Mattel manufactured the first Barbie Doll in 1959. She was 11 1/2 inches tall and was designed with the very distinctive shapely body. The very early Barbies are highly collectible and command unbelievably high prices! Characteristics of the #1 Barbie (1959) are: vinyl solid body, very light complexion, white irises, pointed eyebrows, gold hoop earrings, soft ponytail, holes in her feet to fit the doll stand and a black and white striped bathing suit. #2 Barbie (1959-1960 only made for 3 months): same as above, but with no holes in feet and some wore little pearl earrings. #3 Barbie (1960): same as above, but with blue irises and softly curved eyebrows and no holes in feet. #4 Barbie (1960): same as #3 but with solid body of flesh-colored vinyl. #5 Barbie (1961): same as #4, but ponytail is a firmer Saran material. The marks on the butt indicate how early a ponytail Barbie is also. The very early bodies are marked with "TM" after the word "Barbie" while the later bodies are marked "R" after the word "Barbie". Does anyone know if the braided ponytail on the doll pictured is the way she came from the factory? It looks too perfect to have been done by its original owner! I would love to know for sure!!

During the 1940's and the 1950's, Georgene Novelties created many cloth dolls. They are most noted for their famous and very collectible Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls. Another one of my favorite Georgene Dolls is the comic strip character "Little Lulu". These dolls were cloth with a painted mask face. These very cute dolls were 13-14" tall and were manufactured between 1944 and 1961. Lulu had a partial "stringy" yarn wig adorned with a red bow. She was dressed in a removable red cotton dress decorated with white rick rack, white collar and panties. Some dolls were dressed in a cowgirl outfit which are highly collectible today. During this time, comic books were very popular among young readers. Other comic strip characters manufactured at the same time were Alvin, Nancy, Sluggo and Tubby. MIB dolls are a wonderful find for the boxes alone are very collectible among comic strip buffs.

The year 1955 brought a few changes to The Vogue Ginny Doll. The walking body remained the same, but her eyelashes were no longer painted on. They were now stiff, molded plastic. The new doll was often seen with lighter cheek color and sometimes hardly any at all. Ginny had lots of new outfits. Outfit series included: Kinder Crowd, Ginny Gym Kids, Merry Moppets, Tiny Miss, Fun Time, And Away We Go, Bridal Trousseau, and the very collectible Bon Bons. In 1956 Vogue kept most series and added Play Time, Formals and Debs. Some of these gowns are highly sought after today. It was a period of growth for Ginny, even though many feel that she lacked the beauty of the earlier dolls.

Klumpe dolls were manufactured in Barcelona, Spain from 1952 to the 1970's. They were caricature figures that were made of felt over a wire armature with painted mask faces and dressed in very realistic costumes. The figures represented professionals, historical characters, comtemporary folks performing different tasks, hobbyists, and most commonly Spanish dancers and bull fighters. The figures were about 10-11" tall and originally had two sewn on cardboard tags. These dolls have wonderfully whimsical expressions on their faces and really do bring a smile to your face. I have read that the Effanbee Doll Co. imported these dolls in the early 1950's. Prices for dolls in very nice condition have risen considerably in the last few years.

From 1956-1959, Ideal Toy Corp. produced an all vinyl Miss Revlon doll. This was the beginning of an era when vinyl would be used by many doll companies. Miss Revlon was a very pretty doll (influenced by the well-known cosmetic company). She had rooted saran hair that was beautifully styled and eyes that could open and close. She had moveable head, arms, legs and waist and high heeled feet. She came in 15", 18", 20", 23" and very rare 26" sizes. She was also produced as a walker. The dolls were marked on the head IDEAL DOLL/VT-18 (the number represented the height of the doll). It is hard to find one of these very nice dolls today in excellent condition for they were so loved and played with by their owners!

