Woman Needs Help with Black Baby Doll from Childhood

Who is this approximately 9- to 12-inch tall mystery circa 1970s-1990s vinyl and cloth baby doll?

Do you recognize the doll (its name and maker) in the photos provided by a woman who owned it as a child? 

The woman as a 1-1/2-year-old child holds the mystery baby doll.

These photos were taken in 1991, but the woman's mother thinks the doll might have been purchased from a thrift store and could date back to the 1970s. (It appears to be from the 1980s-1990 to me.)

Further description from the former owner notes it had a white cloth body and plastic (vinyl) head, hands, and feet. "I feel like her hand position and the size of her feet are unique as well as the placement of her ears and some of her features," she wrote. She is not sure about the doll's height. (Between 9 and 12 inches tall is my estimate.)

These are the best pictures and the only information provided. 

I've checked my doll references and consulted other collectors for help. I was granted permission to share the photos to ask the general doll-collecting community for identification help. Please use the comment section to offer leads and/or the doll's definite ID. The woman would like to replace her childhood doll that she "carried everywhere..." Thank you in advance!

Update 12/28/2024

I found the white version of the mystery doll. It's Baby Dear by Cititoy, copyright 1989. I shared this info with the woman seeking her childhood doll.

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©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Nancy Green as Aunt Jemina

Nancy Green by Albert E. Price, Inc., 1984

A museum patron asked if I owned this porcelain portrait doll of Nancy Green, a duplicate in his collection. Because I did not, he sent me his duplicate doll.

This 16-inch portrait doll manufactured by Albert E. Price, Inc. in 1984 has a stuffed cloth body and partially stuffed arms and legs. The head, lower arms, lower legs, and feet are porcelain.

The Nancy Green doll has painted facial features and sculpted short hair underneath a white headscarf. The costume includes a red, green, and yellow plaid dress with a detachable white apron, white pantaloons, sculpted white socks, and sculpted black shoes. 

The Price company is known to have produced this doll in 1980 and 1984 to represent the formerly enslaved woman whose mammy-maid/cook advertising character helped promote R. T. Davis Milling Company's Aunt Jemima products. 

The front and back of the doll's dress tag identify the manufacturer and the production year.

The front of the dress tag identifies the doll's manufacturer.

The manufacturer and 1984 as the production year are on the back of the dress tag.

Born on March 4, 1834, the real Nancy Green became financially secure as "the advertising world's first living trademark" until her tragic death in a car accident in 1923 (Nancy Green).

The donor's doll, made in 1980 by Price, is installed in DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum. 

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ADDENDUM

Advertising images of "Aunt Jemima" do not reflect the real Nancy Green's image.

The following question/comment was posted on the Dolls of Color Facebook page where a link to this blog post was shared the day it was published.

Comment/Question from MHH: What's the provenance on the name, please? Is it clear that the creator of the doll at the time named it so? Or did he call the doll "Aunt Jemima," and at some point after that, someone assumed "Nancy Green" and "Aunt Jemima" are synonymous, and renamed it? 

My curiosity is piqued. It's a lovely doll, but frankly, looks nothing like Nancy Green.

Answer: I reached out to the collector who donated this doll to me to inquire if Albert E. Price, Inc. actually named the doll Nancy Green "Aunt Jemima," or if he (the collector) chose that name. I have not received a reply; however, based on documented details the collector provided for other dolls in his extensive collection, Price probably assigned the name to the doll.

Assuming that Albert E. Price, Inc. named the doll after the original Nancy Green, its facial features resemble the real woman whose image is on her headstone and in a newspaper article here. Based on these images of the original Nancy Green, the doll resembles the woman it represents. 

The real Nancy Green is shown on the far left. Three Aunt Jemima product character illustrations follow.

Unfortunately, most people confuse illustrated caricature/character with the original woman who performed as Aunt Jemima in public appearances beginning in 1893 at an exposition because the advertising illustrations are America's ideal of the mammy archetype. 

References:

Nancy Green, The Original 'Aunt Jemima'

Nancy Green "Aunt Jemima" VBDM installation

Find a Grave Memorial Nancy Green

#blackhistory

#blackdollhistory

#Auntjemima

#Nancygreen

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/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.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

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!

More Dolls Dressed for Christmas 2024

Jamilla by Wendy Lawton

Jamilla by Wendy Lawton is redressed for Christmas annually along with a 1940s Transitional Shirley-Temple-type mama doll as seen next.

Circa 1940s Transitional Shirley-Temple-type Mama doll

After redressing for the holidays, the Mama doll and Jamilla are always displayed together. Sometimes the Mama doll also holds a Christmas ornament.

The redressed Mama doll holds Jamilla only for now.

Kissy wears an infant-size velveteen red dress, white lacy ankle socks, and black patent-leather shoes.

Two Tommy dolls and Kelly from the Nutcracker series are attached to Kissy's dress.

Tommy as Major Mint, Peppermint Girl Kelly, and Gingerbread Boy Tommy decorate Kissy's dress as illustrated above.
Next, I redressed three 18-inch dolls.

An 18-inch Madame Alexander doll wears a tartan plaid dress, a red velour jacket, a red velour headband, red tights, and black boots.

The Alexander doll wears the dress without the jacket.

Journey Girls Taryn wears a tartan plaid jumper with a white mock turtleneck, an elasticized red ribbon headband, white tights, and black boots.

Dollfun Hanna wears a red and tan plaid dress with white tights and black sparkly flats.

Hanna wears her jacket and hat in this photo.

In this final photo, the three 18-inch girls pose together.

After our Christmas tree is up and decorated, Kissy and the 18-inch dolls will stand underneath and count down the remaining days before Christmas. 
Related PostDoll Ornaments or Clothes
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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/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.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

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!