 |
| Dolls by Ideal Toy Corp, 1968-1971 |
This post began with a
desire to photograph two dolls by Mattel.
During the process, I reacquainted myself with several dolls that were
major hits for children during the late-1960s through the early-1980s. Their manufacturers – Ideal, Mattel, and
Remco – were quite competitive during this 20-year time span with Ideal and
Mattel taking the lead in sales. My
collection consists of several other dolls by these manufacturers and others (EEGEE, Horsman, Kenner, Shindana, to name a few) that are not
shown or discussed in this post. The
ones shown “chose” to be featured and discussed at this time. (They all needed a good dusting and I am
sure are still thanking me for it!)
Ideal
 |
| Lazy Dazy by Ideal, 1971 |
Lazy Dazy ©1971 is a 13-inch vinyl and cloth doll with dark brown
sleep eyes. She has a two-piece canister-type
body. The doll can sit, but with the
slightest movement, she tilts over as though she is falling to sleep. Lazy Dazy wears her original floral print
pinafore over her peach flannel body. She is missing her matching floral print
pillow.
 |
| Me So Glad, Belly Button Baby by Ideal, 1970 |
Me So Glad, Belly Button Baby, ©1970, is a 9-inch all vinyl baby
with soft vinyl head, arms, and legs.
When her belly button is pressed, her head, arms, and legs wobble about
as though she is extremely excited. The
doll has black rooted hair and brown painted eyes.
 |
| Newborn Thumbelina, Ideal, 1968 |
Newborn Thumbelina, 9 inches, has brown straight rooted hair with a
side part and brown painted eyes. The pull
string in back activates her wiggle-like-a-baby movement. She
wears her original white top and orange knit pants with enclosed feet. Newborn Thumbelina has a copyright date of
1967 and entered the market in 1968.
Mattel
 |
| Dolls by Mattel, 1970-1982 |
 |
| Baby Beans, Mattel, 1970 |
Baby Beans, ©1970 is 10-inches with vinyl head and hands and pellet-filled
cloth body with sewn-on orange romper and matching hat. Underneath the hat are black rooted
bangs. She has brown painted eyes and a
wide smile.
 |
| Baby Brother Tenderlove, Mattel, 1976 |
Baby Brother Tenderlove is a 13-inch, anatomically correct drink
and wet baby with vinyl head and one-piece soft vinyl body with brown curly
rooted hair and painted brown eyes. This doll made his doll market debut in 1976 and is Mattel’s first
anatomically correct Black baby doll. Anatomically correct females were available,
but the male was more controversial.
 |
| Baby Skates, Mattel, 1982 |
Baby Skates is a 15-inch rigid vinyl wind-up doll that skates. She has a soft vinyl face, rooted brown hair,
and brown painted eyes. She wears a pink
and yellow skater’s outfit, yellow elbow and knee pads, and roller skates. The copyright date for this skater that does not require batteries is 1982.
 |
| Baby Small Talk, Mattel, 1968-1969 |
Baby Small-Talk, is a 10-1/2-inch pull-string talker that was
available from 1968-1969. The doll has a
vinyl head, arms, and legs and a rigid plastic body. The rooted hair is brown as are her painted
eyes. The mouth is open with two upper
and two lower teeth. She wears her
original aqua and white polka dot dress with daisy appliqués, white panties,
and pink hair ribbon. Baby Small-Talk
says eight different “baby-talk” phrases.
Seven of these are: “I love
you. Kiss baby. I’m sleepy.
Go bye-bye. Nite-Nite. Play Patty
Cake. Baby Sleepy.”
 |
| Hush Little Baby, Mattel, 1975 |
Hush Little Baby is a 15-inch battery-operated crying and moving
doll, ©1975. She probably entered the
market in 1976. The doll has vinyl head,
arms, and legs, and a rigid vinyl body with battery compartment in back. The brown hair is rooted and was originally
curly. Because of the poor condition of
her hair upon arrival, I shampooed and conditioned it before styling in several
braids held with ponytail holders and barrettes. She wears her original pink and white short
pants, white top with animal motif on front and pink and white trim at
sleeves and collar. Hush Little Baby has
brown painted eyes.
Remco
 |
| Growing Sally, Remco, 1968 |
African American doll
artist, Annuel McBurrows sculpted
Growing
Sally for Remco.
The doll has a box
date of 1968, style #3295.
Sally is all
vinyl with black yarn hair and painted facial features.
She is 6 inches before she grows a half inch
taller.
There is a mechanism in the
middle of her body that activates her growth.
An extra full-length dress and wig are included
for her to wear after she grows.
I love Growing Sally's facial features.
Discussed in another
blog post, other
dolls sculpted by Annuel McBurrows for Remco include:
Baby
Know It All,
Brown Eye Billy, and
Winking Winnie.
These dolls are from the Brown Eye doll
series.
Additional Brown Eye dolls along
with a head shot of McBurrows can be seen
here.
Singing Mimi was also a popular 20-inch fashion doll by Remco, 1973. Mimi is not a McBurrows design.
As a child, did you own
any of these; or did your children own any?
dbg
