What a Girl Wants!

New doll

I expected my mid-April decision to temporarily cease all doll buying to prove itself a difficult task. Fortunately, it has been effortless without much temptation at all.  However, a month into the decision, when my daughter sent me the following text message with the subject "Birthday?!?! Whadaya want?" just seconds after I viewed a doll that Linda Hayes was selling, I expressed my desire for the doll. Hey, she asked.

Me:  Oh here we go again (earlier in the month she'd asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day).  How much are you spending?  I saw something for $__ that interests me, but that doesn't include shipping and I need to see more pictures of it before I decide I really want it.

Daughter: I'll get that. Send me the link.

Daughter:  Oh lord. You're so indecisive (she'd just read the "before I decide I really want it" part of my answer).

I see where I get it from.

Me:  I know.  It's the nature of a Gemini, but you are far worse than I have ever been!

Will let you know if I want this or something else later today.

So after requesting and viewing additional photos of Madame Alexander's circa 1965 Leslie ballerina in blue, I "allowed" my daughter to purchase the doll as my birthday gift.  :-)

Leslie was waiting for me at the post office on my birthday.  Other than missing her original drop earrings, which have been replaced by a similar pair, she is in superb condition and still has her original Madame Alexander hang tag which identifies her.  Someone placed a $350 price tag on her, which is far more than my daughter's cost.  Yes, back in the 1990s-day, these dolls were valued as much, but not in today's market.

An original hang tag and tagged Madame Alexander dress are two important features of vintage dolls by this company.  Their boxes are added pluses,but I collect dolls, not boxes.  Additionally, for me, if the original box accompanies a vintage doll, I am more inclined to leave the doll in the box.  Without the box, I can enjoy its presence.

From Virginia Beach, Leslie traveled with two additional "free gift" dolls from Linda.

Doll gifts from Linda as an expression of her appreciation

One of the dolls Linda sent is a circa 1970s, 15-inch fashion doll (with shag hairstyle) made in Hong Kong, the other a souvenir doll from Puerto Rico.  The souvenir doll holds a woven straw handbag with floral accents that match those at the waist of her dress.

The '70s fashion doll is adorned with rhinestone earrings, necklace, and bracelet that are appropriate for her more mature look.  I replaced the blue gingham dress and bonnet she arrived wearing with Dena's yellow dress and shrug, which better complement the jewelry.  Her new look is completed by a pair of black flats that I had on hand.

70s girl shows off her shag 'do and her curves.  

The souvenir doll is now on a shelf with other similar souvenir dolls of her 60/70-ish time period. On the opposite side of the room, Leslie has joined two of my three other Leslies, a bride and ballerina in pink.  They were introduced here along with another Leslie that wears a Franklin Mint dress designed for their Princess Diana doll.

While others delight in a variety of other things to purchase for themselves or to receive as gifts, dolls are my thing.  For any occasion, give me a doll--a non-porcelain brown or black doll created as a positive reflection of black beauty--and I'm happy, especially during a time when I have chosen not to buy them for myself.

 dbg

The Two Faces of Leslie

Madame Alexander Leslie, bride and ballerina, circa 1965/1966.  The bride has the Polly head sculpt.  The ballerina uses the Elise head sculpt. 

Madame Alexander released several versions of Leslie from the mid-1960s through the early-1970s.  Dolls given the name, Leslie, by Madame Alexander were only produced as African American.  Two head sculpts were used for the various versions, the Polly and Elise, named for the white dolls that originally used the sculpts.

Leslie with the Polly sculpt, the most frequently seen version, has fuller cheeks and an upturned smile.  The nose appears slightly broader than the Elise nose.

The nape of the neck on dolls with the Polly sculpt is marked:

©ALEXANDER DOLL CO. INC.
1965

Leslie with the Elise sculpt has a down-turned smile.  The Elise head is marked:

ALEXANDER
19©66
(The markings are very faint on my doll.)

Both versions have soft vinyl heads, arms, and legs with rigid plastic bodies.   Each stands 17-inches tall.  These two examples have brown sleep eyes and brown rooted hair

Leslie's costumes included a variety of bridal gowns.  The doll can also be found wearing ballerina costumes in pink or blue and possibly other pastel colors.  Casual ensembles were also made for Leslie.

 From the collection of Ruth Manning, Polly-faced Leslie wears a casual green dress.

Leslie in lime green dress, shown above, is one of the most frequently seen, casually dressed versions.  This doll's eyes appear darker than my bride and ballerina's, which might indicate she was from the final production years.

The label on the bride's box

The label on my bride's box shows she is style #1660.  Colors for costumes, hair, and eyes are included on the label but these do not necessarily pertain to Leslie dolls since there are options for blonde, platinum, and auburn hair and blue eyes. It appears the company stamped the name "Leslie" and the style number onto this generic Madame Alexander doll box label.

Another Polly-faced Leslie is dressed in Franklin Mint fashion.

An additional Leslie in my collection, shown above wearing a Franklin Mint fashion made for their Princess Diana doll, was purchased nude several years ago for a steal.  She is actually "my" Leslie #2, with the bride being my first.  The purple gown replicates a Versace gown worn in 1996 by Princess Di. "On her only trip to Chicago, Diana stopped by Northwestern University before stepping out in the school's colors at a gala the next day. She accessorized the Versace gown with Jimmy Choo shoes — a relatively unknown brand at the time."  The fashion created by Franklin Mint does not replicate the Choo shoes.  [https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/fashion/g4362/princess-diana-dresses/?slide=38]  Franklin Mint included purple pumps with the fashion. 

While she is not a portrait doll, it has been written that actress Leslie Uggams, whose career was at its height during the time the doll entered the market, was the inspiration for the doll's first name.

Images of (mostly) other Leslie dolls can be seen in a Google "Madame Alexander Leslie" image search here.  The results of recently completed eBay auctions for Madame Alexander Leslie dolls can be seen here.

Addendum 1/14/2019:

A fourth Leslie joined my collection in March 2015.  Shown above, she wears a blue tutu.  See a blog post entry about this doll here.

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