Doll-A-Day 2023 #108: Sweet Sue or Nanette?

   Today's doll is one I got, not at the last doll show, but at the one before. She was from the same dealer who had the Alice looking doll I turned down because it smelled like it might have hard plastic disease. Sooo...  Anyway,  I'm not sure if she's a Sweet Sue, or maybe a Nanette.

  She has no markings, but then Sweet Sue often doesn't. My other Sweet Sue isn't marked, but she's wearing her original dress, so I can tell that's who she is.

  Sweet Sue was made by American Character for ten years, starting in 1951. Nanette was made in the 50's too, by Arranbee (otherwise known as R&B). The reason Nanette and Sweet Sue look so much alike is that at one point Arranbee, American Character, and Madame Alexander shared factory space, and all used from the same stock of body parts.

Her hands are blushed on top.

  This doll is a walker doll. When her legs are moved, her arms move in unison, and her head turns. Both Sweet Sue and Nanette were walkers, so still hard to know. 

  She's about 17 inches tall.

  Her hair is a wig, not rooted.

  She has very long strawberry blonde hair.

I'm sure it was meant to be curled, which would take up some of that length.

But I love that it's this long! It kind of looks like my hair.

It's a beautiful colour.

And she still has both of her metal barrettes. (I guess they're original. They don't look like they would go back in if they came out.)

They're kind of like giant staples.

  She has had a little accident in which she lost most of her right eyebrow and some of the colour on her forehead. I didn't do it! I thought I had though, for a second, when I was cleaning her face.

She has blue eyes, with a little gold in the middle. That's kind of the way Ivy describes her eyes; green with some brown in the middle. He hair is a bit lighter than Ivy's, but she's still a red head.

They're sleep eyes, and have brush lashes.

Her lips are bright red. Kind of mature for a doll that looks more like a child, but it's pretty on her. Maybe her lips are just really chapped.

  This dress doesn't fit her perfectly. It's a little loose through the waist. So it's probably not her original.

  It may be homemade. It's a nice little schoolgirl dress.

Yes, that waist piece is supposed to be up, but it kept turning down.

The dress closes in the back with hook and eye closures.

  If anybody recognizes the dress, leave a comment.

  I didn't even think about her possibly being a Sweet Sue until I'd had her a while. I was just sort of taken by her cute clothes and boots and that long red hair. She looks so different from my other Sweet Sue, because that one still has curl in her hair, and is wearing a light, pastel outfit. Even though they're similar, it's their differences that make each of them worth having. Also, this one has much brighter face paint than my other one, and she isn't missing as much lip paint, as well as the paint that's there being more red.

  I love the little boots she is wearing. How cute are these?

Does anybody recognize them?

 

They're lined, and they have shiny plastic soles.

 

  She's wearing a strange conglomeration of clothes: a summer dress, wooly thigh high socks, and cozy boots. I assume this was the dealer's doing.

  I got the sweater at the show too. It was only a dollar. When I bought it I didn't know who it was going to go on, but I couldn't resist it. Then after I got back here, I realized it would fit her perfectly.

  It has little diamond like stones set in. It's really well made and looks like a sweater for humans, only tiny. I have a thing for coats and sweaters, and cozy clothes, so for a dollar, even though I didn't know who it was going to go on, I had to get it.

  That's the doll for today. Tomorrow we'll see some dolls I nabbed at a show a while back, who have been waiting for their day.

Flea Market Girl: She Might Be Nanette, But You Can Call Her Kathy

   Well, it's been more than a couple of days, but I am finally getting up that post on my other doll from the last time my sister and I went to the flea market. 

She's unmarked, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what doll she might be. But we know who she was.

 I bought her from her original owner. The lady was 82, and she said she got the doll when she was about 10 years old. So, 1950.

  As we were leaving the lady's booth, my sister wondered what the doll's name was. She asked, and the lady said she had never given her a name. Her husband chuckled to himself and mumbled that that was the silliest thing he'd ever heard. "...all that time..."

My sister decided we should name the doll after the lady, so we asked her name. She was Kathy, so the doll became Kathy. After 72 years, she finally has a name.

Kathy, (The doll. Not the lady.), is about 14 inches tall, and is jointed at the neck, shoulders, and hips.

  She hasn't had any clean up done yet, so her face is a bit dirty. So is her dress, but I doubt it's original. It doesn't fit her very well.

She has bluey green sleep eyes with 'real' lashes.

   

Her mouth is painted a bit unevenly, which I think is a clue to what doll she is.

  Her hair is a wig, not rooted.

Some of the stitching shows. She definitely needs her hair reset.

  She's all hard plastic, and luckily doesn't smell. It's hard to tell from this photo, but her knees are very slightly blushed.

  Her poor little hands need a cleaning too. It appears she has been playing in the dirt.

  Her dress may not be original, but her undies probably are.

The hem in that dress makes me think it's homemade.

  But check out these shoes. They could use a cleaning too, but they're cute. And I think they're original.

 

  They sort of look hand painted, but I still think they came this way. I'll tell you why in a minute.

As I said, she's unmarked. There are some clues to who she might be though. She greatly resembles Sweet Sue, by American Character. You can see my two Sweet Sues, (Well, one positive Sweet Sue and one possible Sweet Sue.), by clicking on these links. But she also looks a lot like Nancy Lee or Nanette, both by Arranbee, (also known as R & B.) In fact, I found this doll, which is a slightly larger size, but has both the unevenly painted mouth and the same hand painted looking saddle shoes:

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/arranbee-nanette-19-doll-1952-1056-c-2914fc09b0

  So it's highly probable that she's an Arranbee Nanette or Nancy Lee doll. I would love someone to take Kathy who can revive her to her full glory. I paid $10 for her, (After the lady said she'd take $8 instead of the $10 she was originally asking, she took my $10 and said, "Yeah, ten." and didn't give me any change. She was 82. I didn't bother to correct her.), and I would take $10 plus the cost of shipping her to you. I just felt I should rescue Kathy and let the lady know she would get a good home. I'm sure any of you willing to take Kathy on will take good care of her. I don't have the ability to do hair, and that's the main thing she needs done. A nice new (or old) dress and a clean up would help too. **Oh! I forgot to see if she's a walker! I know Nanette is a walker, but I'm not sure this girl is. I know her stringing seemed a little loose, so maybe she's not a walker. I'd check, but my leg is killing me after going to the rail road museum with Ken yesterday, and I'm not doing stairs today so I'll be good for tomorrow. Kathy is on the other floor of the house. I can check if anybody is interested in giving Kathy a home though.)**