Doll-A-Day 2023 #253: Pressed Cloth Face Girl

   This little girl we're seeing today, was at one of the recent shows, and she was $5. I couldn't resist her.

  She has a pretty pressed cloth face and blonde yarn hair.

 

She is about 15 inches tall and has a stuffed cloth body. She's so cute, and seems like she would have been such a sweet cuddly doll when she was new.

This is her original cotton polka dot dress.

Her yarn hair has a faux curl along the bottom in the back.

It has matching one piece undies underneath.

I have the other shoe I think, but I don't think they're original.

She has the interesting feature of having pinwheel sleep eyes in a pressed cloth face.

  She even has real lashes

  I'm not sure how old she is, but those eyebrows are decidedly 1930's. She could possibly be 1940's, but during WWII plastics were saved for the war effort, and not used in toys. So she'd either have to be prewar, or post war.

She appears to have glue from her hair on the sides of her face.

  I can't find anything out about her. If anybody knows who she is, please leave a comment. That also goes for anybody who knows if there is a way to clean her cloth face.

  That's it for today folks. I'm really busy this week, hemming Ken's pants and jacket cuffs on his suit for the wedding, and doing something about the mesh cleavage on my dress! The wedding is this weekend! I'm doing posts ahead so I'm not busy this week, but we'll still be back here tomorrow for another doll.

Doll-A-Day 2023 #159: Rag Doll Pin

   Today's doll is one I bought at the yard sale full of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls last week. She's this little girl.

And as you can see, she really is little. She's about 2 1/2 or 3 inches tall.

 She has pigtails, but no other hair.

           And a simply drawn face.    

                                                                

She's actually a pin. Unfortunately the pin is glued on. If it were stitched I would remove it.

She reminded me of a simpler version of the set of dolls I posted about HERE. 

She can hang out with them if we ever get home again!

  That's today's doll. See you again tomorrow.  

Doll-a-Day 2023 #90: Clara, Fancy Prancy Dancers Nutcracker Suite doll

   Remember back when my leg was bothering me during our trip? (And yes, I am still planning to finish the posts about the trip.) Well the leg is all better. However, I have been having trouble with the top of my right foot for the  last few days, which has me doing the Igor drag, a sort of drag limp because it hurts to lift the foot up or put it down. I'll tell you, if it's not one thing, it's another. The steroids the doctor gave me to reduce the swelling and inflammation in my air passages after the fire spoiled me. I felt no pain or stiffness and was running around getting things done like Mrs. Howell on sugar beets. (Gilligan's Island reference.) Now I'm stumping around like Quasimodo. The good news is, Ivy's coming for Easter, but only for the day. And happy birthday to Fuzz, who turns 28 today.

  Today's doll is another of those little soft dolls I like. You know. Like the Colonial Williamsburg dolls, the little Linnea dolls, and the Pottery Barn girls. (You can see all of those in my post HERE.)

  This one is another Pottery barn doll. She's Clara from the Nutcracker Suite. She's from a series of Nutcracker dolls called Fancy Prancy Dancers.

That accounts for the ribbons on her ankles. I'm sure they were supposed to be tied in to pretty bows at her ankles to approximate ballet slippers. But I'm really bad at tying bows. We've established this in previous posts. And these ribbons were so short that my stiff fingers couldn't get them tied in a bow. So I gave up.

She's wearing little bloomers under her dress and her shoes are part of her feet.

Her tag says North American Bear Company, which is another way of saying she's a Pottery Barn doll.

Her tag says 2004. I know there were also 2013 versions of these dolls too, and that Clara was more  blonde than this one.

  She has tiny embroidered eyes and nose, and a sweet embroidered smile.

  Her hair is fabric with fabric curls.

She has an elastic loop on her back. Not sure why. To hang her from a backpack or diaper bag?

  She's about 8 inches tall.

  These dolls are so soft, and weigh nothing. They're like holding air. I'm not sure if they would be a little more cuddly if they had some weight to them. 

