Mattel 's Talking Doll's of 1960/70's.

Mattel issued many talking dolls in the 1960/70/s era.  They

had a phonograph inside the hard plastic body with a cloth

covered speaker.  The design of the speaker holes varied

by design and year. These dolls  were operated by

"D' cell batteries.  Very few of these dolls still work.

Even fewer have the cover for the battery pack.

But there doll repair shops that can repair them.

The bodies and one or both arms

were hard plastic, depending on what the doll does.

The head, both legs, and one arm were vinyl.

(sometimes both arms are the same material depending

on what the doll does).

These dolls were a big hit with the little girls.  Some of

the dolls were:  Chatty Cathy and family, Gabigail, and

 Hi Dottie,   (I am going to do a study on the only doll

one of these dolls I still have, Hi Dottie.  I can also do

one on the Chatty family, if I can locate my pictures.

I no longer have any of the Chatty dolls.

Another unusual fact about some of these dolls is the

 arms and legs are of  different shades off vinyl.

The reason for this, the dolls were made in different

factories in many countries.  Mattel, in its effort to

be cost efficient.  If one factory had a high inventory of legs

then the excess would be shipped to another  factory.  Each

factory had their on formula for making the vinyl and

each one had a different shade of color.  It was barely

noticible when the dolls were new, but has become very

noticeable  as the dolls age.  I still have one of these

dolls with the different shades of vinyl.  I am going to

try and get a good picture showing the difference.

My Collection of Black Handmade Cloth Dolls

 I am seriously beginning to downsize.  As I begin, I will with some of my

dolls share them.  Today it is a small group of handmade black cloth dolls that

was collected over many years. 

 

Pictures of my black cloth doll collection 

This is the only doll that was new when I bought her.  A lady was at a craft show in about 1995, selling her mother's handmade dolls.

I don't know how long  or how I acquired most of them.

Some I know have been in my collection over 30 years

and only one was bought new.

More Pictures 2

 The rest of the dolls have been around so long I have no idea how  or when I got them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My First Toni's Dress

 I posted awhile back that finally the original dress on my

first Toni I had received for Christmas in 1949 had been 

found in decent condition.   Well, the dress came and the

 condition was good, but the dress was yellowed with age which 

was not surprising since it is over 73 years old.  Finally after

a lot of soaking and removing a few light stains is a platinum,

green eyed  P-90 Toni, looking like my original.  Here are the

pictures. 

                                              Meet Yevonne

World Doll Day - SATURDAY JUNE 8, 2023

 SECOND  SATURDAY IN JUNE

JUN 8, 2023

                                                        

      Logo For World Doll Day

       A copy of the letter creating World Doll Day.

So, you haven't heard of World Doll Day? This is not surprising. As of an hour ago, I hadn't conceived the idea. Bob Isbell, who does my printing, says when I ask for something to be done by tomorrow, "I'll make it hap­pen," This is what l would like to do with World Doll Day - make it hap­pen. I need only one thing - COOPERATION! I need cooperation of every doll collector, every magazine editor, doll newsletter, doll shop, library, dollmaker, mother, grand­mother, father, grandfather, and all the stray aunts and uncles. The first World Doll Day is the Second Saturday of June 1986. I am getting a doll ready to give. If you don't have a child to give a doll to - find one. There are many children with no dolls. Give a doll to a grownup child in the family or just a friend. 

