Doll-A-Day 2023 #41 Magic Lips

   Today's doll is another I don't actually own. But when I saw this doll online, I thought she was cute, and interesting, so I thought we'd take a look. She's Magic Lips.

  Magic Lips was made from 1954 to 1957. She is by Ideal, who also produced Thumbelina and many others. She cost $13.95, which was a pretty expensive doll for the 1950's.

From the 1955 Aldens catalog. Magic Lips, top left corner.

Miss Magic Lips is 24 inches tall. 

She has a 'vinyl sheeting' body, (I've seen it described as oilcloth or as a plasticky fabric.), torso, with vinyl limbs and head. Her vinyl arms begin about halfway to the elbow. The ad below says she has 'jointed arms and swing legs', so maybe her arms can turn on that join to the 'vinyl sheeting' upper arms attached to the torso.

Magic Lips, top right corner.

  

'Feels like baby skin'. Or maybe just vinyl sheeting. She 'puckers her lips if you squeeze her tummy'.

She has sleep eyes with brush lashes. Her mouth is molded in an open position, to reveal a tongue and three little bottom teeth. The tongue and teeth are molded in the vinyl and painted, and aren't separate pieces.

This ad says you can control her expression to smile or pout. It's the second one to say it's operated by squeezing her stomach.

Her middle has cut out holes where there is a crier inside her. (I made a rhyme!) When her stomach was pushed, she cried, and her mouth moved. The ad below describes her crying action, and it sounds like pressing her stomach caused her mouth to clench shut, and when it reopened a cry went off. But she's smiling when her mouth is open, so she's crying, but, to paraphrase Ron Weasley in "The Prisoner of Azkaban", "She's going to be crying, but she's going to be happy about it." 

This ad describes her body as 'vinyl coated fabric'. It also refers to her as                                            'Miss Magic Lips',

                                       whereas the other two just call her Magic Lips.

  Most of the ads talk about how her hair can be washed and styled, but I wonder how much water could get in her stuffed body. The 'skin' was vinyl coated, or rubbery, but it was stitched together. I would think water could get in at the seams, and through the hair rooting holes to the body below. But what do I know? 

She came with a toothbrush, which would have appealed to me. I used to brush the plastic teeth in my Chatty Brother doll, and our stuffed Bugs Bunny. (And yes, I still have a thing about teeth, but I don't brush anybody's but mine these days.)

Her tag says she says Ma-ma. I thought she cried? There really is a lot of misinformation about this doll...on it's own packaging and advertising! One of the ads here even says she's 25 inches tall. What the...?

The back of her tag.

This place wants $14.98 for her!

  To see some close up photos of Magic Lips' teeth, eyes, and vinyl sheeting body, you can go to THIS PAGE.

And the price just keeps going up! This is from a 1957 ad. They want a whole $15! And some extra info here: You had to press her back twice to make her work. Or is is that one press makes her cry and two makes her say Ma-ma? I think she probably only one made sound. The crier doesn't sound complicated enough to make two. I edited the ad down to make it easier to read.

Of course, this ad from 1956 also wants $15, and it says you 'gently squeeze' her to make her pucker and cry. Get it together people!

If it makes your kid weep to be squeezed...maybe don't do it! 

   That's the doll for today. I hope nobody is too disappointed I don't have a picture of an in person doll, but for that you can follow the link I gave you, or Google 'Magic Lips doll'. Tomorrow we'll see a real doll that I have on hand.