Doll-A-Day 2023 #37: The Littles, Mrs. Littles, Belinda, and Daphne

   Today's doll is three...and a bit. They're members of the Little Family, from the line of dolls called The Littles.

    The Littles were produced by Mattel. They look like 60's dolls, like Liddle Kiddles and other Mattel dolls. But they actually appeared in 1980. I suppose they do look a bit like the Honey Hill Bunch dolls. (You can see one of mine HERE.) Those dolls were made in the late 70's, so the same designer probably came up with The Littles too.

  This tiny family of dolls were about 2 1/2 inches tall, with Mr. and Mrs. Littles being the tallest, and the children, (There were a lot of them.), all shorter, but not all the same size. Our group of three, (and one extra headless Mrs. Littles body!), consists of Mrs. Little, the family matriarch...

...daughter Daphne...

...and daughter Belinda.

Mrs. Littles was sold as part of a set of three dolls, which also included Mr. Little, and Baby Littles.

The back of her head tells us she was made in the Philippines.

She has painted arms and shoes, while the kids are barefoot. The dolls all have a removable item of clothing, (except baby Littles, who wears painted on footie pajamas.). Mrs. Littles clothing is a sleeveless dress that snaps in the back.

Belinda has a dress that also ties in the back.

Belinda was sold in a set that included four die cast metal and plastic chairs that went with the kitchen table. The table was available by itself. That was pretty chintzy of Mattel. The dolls were jointed at the neck, shoulders, and hips, so they could actually sit on their furniture. Unfortunately, their large heads and full hair mean that they usually fall over if not balanced properly against something.

 

Daphne was sold in a set that included the bathtub and shower curtain. This set seems to be one of the harder to find sets, and is usually priced higher than most of the others.

 I think Daphne had some of her hair pulled back, because this one has remnants of the elastics.

She needs that tub so she can wash out her dress in it. There's some brown discolouration on the lace.

  The Littles dolls mostly came in sets that included furniture. The furniture was good quality, made of metal and heavy plastic. The table had leaves that folded, and the stove had an opening door. There were pieces that had drawers, and doors, and they all opened. The furniture still holds up well today.

 And to have a place for that furniture, there was a Victorian style house available...

There was also what was called The Littles Starter House and Veranda. This set was basically one room, with a domed 'glass' roof, and a detachable veranda. This could be joined up with the full Littles house. I suppose if you had the big house, the 'starter house' could be a conservatory, since it had that clear roof. Otherwise you could use it as an extra room. I've seen the big house in person plenty of times, but I've never seen the Starter House. I think it must be a lot harder to find. 

 Here is a good page to see all the Littles pieces in one place. This person has put together quite a collection, and has included pictures of the few pieces they don't have in their collection in their post.

  These dolls belong to Emma. They're from the stuff she pulled out to sell. so if you're interested, they are available. Just leave a comment with your contact information, (which I won't publish.).

   Those are the dolls for today. See? I told you I wouldn't be so late today!  Tomorrow we'll see another doll.