Think of it this way, and ship a doll to another country. I have always felt that the common doll could be an instrument of world understanding. From the time I first started writing books on dollmaking, I had the hope that dolls would help make friends all over the world and develop a little love among all.
World Doll Day will also be a day for doll exhibits. It is my hope that all libraries will have a special doll exhibit; museums will publicize their doll exhibits and have special exhibits at this time. Magazines will put out special editions. Doll stores will put on selling campaigns weeks ahead. Dollmakers will make special dolls for World Doll Day. There will be doll competitions with World Doll Day awards, plaques and trophies.
The logo is made from artist Boots Tyner's doll representing a child. The child carries a German bisque doll to represent this doll col­lector's gift. Feel free to copy the logo or have more made.
Everyone can join the fun, as there are no fees, no permission needed, no obligations, nobody owns the day, no club, no company. It's a free-for-all. Take up the day, its ideas and fly with it. Let's do it now - World Doll Day.
If you think World Doll Day is a good idea, then appoint yourself a committee of one to do something about it - only then can it become a reality. Would you tell five people, ask them to tell five people and each of them tell five more and so on. World Doll Day's birthday is June 14, 1986.

 Sincerely,

 Mil and Vernon Seeley

Are you going to celebrate? 

A Day To Celebrate

 My Bleuettes and little Googley Celebrate and Honor our

fallen Hero's and loved ones this Memorial Day.

 

  Monday May 29, 2023 is Memorial Day.  Formally it was known as Decoration Day.

Decoration Day was began during the Civil War (War Between The States) as a day to place flowers on the graves of fallen Soldiers  in  that war,  

During World War One it was changed to Memorial Day honoring the fallen soldiers during all our wars.  

My Bleuettes and Toni"s are dressed in their patriotic dresses of Red. White and blue, as they head out to the local celebrations to honor my father Staff Sergeant James Miller Brown, who died during World War Two. 

 MY Great Great Grandfather Private Jesse Brown died in the Civil War (War Between The States).

The day is celebrated with families and friends cooking out, going to concerts, parades, picnics etc, all remembering the sacrifices of their

loved ones.

                 My Toni's celebrate  and honor their loved ones.

Hang Tags For Your Dolls

Hang Tags.
Putting hang tags on your dolls can be very important.
Purchase large size hang tags with strings to attach to your dolls.
On the hand tag, list the name of the doll, company that made it, the
year made, and the size of the doll. Look the doll up in a value
guide and write all the information such as the year and condition of
the doll and whether the clothing, shoes etc. are original that
pertain to the valuation of the doll. List the book and the page
number where this information is listed. On the other side of the tag
write where and when the doll was bought, how much was paid and
other information needed in the future. Attach the tag to the wrist
of the doll. If something should happen to you, your family would
have an idea of the worth of the doll and some information about it.
Also if the doll were sold you would have an idea of a price to sell
it for. When the dolls go in a display I remove the tags from the
wrists and place it inside the panties till I get the doll back.

The Sunshine Family

                                                       

                                     The Sunshine Family

         
The Sunshine Family of dolls was introduced by Mattel Inc. in 1973.
These dolls had hard plastic bodies and vinyl heads and arms. Their
knees were jointed which allowed them to sit. All members of the
Sunshine Family have rooted hair and inset eyes. 

In 1973, three members of the family were introduced. All the dolls
introduced that year had paper wrist tags and pockets in their
clothing.

The dolls were made to reflect the back to the land way of life.

Steve. 9-1/2 inches tall. Father to the family. He has brown
rooted hair and brown inset eyes

Stephanie. 9 inches tall. Mother to the family. She has blonde
rooted hair and blue inset eyes. She is wearing a short sleeved one-
piece dress with pockets and a white apron. She also has a paper
wrist tag.

Sweets The Baby. 3 inches tall. Sweets was made of vinyl and the
only joint is at the neck and head. The baby has blonde rooted hair
and blue inset eyes and is wearing a yellow one-piece romper.

Accessories offered were a Sunshine Family house with four rooms,

Four kinds of craft kits,  and dress up kits were also offered.

1975 Sunshine Grandparents were introduced. Also that year the Happy Family was introduced that had three black members. 

Happy Family grandparents. Accessories were a bicycle built for two

and a yellow pick-up with a camper on the back.

1977 A new Sunshine Family was introduced wearing new clothing.
There were no pockets in the clothes. Accessories for that year
included a family farm and a green produce truck.

