Doll-A-Day 2019 #263: Gramma

   Still on vacation. I'll tell you all about it when we get back. Until then, today's doll is this little lady.

She's Gramma.

She's a Sears exclusive.

She was sold in 1972. There was an 18 inch talking Gramma with different hair, shoes, and clothes. There was even a Grampa doll to match. There were also non talking Gramma and Grampa dolls. The non talking Grampa was different too. He was smaller, dressed much less informally, wearing a plaid shirt and suspenders, and no tie.

Why a Gramma doll? Because, I guess, all kids like to snuggle with Grama. But a Gramma cradle to put your Gramma in? Apparently there was also a chair for kids that looked like Gramma, so the child could sit in Gramma's lap. Literally 'in' Gramma's lap!

This is the non-talking version of Gramma.

Gramma has a very thin profile.

She has yarn hair.

Her hair starts at the top and is glued in strands down the back of her head.

Back when I was a kid,this is what Gramma's looked like. Both my Grama's had buns of sorts.
 

And hair nets to go with 'em! That's baby me on Grama's lap.

In fact, one of them used a nylon roll around her head that she rolled the hair up in to make a ring around her head. 

My Mammaw with my dad. Dad's holding his niece.

I'm reminded of that because...

Just for the record,my grampa looked nothing like the guy pictured above. My grampa, (I only had one. My dad's dad died before I was born.),wore work pants and a white undershirt or light coloured button up short sleeved shirt. He always wore white socks and brown shoes. He had 3 teeth,white hair,and little wire rimmed glasses,which he wore down on his nose.When he talked to you he would look over the top of his glasses at you. He was a former farmer and retired plasterer,who occasionally did plastering jobs. He spent his days in the metal lawn chair in the front yard,reading,usually Earl Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason) books.

Gramma has a stuffed cloth body.Her apron and dress are separate  pieces,and she also has bloomers.

 

Gramma and Grampa, (not mine!), were designed by Joyce Miller. 

Not Robin Joyce Miller. I found her online, but she would definitely not be old enough. The Gramma Joyce Miller must have been a somebody back then. She's even pictured on the ad above.  But the only thing I could find about Joyce Miller was this vintage tray which is supposed to have been designed by her.

I can see 'Gramma' strolling around in this idyllic setting. (Idyllic except for the green sky. What's up with that?)
  That's the doll for today. See you tomorrow.

Doll-A-Day 303: Sears.Swedlin Mini Martians Bonnie and Mini

    First things first: Welcome to our two new followers, Oberons Wood and Mistress Laudanum. Thanks for joining us! They both have lovely blogs that you might want to check out.
  Today's doll is two: these Mini Martians.

They were made by Gund/J Swedlin, and sold exclusively by Sears in 1967.

They are around 4 1/2" tall. 

The red head is 'Bonnie'. She's wearing one of the "Stellar Shifts" fashions,which were sold separately.

Besides the Stellar Shifts there were Boys Galaxy Garb, Girls Lunar Leisure Wear, Boys Jet Jumpers, Girls Star Time Togs, and Girls Zoom Suits.

Stellar Shifts was a set of two outfits.

The blonde is 'Mini' or 'Teenie'.

She has her original outfit, but the wrong shoes.They were $1.49!

These dolls are fairly rare, having been sold only at Sears, and only for one year.

For such short lived toys they had  a nice bunch of thing sold to go with them: a house, a space ship, and the extra fashions.

 I happened across these two at a church sale a couple of years ago.I had no idea what they were at the time, but I thought they were pretty neat. I would have loved these when I was a kid!

Look at their ears. They're three dimensional swirls!

Their shoes are soft rubber and are actually removeable. 

The dolls are also soft rubber and have a moveable head and arms.
  Tomorrow's Thanksgiving, so I may be back, or I may not be back until Friday.Just in case, Happy Thanksgiving!