Showing posts with label Sweet Sue doll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweet Sue doll. Show all posts

Friday, October 13, 2023

Doll-A-Day 2023 #276: Sweet Sue Sophisticate

 Today's doll came from the toy show I went to the other day. She's Sweet Sue Sophisticate.


  Hey, I tried not to buy this doll. The dealer came at me, offering her, and my sister tried to get me to buy her. But she was $45. I said no, and the dealer told me to make an offer. My sister pushed me to go ahead and make one. I said no, because I didn't want to make the dealer mad by offering a low price. He kept saying to go ahead, because he wouldn't be offended. My sister pushed on. I said, "Oh, I think he'd be mad if I offered $20." Wouldn't you know it! The dealer said, "That's just what I was thinking, $20." Crap! Trapped like a rat! So I took her. She is very nice though.

  Sweet Sue was made by the American Character Doll Company between 1951 and 1961, in various sizes. She started out as a large walker doll, and a smaller doll in  a variety of sizes. (You can see my two HERE and HERE.) Sweet Sue Sophisticate appeared in 1957. She was made in two sizes, 14" and 20". This one is 20" tall.


She has a face that really does look like a more mature Sweet Sue.


She has big blue eyes with some gold in them.


Her lower lashes are painted, and she has brush lashes on top. Her eyebrows are only a couple of brush strokes.


She has sleep eyes.


While we're in close, let's look at her jewelry. She has pearl earrings, (mine is missing one), and a necklace.


Her dress is midnight blue taffeta.


It has a V neckline, and cap sleeves, trimmed with black lace.


The bodice is accentuated with a gold trimmed 'jewel'.


It's a very pretty dress, and in good shape, except for one thing...


A patch! There's a ding dang PATCH on the back, at her shoulder! A hunk of black velvet that shouldn't oughta be there!


  Crap! Taken again! I need to react more slowly!


The hemline of the dress is sort of scalloped and puffed. I don't know how to describe it.


Here's that sleeve trim again. and that *%#@* PATCH!


  The dress has a built in tulle underskirt and slip. Her you can kind of see the elastic or whatever around the hem.


She also has undies, and stockings.


I could not decide which feet these shoes went on. Both ways looked wrong. There is also a strap that goes at the back, over the heel. This one's straps are a bit stretched.


  Her hair is quite long, but still curled and in the original set.


She even still has her curled bangs.



It's brown, but came off a little red when I used the flash.



She has a few bobby pins in her hair, holding it in place, but I don't know if they're original.


 She's quite a pretty doll.


She would have originally had what I think is called a headband hat or half hat, in a fabric that matched her dress, and a black purse.


She has very elegant arms, I think. Of course, there's that PATCH again!!


I love the colour and fabric of her dress.


I might not keep her. She was a good deal. (A much better deal before I knew about that patch!) I thought it would have been silly to pass her up, even if I did get rid of her later.


And I guess I cave under pressure.


  That's today's doll, See you tomorrow,  

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

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.