One of my favorite dolls is the Toni Doll manufactured by the Ideal Toy Company. She was designed by Bernard Lipfert (famous sculpter who also designed the Ginny Doll). She was first introduced in 1949 as an all hard plastic strung (jointed) doll that came in 5 sizes: 14" (P-90), 16" (P-91), 19" (P-92), 21" (P-93) and 23" (P-94). The larger sizes are much harder to find. Later, in the mid 1950's, they became walking dolls. The dolls had beautiful painted faces with glued on Dupont nylon wigs that could be platinum blonde, yellow blonde, red, light brown and dark brown. Moveable eyes were blue (brown eyes are very rare). They wore adorable very high quality, tagged school girl type dresses with attached half slip, panties, socks and leatherette center snap shoes. These dolls were associated with the Toni Cosmetic Co. and 20th Century Fox Picture Studio and came with their own Toni "Home Permanent" Wave Kit (curlers and solution). Their little mother could give them a real perm! They were marked on both their head and back to identify them (Ideal Doll/Made in USA) and their particular size (P-90, etc.). To find one of these dolls mint in original box is a true treasure.

The Terri Lee doll was manufactured from 1946 until 1962. The Terri Lee Sales Corp. was first located in Lincoln, NE and later in Apple Valley, CA. The very early dolls were made of composition. Soon after they were made of the nearly indestructible hard plastic. The most common size was 16", but they also came in 12" and 10". The dolls had moveable arms, legs and neck, a glued on wig and were marked either Terri Lee Pat. Pending or just Terri Lee in raised capital letters. They were fashioned after a "real" family and had different names: Terri Lee, Connie Lynn, Linda Lee, Jerri Lee (boy doll) and a black doll named Bonnie Lou. They had an extensive high quality wardrobe that could be purchased separately. The dolls had a very different look so they were not liked by all little girls. This accounts for them being harder to find and very collectible today.

To stay a leader in the doll business world, Vogue needed innovative changes to encourage the purchase of more than one of their dolls, so in 1954 they redesigned Ginny to become a walking doll. She still had the painted lashes and brows of the strung dolls but now had a special walking mechanism. To help her walk, a new plastic side fastened shoe was created. The first shoe had a flat sole, later a heel was added. Both versions had the name Ginny on the heel. These shoes would be used well into the 1960's. There were more high quality outfits added to include the series: Tiny Miss, Kinder Crowd, Fun Time, Rain or Shine, Mr First Corsage, Whiz Kids and Candy Dandy. Vogue now found it very lucrative to sell all of the outits separately. Because little girls were now likely to have more than one doll, it is quite common to find a strung doll with a later outfit or a walking doll with an early "strung" outfit. I have even found a Ginny outfit on a "look-a-like" doll. This just adds to the fun of the hunt! The third doll pictured is my original (very played with, faded lash) doll wearing my only surviving outfit (Tiny Miss #44)!

In 1951 and 1952, some of the Ginny Dolls had a short curly wig. This wig was made of lambskin and was often referred to as "caracul" or "poodlecut". Vogue called this the pixie haircut and is said to have been named after Marcia Nelson, the granddaughter of Vogue founder Mrs. Jennie Graves. I have seen these wigs in blonde or different shades of red. Since a limited number of dolls had this curly wig, they are harder to find and highly sought after by Ginny collectors.

Vogue manufactured some of the best Ginny dolls during 1952-1953. These dolls were referred to as "strung" because an elastic band fastened the head to the legs and a separate one held the arms. Earlier dolls were also strung but the dolls produced during this period were very pretty with high color ("fever") cheeks and nicely defined brown painted lashes and brows. The outfits were outstanding in quality as well as variety. There were several different series: 1952-Kindergarten, Debutante, Tiny Miss, Sports, Frolicking Fables, Bridal, 1953-Kindergarten Afternoon, Kindergarten School, Twin, Gadabout, Fable and Bride, Debutante and Talon Zipper. It has been a lot of fun for me to find all the outfits that I once had. Sometimes just finding part of an outfit was very satisfying! Pictured are a few on my favorites. The Ginny dressed in #70 blue denim jeans plays with her Steiff Pup, a 1954 accessory. Unfortunately, my 1953 blonde side part/flip Ginny is long gone. I still have her sister...a 1954 PLW red bangs/flip who has definitely seen better days!