1978 The Sunshine Fun Family and the Happy Fun Family were
introduced. Each family had four members.

There was one item included with each set of dolls. An Idea Book
that encouraged doll owners to be creative and use their imagination.

The Sunshine Family doll marks are:
Neck Mattel Inc Back 1973
Mattel Inc
Taiwan

Have A Blessed Easter

 

Time Flies

 

 Well, as you know, time flies.  I just missed an anniversary. 

 In February of 2011 I began this blog.  Making this blog

12 years old.  Prior to this blog, I did an email newsletter

that was emailed through Yahoo groups called Doll College

 that I began October 11, 2001.  I switched to the

blog format so pictures could be included.

Many changes have occured in my life and in the world.

 Some years I posted   a lot, and others, not so much.

 It has been a labor of love.  So between the newsletter

and this blog it is a total of 22 years.

I just found a dress I have been looking for.

I was searching for a picture of a doll that I was not sure what she looked like

while writing an article for this blog. 

 Where  else to look but ebay.  Looking through the Crissy collection, I spotted a dress 

on a fixer up Crissy, that was an original Ideal Toni dress.  Yes it was the dress my Toni

was wearing when a nine year girl, me, received my first Toni for Christmas. I had only

seen the dress on a mint in box Toni for a high price before.  The dress is in fair condition with

light stains.  I can't  wait to receive it.  I am going to restore the ratty Crissy and  perhaps

sell her.  Can't wait to put the dress on Toni.

I'm Excited!

My favorite Doll

In 2016 my husband and I were getting older.  We had lived in the same home for over 50 yars.  His health had failed and I also was having problms.  Our daughter called and told us the house next door to her was for sale and we needed to buy it.  We did buy it and moved to Ohio that fall.  I had a very large doll collection and the new house was much smaller.  So I gave away and over half of my doll collection and all of my doll making equipment.  

Many of my remaining dolls have remained in their packing boxes.  On Tuesday my Son in law at my requet brought me a large box of dolls from storage.  In the box was almost, but not all of my collection of Toni'.  When I opened the box it was as if an old friend had come to visit.  The dolls were all in good shape.  Some of their wigs were flat and needed brushing and recurling.  Only one doll had clouded eyes.  Also, their dresses were a little wrinkled.  

 Toni is one of my favorite dolls.  The last doll I received for Christmas as a child was a Toni.  The Toni I am referring to is  the Ideal Toni doll.  There was another Toni released I think about 1959 that was smaller at 10 inches.  The one I received for Christmas in 1949 was an Ideal P-90, 14 inch platinum green eyed blond.  She was dressed in the blue chambray dress with a Velaro and was trimmed  with a tape embroidered with red and white flowers.  I named my Toni, Yevonne, after actress Yevonne DeCarlo.  I kept my doll for many years carefully packing her away in an old trunk with many of my dolls and other toys I had loved.  Unfortunately the trunk was stored in the garage and the roof sprung a leak.  By the time the leak was found the trunk and my dolls were destroyed.  I have through my adult years bought many basket case Tonis and restored them in memory of my childhood Toni.   

The doll in the picture is a Pre Toni.  These dolls came out before the Toni you could give a home permanent.  The Pre Toni's used the Toni molds, but were composition, not hard plastic and had mohair wigs..  Being composition gives their face paint a softer and more beautiful look.  When looking at a Pre Toni and a Toni side by side, it is easy to see the subtle difference.

When the Gillette Company, makers oof Toni home permanents approached the Ideal Doll and Toy Company about making a doll that could be given one of their home permanents they had the perfect doll.  Only the materials needed to be changed.  The dolls were named "Toni" after the "Toni home Permanent kit.  The head and body were changed to hard plastic to with stand the water and other liquids and the wigs were made of nylon.  The girls loved Toni as she was the hit of the 48/49 season.  I also fell in love with her when I saw a doll display in a department store window.  I was nine years old and saw a display of Toni's in the window.  I fell in love.

