Doll-A-Day 186: Tressy

  Today's doll is one I have given a glimpse of before. She's a Tressy doll I got last summer.

This is her original dress. (Or like it at least. She was naked when I got her.)

No shoes, as usual.

The low cut back is so you can access her grow hair button.

Here she is when I first got her. She's the one with the ...chest problem. It doesn't show in this dress though, as I figured it wouldn't.



Tressy was made by American Character in 1964-65.

Her standout feature was her growing hair, accomplished by pushing in the button on her stomach and pulling her longer bunch of hair that came out of a hole in the top of her head.

This top knot style is one of the suggested hair dos for her.

And here she is without the top knot.

It's a belly button. Get it? Oh never mind...

Short hair...

...loooong hair.

She came with a key, worn on her cord belt (neither of which I have.),which was used in the slot in her back to wind the hair back in.

Or you can use your thumb nail like I just did...This appears to be a bit ground down.

There was also a larger, 15" doll named Tressy made by American Character in 1965, but other than the grow hair feature, she bears no resemblance.

Tressy was the brain child of a furniture designer named Jesse Dean, and his wife, Diana. Dean had tried to sell the idea to Ideal, but was turned down. Tressy was successful enough that when American Character filed for bankruptcy Ideal bought the patents and trademarks, as well as the original dies. They used it to produce 'Tressy' dolls in the 70's that didn't resemble this Tressy at all. She was more along the lines of Crissy, another, larger grow hair doll that was very successful for Ideal.

 Most people think of Tressy, if they think of her at all, (She's not that well known.), as just another Wanna Be who tried to jump on Barbie's band wagon.True, but she was different. Barbie couldn't grow her hair. Tressy was popular enough that she was produced in several forms,( including the Mary Make Up doll, an ugly girl kids could put make up on.), had a little sister,(Cricket was Skipper sized), and Tressy and her sister both had an entire wardrobe.

We had a Tressy when we were kids. It was my sisters actually, but I inherited Tressy when my sister outgrew her.

My Tressy with Gamour Misty and Barbita, my childhood Barbie.

  And in case anybody's wondering, the corn is getting tall...

Should be as high as an elephant's eye soon.

...the baby tomatoes are getting bigger....

...and The Thing has still not explained itself.

Be something, will ya?!

Tomorrow we'll see another doll of the 60's, plus we'll have a look at that lemon blonde Skipper from last week to see how she turned out.