The Vogue Doll Company created a darling little baby doll in 1948. With a few changes, the production lasted until 1952. The doll was the same as the hard plastic 8" Ginny, but had cute little curved legs. The early ones has painted eyes and a short curly mohair wig. Some had a little bow fastened to the head. In the 1950's, Vogue revised the doll to be a sleep eye version with the famous "caracul" wig (poodle cut). There had a few oufits which are extremely hard to find. There was a sweet playsuit, a dress with a shawl collar, and a printed cotton dress. I had searched for a long time and have dressed my doll in a printed dress and bonnet that is unmarked. I have seen the material pictured in the Vogue catalog, but am not sure if it went to a Crib Crowd Baby. These precious little dolls are treasured by Ginny collectors.

In 1951 Vogue advertised the name "Ginny" for the 8" doll for the first time. Ginny was named after Virginia, the daughter of company founder Mrs. Jennie Graves. The 1951 price list describes Ginny #80 Wavette with hair (new Nutex material) that could be washed, combed and curled. The Wavette doll was dressed in a gingham dress with eyelet trim. The gingham came in different colors (red, yellow, blue and green). She also came with a natural straw hat, an acetate case containing a cape and curlers, matching bloomers and center snap shoes. The very high quality (fever cheeks, brown lashes and brows) of the dolls produced during the early 1950's make them some of the most desirable today.

Following the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of England, Vogue designed an elegantly dressed doll to commemorate the event.  This very rare doll that was produced in 1953 and 1954 can be a strung doll or a walker. She came dressed in a white brocade gown decorated with an over the shoulder blue ribbon. The 1953 version had a beaded decoration on the front of the dress. She had a beautiful rabbit fur trimmed long purple velvet cape with beaded decoration and gold ties. A pearl trimmed crown adorned her head and she held a scepter. She wore gold slippers. She originally came in a fancy box with plastic cover. It is almost impossible to find one in the original packaging! I feel very fortunate to own one although mine is missing the box and scepter. She is truly a very special doll!

The Vogue Doll Company designed some especially dressed dolls to commemorate current events. Davy Crockett, starring Fess Parker, was a very popular Walt Disney movie in the mid 1950's. In 1954 8" Painted Lash Walker Ginny was dressed as Davy Crockett in a suede fringed outfit and coonskin hat. The doll had a fifle and Davy Crockett pin as accessories. The doll is very collectible for it was only produced for a short time.

In the early 1950's 8" Sandra Sue, designed by Ida Wood, was manufactured by the Richwood Toys, Inc. of Annapolis, Maryland. She was the same height as a Ginny doll, but a totally different shape. She was a thin doll with moveable arms, legs and head. She had sleep eyes and a glued wig. This doll that came with flat feet or high-heeled feet was only marked on the limbs with a single number so she may hard to identify. She was a very pretty doll and had many outfits, although they are hard to find because they were not marked. The company also made a few furniture pieces for her which were nicely constructed. I was lucky enough to have a Sandra Sue bed for my Ginny (I loved canopy beds!). Interest is the Sandra Sue Doll as a collectible has increased recently.

The Vogue Doll Company issued a new teenage doll in 1957. Her name was Jill and she was promoted as Ginny's big sister. She was an all hard plastic high-heeled doll with a glued on saran wig that could be the color blonde, brunette or red. Her hair style was either a pony tail or a slight flip (called the angel cut). She was a sleep eye doll and had small metal hoops under her ears for earrings. She was a walking doll (her head turns when she walks) with bendable knees. Vogue designed many very high quality, beautiful outfits for this very collectible doll. Jill was manufactured until the mid 1960's. The last version was an all vinyl doll. My 1957 Jill doll (I still have her today) was the last doll that I received as a gift.  I was now a seventh grader and "too old" for dolls!! I guess I learned that one is never "too old" for doll collecting!!

In 1959, the Nancy Ann Storybook issued a doll called Miss Nancy Ann. She was 10 1/2" tall and was that company's answer to the Vogue Jill Doll and the popular Little Miss Revlon by Ideal. She was a high quality doll that had a vinyl head with rooted hair, a rigid vinyl body and high-heeled feet. She was marked "Nancy Ann" and had many nice outfits that were sold separately. These late 1950's teenage dolls were soon to be upstaged by Mattel's blockbuster Barbie!