Ideal Toni Dolls

Ideal Toni Doll
One of the most popular dolls of the 1950's, Toni was made by the
Ideal Doll and Toy Company from 1948 to 1956. The first dolls were
introduced by actress June Haver (Who later married actor Fred
McMurray of TV's My Three Sons fame and many movies) just in time for
the Christmas season . Toni is marked on the upper back torso. The
marks are: P-90, for the 14", P-91, for the 15" up to P-94 for the
24". The dolls were designed by Benjamin Mitchtom, one of the owners
of the Ideal Doll Company. The doll is made of hard plastic which is
either styrene, acetate, or butyrate. The sizes are 14" to 24" with
half sizes also. Toni had a five piece straight leg body. In 1954 -
1956 there were Toni's made with a walker body.

When new the cost for the 14" was $10.00 up to $18.00 for the 24".
When Mr Mitchtom of Ideal joined with The Gillette Company maker of the

 Toni Home permanent to promote the doll that could be given a home
permanent. Toni had a special nylon wig for that purpose. This also
makes Toni an advertising doll. A small sized Toni Home Permanent kit
came with the doll when new as did a hand tag on the wrist. There
are other dolls in the 50's that used the P-90 - P-94 bodies. A
different vinyl head was used for each of these. Toni's head was
always hard plastic. Some of these dolls using the Toni bodies with
vinyl heads are: Sara Ann, Mary Heartline, Miss Curity, Betsy
McCall, Ruth and Harriet Hubbard Ayer. Princess Mary used the five
piece walker body.
Toni came in many hair and eye colors. The most commonly found Toni
is the P-90 14" green eyed platinum blonde. The common eye colors
are green and blue with brown being extremely rare. The hair colors
are platinum, honey and golden blonde, auburn, light and dark brown, and black, with
red very hard to find. Toni had many dress styles and lots of
different fabrics were used with cotton being the most common, but
taffeta and nylon were also used. Her shoes had a center snap on the
ankle strap. The socks were usually white cotton, but some were made
of rayon. The slip was a half slip made of white 100% cotton with a
small white lace trim that was also matched with the panties. The
slip was sewn into the waist of the dress. The clothing tags on the
original clothing reads: GENUINE TONI DOLL/WITH NYLON WIG/MADE BY
THE IDEAL TOY CORPORATION/MADE IN THE USA. If the clothes on your
Toni are not in good condition consider replacing them with
reproduction clothing. Save the original clothes. There are copies
of the original Toni patterns. Look at pictures of Toni's in
original clothing and pay special attention to the patterns of the
prints and plaids and color combinations. Also look carefully at the
laces and trims that were used. You can find some close matches if
you shop carefully.
Mr Mitchtom was so proud of Toni he had some of the top fashion
designers of the day design gowns for her. These are very hard to
find. I have seen pictures of some these gowns and they are
beautiful.
Toni also came as a bride. She wore a long white dress with a longveil. 

The fabrics and style of the dresses and veils vary depending
on the year made.
Ideal also made a doll that was a forerunner of the Toni that is
sometimes called a Pre Toni. She is not a Toni. She has the P-90, and P-92 five
piece straight leg  body. She also had a  Toni face with the paler flesh color that is associated with
the earlier Toni's. The real distinction is her wig is made of
mohair and she could not be given the Toni Home Permanent and is
therefore not a Toni. Collectors call this doll the Pre-Toni. Only the dolls with

the nylon wigs that could be give the permanent are considered Toni's. 

Other Dolls Using Toni Face and Body

Pictures of some of the Ideal dolls using the Toni bodies.

The bodies of these dolls are also hard plastic, but the

heads are all vinyl.

Sara Ann

Has a wig made of saran

Made in 1952 Sare Ann has a wig made of sarran.  She is rare and hard to find.



                                                    Mary Heartline,

                                    

                                                                             

                                                                                                             


                                                   Miss Curity 



                                                                                                         
    Betsy McCall                (Sorry, I don't have a pictures.)

    Princess Mary