This lady's doll came from France in 1944. I doubt very much my girl is from France, but this looks like the almost exact same doll as mine. (Hers is blonde, but has the same hair style and face.) So while she may not come from France, she may be from around 1944.
***ANOTHER UPDATE*** She also looks a lot like Linda, a 1952 doll by Artistic Toy Company.
Different feet though.
***AND YET ANOTHER UPDATE*** I also found this picture online the was labeled as the 1940's, and there she is!
Well, it's awfully close. Same hair and feet, and maybe the face?
And Yet ANOTHER UPDATE! I found my girl's blonde twin! The only difference is the size. She's bigger than my girl. But she looks just like her, only blonde. She is listed as un branded.
https://picclick.com/Dance-With-Me-Doll-1940s-50s-Vintage-266392543779.html
Some of the plastic faced ones I have found were made by Doll & Toy Industries of New York, New York.
Today's doll is a mystery. She's this girl.
I bought her at a garage sale. The people selling her always have lots of antiques. I think they collect antiques and probably go to auctions,etc.
She's old. (No offense Girl.) But I can't find any other doll on the internet that is exactly like her. She's sort of like the Dance With Me dolls from the 1950's,like this one from a1955 Speigel ad.
That doll is described as a 45 inch Dance With Me doll called Rita. The face looks the same,but Rita and the other large Dance With Me dolls I have found online, have plastic 'mask' faces. My girl has a pressed cloth face.
Also, Rita, and the one other really close doll I found online,have stumpy arms without detailed hands. My girl has hands.
Of course,there's also the fact that the Dance With Me dolls have elastic on their feet to connect them to the child's feet for dancing. There's none on my girl's feet, and no sign that there ever was.
Her shoes are made of wool felt.
She also sort of resembles this doll from the 1940's,shown here with actress Natalie Wood.
Unlike the big Dance With Me dolls,who measured 44 or 45 inches tall,my girl comes in at a demure 30 inches..
She has yarn hair.
It's gathered in two bunches, with a loose bit in the back. I don't know if that's original or not.
Her face is painted.
I think this is probably part of her original outfit. I'm sure she originally had a shirt too. She does have bloomers that match her skirt though.
She has another feature that surprised me. It wasn't obvious from looking at her, and I'm not sure I even noticed it until I got her home. She has a bobble head!
Maybe it was so her head would move as she danced? But then where are the elastic strips that should be on her feet?
I like this girl a lot. She has lots of personality, and looks vaguely sad.
She lives in my glass case,but she takes up so much space that she's forced to have a bunch of dolls sitting on her lap and legs. So she was glad to get out of the case for a while!
That's the doll for today. Tomorrow we'll look at another doll.
I bought her at a garage sale. The people selling her always have lots of antiques. I think they collect antiques and probably go to auctions,etc.
She's old. (No offense Girl.) But I can't find any other doll on the internet that is exactly like her. She's sort of like the Dance With Me dolls from the 1950's,like this one from a1955 Speigel ad.
That doll is described as a 45 inch Dance With Me doll called Rita. The face looks the same,but Rita and the other large Dance With Me dolls I have found online, have plastic 'mask' faces. My girl has a pressed cloth face.
Also, Rita, and the one other really close doll I found online,have stumpy arms without detailed hands. My girl has hands.
Of course,there's also the fact that the Dance With Me dolls have elastic on their feet to connect them to the child's feet for dancing. There's none on my girl's feet, and no sign that there ever was.
Her shoes are made of wool felt.
She also sort of resembles this doll from the 1940's,shown here with actress Natalie Wood.
Unlike the big Dance With Me dolls,who measured 44 or 45 inches tall,my girl comes in at a demure 30 inches..
She has yarn hair.
It's gathered in two bunches, with a loose bit in the back. I don't know if that's original or not.
Her face is painted.
I think this is probably part of her original outfit. I'm sure she originally had a shirt too. She does have bloomers that match her skirt though.
She has another feature that surprised me. It wasn't obvious from looking at her, and I'm not sure I even noticed it until I got her home. She has a bobble head!
Maybe it was so her head would move as she danced? But then where are the elastic strips that should be on her feet?
I like this girl a lot. She has lots of personality, and looks vaguely sad.
She lives in my glass case,but she takes up so much space that she's forced to have a bunch of dolls sitting on her lap and legs. So she was glad to get out of the case for a while!
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| Ahhhh! |
That's the doll for today. Tomorrow we'll look at another doll.
She's cute, whoever she is. She has a nice little expression on her face.
ReplyDeleteI think that she is a wallflower. That is why she doesn't have elastic on her feet. She has no one with whom to dance so she is sad. On second thought. I think she is just shy. Okay, I really let my imagination run amok just now (laugh).
ReplyDeleteI think she is cute. She kind of has cornrows in her hair. That's so cool.
Maybe I should have you do back stories for all these dolls. You have a talent for it!
DeleteHey, Teach. Just trying to earn extra credit points (laugh).
ReplyDeleteShe's really sweet, I like her face and hair a lot.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she is just a doll that was made by a talented craft person and therefore she is unique!
x
WIth her pressed cloth face and neck on a spring I doubt she was hand made. Someday I'll find out who she is. I was thinking of trimming all the loose bits off her yarn hair. I pulled some off before I photographed her,but there's a lot there. i think it would improve her looks.
DeleteI have a similar doll, but I am also trying to figure out what she is.
ReplyDeleteIf you ever find anything out, please share it with us.
DeleteI have no clue who she is, but her yarn hair is in AMAZING shape! She has a very sweet face and looks cuddly. The article you posted later is very interesting. I wish they had been able to get more pictures of this lady's dolls. I love how each one has a story.
ReplyDeleteI still have no idea who she is.
DeleteMother's Day just ended and for some reason it dawned on me that all these years wishing Happy Mother's Day wishes to loved ones who've passed, (I am currently 65 yrs old), had forgotten to remember to wish it to my great great grandmother who I did get to meet on her death bed when I was 3 or 4. She was well into her late 90s to 100 +. And that night she met me, she gave me the 2 huge dolls of hers that were on her bed. ONE WAS THE Pittsburg Dutch Boy Paint DOLL which you stillsee as their logo sometimes but never knew the other one till now seeing your site. I had to grow into playing with her 3 times my size and dance with her. So happy to find there was a history as to her. I had no idea! Mine is blonde yarn hair with big round bonnet, smile latex face, big same eyes etc, cloth long body and legs and arms with top and skirt of pink, peach and green garden flowers. Springtime look. Now I think I can say she just got the best and first time Mother's day wish from her great, great granddaughter so thank you for your search so my life long love for those dear dolls and her gift to me re-found.
DeleteAw. That's a sweet story! I found another picture/info, which I'll add to this post in a couple of days, so check back.
DeleteI had a blonde version of this girl when I was growing up (1960s). She had elastic straps on her feet so she could dance with you. I had her through the 1980s-early 90s until she started to dry rot. “Edith”
ReplyDeleteThat must have been sad for you.
Delete