In 1953 The Nancy Ann Storybook  Doll Company of San Francisco, California designed a little 8" hard plastic doll called Muffie to compete with the very popular Vogue Ginny Doll. She was first introduced as a straight leg non-walker and in 1954 became a walker. The early strung Muffie had painted eyelashes and no eyebrows. She had a dynel side part flip wig and approximately 54 complete quality outfits to purchase separately. Most dolls are marked "Storybook Dolls USA", some are marked Muffie and some are not marked at all. The next version had molded eyelashes and after 1955 had painted eyebrows. Wigs were flips or braids and 30 or so outfits were added. The doll was changed in 1955-1956 to a vinyl head with rooted hair on a hard plastic body and molded or painted upper eyelashes. The early Muffie Doll has become very popular with today's collectors.

The little 8" Betsy McCall doll was licensed by the American Character Doll Company in 1957 to rival the other 8" dolls such as Vogue Ginny, Madame Alexander-kins, Cosmopolitan Ginger, Nancy Ann Muffy and others from not so well known doll companies.  The Ideal Toy Company had the previous license and manufactured a larger doll. The smaller Betsy (whose origin came from the very popular paper dolls in the McCall's Magazine) actually measured 7 3/4" and had a more slender hard plastic body. She came with bended knees and a very cute smile. Her hair was either mohair (early) or saran and came in five colors, blonde, brunette, red, tosca and a very dark brunette. The saran hair was rooted into a rubber skull cap that allowed for washing and combing. There were numerous high quality outfits for these very cute little dolls that were manufactured from 1957 to 1963.

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One of my favorite dolls was the Ricky Jr. Doll, a gift for Christmas 1953. He was manufactured by the American Character Doll Company. There were a few different versions of the famous baby of Lucy and Desi Arnaz (Lucy and Ricky Ricardo of the very popular television I LOVE LUCY SHOW). My version (the #2) was 21" long and all vinyl. He was a wet and drink doll with sleep eyes and molded hair. "Amer. Char. Doll" was marked on his head. He wore a yellow one piece playsuit with a separate white belt that had his name embroidered on it. The birth of this special little baby was a much anticipated event which was filmed in November 1952 and aired in January 1953.

The Sun Rubber Co. manufactured an all rubber Gerber Baby Doll in 1955. The doll was marked Gerber Baby/c. Gerber Products Co. on its head and Mfd. by The Sun Rubber Co., Barberton, O. USA, Pat. 2118682/Pat. 2160739 on the back.  The doll was an advertising promotion for the Gerber Baby Food Co, Fremont, Michigan. The doll was 11-13" with inset eyes and molded hair with an open/closed mouth. This very cute doll was one of the earliest in a line of Gerber Baby dolls that are still being manufactured today.

The American Character Doll Company of New York produced high quality dolls from 1919 to 1968. Several of their dolls became very popular including the innovative drink and wet doll called Tiny Tears. She was the first doll who could not only drink and wet, but could also cry real tears. There were two little holes next to her eyes that cried tears when she was squeezed with her pacifier in her mouth. The company produced these dolls from 1950 to 1968. She came in four basic versions. From 1950 to 1955 they had a hard plastic head and a rubber body. Her hair could either be molded or a caracul (lamb's wool) wig. From 1956-1958 she also had a hard plastic head and a rubber body. She now came with rooted saran hair in an inset rubber skull cap. The hands on the rubber bodied dolls turned downward. From 1959-1961 the dolls had hard plastic heads and soft vinyl bodies. They also had rooted saran hair in an inset skull cap. The hands of the vinyl bodied dolls faced inward toward each other. The later dolls had rock-a-bye eyes. This was a unique mechanism that closed the eyes by rocking the doll back and forth to put her to sleep. From 1962-1968 the dolls were all vinyl. The most popular sizes were 11 1/2", 13 1/2", 16" and 20". They often came with two outfits, underwear and accessories (bottle, pacifier and bubble toy). These very sweet dolls have become very popular with doll collectors today.

In 1958 Vogue introduced Jimmy, Ginny's baby brother. Vogue used the 1955 painted eye Ginnette mold for Jimmy. He is generally seen without painted eyelashes which seems to be the accepted difference between the dolls. He had six very cute outfits and is marked Vogue Dolls Inc on his lower back. This very cute 8" doll was only manufactured for one year which makes him harder to find for today's collectors.