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