  Whenever I find these dolls, they are always like brand new, like they were never payed with. Don't the kids who get these dolls like them?

  That's it for today! See you tomorrow for another doll!

Doll-A-Day 2023 #88: Raggedy Ann and Andy

   Today's dolls are both repeats, and not. I showed you my childhood Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls a while back. (You can also read the history of Raggedy Ann and Andy there.)These dolls are the same era, but these dolls haven't  been loved as mine have. They're still new.

  They're still in their original boxes. And remember, I said these were the same era as my childhood dolls. And I'm 61 years old!

  I can tell these are the same as my dolls, (except my Ann is musical, and this one isn't. This is the Ann I wanted, when I got the musical one because she was the only one we could find.), because I still have my Ann's tag, (just like this one), and because Ann's dress changed fabrics over the years and the changes of manufacturer. This one's dress has the same fabric as mine. These dolls are by Knickerbocker, just like mine.

  Check out the J.C. Penney price sticker on Andy's box. He was originally $4.49! He was then marked down to $3.88, and finally to $2.25. Poor guy! I wonder of the reason they are still in their boxes is because somebody ended up buying them as potential gifts, since they were so cheap, and just never gave them to anybody. Andy's box is faded and Ann's isn't, so maybe they weren't purchased together, but I like to think they've been together all these years.

    Look how beautiful and new they are.

.

Ann still has her handkerchief in her apron pocket. 

 Not like mine!

   They both have their tags, of course.

Just like my Ann's tag. The date is 1971. I would have been nine years old, so Knickerbocker must have stuck with this style of tag and clothes for a while. I got my Andy earlier, but I think I got my Ann for my eighth birthday. 

  They both have a cardboard wedge between their legs which keeps them upright in their boxes, and not slumping. Hey! Why haven't their feet had blowouts like my dolls' feet?!

    Look at little Andy. He's so cute. Don't tell Ann, but he was always my favourite.

 Their boxes bill them as  'America's folk dolls'. It's very sad they have fallen out of favour and aren't popular any more. I guess everything has it's day. I just think the stuff that's popular today is cold and unloving. How cozy can a kid get with a Monster High doll? (Okay, even they aren't the 'in' things any more. But you know what I mean.)

   I can't even remember where I got these dolls now. I was thinking a yard sale, but it would almost have to have been an auction. What is the likelihood of finding boxed dolls like this at a yard sale?

  Those are today's dolls.  See you again tomorrow for another one.

Doll-A-Day 2023 #85: Lady and Her Baby

   Today we're looking at another rescue-ee from The House of Fire. It's this lady and her baby.

She's possibly Mexican or South American.

 For those of you who have just popped in, our house caught fire in January. No injuries except my inflamed lungs, but we did have a burned room, and water damage in the room below it. This lady happened to be in a box in that room. 

  When Ken brought her box here, she and her fellow box inhabitants were on their way to ruin. This lady was still wet, and was starting to mildew. No fear. I rescued her. 

  She's about 11 or 12 inches tall, made of cotton, and firmly stuffed. She has a baby on her back.

She has yarn, or thick thread hair, and she and her baby have embroidered faces.

Her sandals are embroidered too.

  She was washed in the washing machine, and dried on a hot setting. She has been very dry for weeks now, and only has minimal faint mildew stain spots that are hidden under her clothes. If I were keeping her I could even get rid of the mildew stains by using Stain Devils. (Read my review of how amazing Stain Devils is HERE.) 

Like this faint place on her torso, which is covered by her clothes.

And these faint spots on her legs, which are covered by her skirt.

  She feels fine now, and looks very happy. 

But she was never intended to be kept. She came in a box I got at an auction, and I always intended to,,,sorry lady...get rid of her. If anybody wants her, free but for the shipping, (which can be done in an envelope---a water proof envelope. Not taking any chances on that happening again!), just let me know. Remember, if you want her, leave your contact information with your comment. It won't be published.  If somebody would like to give her and her baby a home, she'd be even more happy!

  That's the doll for today. See you again tomorrow.