Photographs courtesy of Betty Ativie
Name: Mandy Lou
Made by and When: Pedigree, 1955
Material: Hard Plastic (cellulose acetate)
Marks: Neck is marked Pedigree England.
Back is marked Made in England.
Voice box in the back is marked 20 T.
Height: 22 inches
Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black short astrakhan wig/flirty sleep eyes with attached eyelashes/slightly parted red-painted lips
Clothes: Original red windowpane dress is marked with the label Pedigree; white organdy lace-trimmed pinafore, white cotton socks with replaced white vinyl shoes marked No. 3 Cinderella shoes.
Other: The doll has very chubby cheeks and pierced ears with original gold hoop earrings inserted. Sometimes referred to as a “walkie-talkie” because of the ma-ma voice box and the head-turning walker feature, the doll’s head turns from side to side when the legs are moved in the walking position. This also activates the flirty eye (left-to-right) movement. During the 1950s and prior, Pedigree used very deep coloring for the dolls that represented people of African descent. This color was not as widely used in the United States for Black dolls unless they were derogatory caricatures of Black people.
Gallery
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