textured, brown kanekalon wigs; brown sleep eyes, and smiling mouths with two upper molded teeth.  They wear their original clothes.   (I added Ellie's glasses) A target exclusive, their original retail was $35.

According to Heidi Ott's "under construction" website,  she currently makes miniature child dolls. 

More links to Heidi Ott dolls:
Close up of another collector's Ellie
Two Heidi Ott babies
Another Lucie
Another Miniature Child Doll

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It has been fun reacquainting myself with dolls in my collection that for years have gone without a glimpse or without a thought. Writing this month's themed blog allowed me to provide some much needed, undivided attention to the featured dolls and to learn a little more about them. I enjoyed the process. I hope you did, too. 

Do you have dolls that long for your attention? 

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