Monthly Archives: September 2021

Naomi by Lenci

Name: Naomi Made by and When: Lenci, 1993 Material: Felt Marks: Lenci/Torino (on the body tag); the certificate of origin has a unique number that matches the number on the Attestation of Authenticity. Height: 19 inches Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Mid-back length, loosely curled dark brown wig with bangs; brown painted eyes, closed mouth with redContinue reading “Naomi by Lenci”

Native Australian (Aboriginal) Dolls

Name: Miracle, Mullyan, and Faith—Native Australian (Aboriginal) Dolls Made by and When: Wendy Frank, 2009 Material: Papier-mâché, felt, different shades of brown paint and brown cloth, and leather Marks: Artist-signed hangtags Height: 17, 15, and 17 inches Hair and Facial Features: Synthetic hair in shades of brown and auburn, molded and painted mask faces haveContinue reading “Native Australian (Aboriginal) Dolls”

Artsy the First Black Barbie Fashionista

Name: Barbie Fashionista Artsy Made by and When: Mattel, 2009 Material: Posable vinyl Marks: (Head) TM / 0 2001/MATTEL, INC / ©2009 MATTEL INC / CHINA / 2199HF Height: 11-1/2 inches Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Auburn rooted hair with one spiral curl on the front right side and the top of the hair is pulled upContinue reading “Artsy the First Black Barbie Fashionista”

Non-Barbie Fashion Dolls, Clones, and Competitors 1960s to early-2000s

Name: Non-Barbie Fashion Dolls, Clones, and Competitors General Description: Mattel’s Barbie remains the most popular mainstream fashion doll to date. Because of the doll’s popularity, other 11-1/2 to 12-inch fashion dolls are often incorrectly referred to as Barbie. To piggyback on Mattel’s sales success with Barbie, throughout the years, other doll makers have created playscale-sizeContinue reading “Non-Barbie Fashion Dolls, Clones, and Competitors 1960s to early-2000s”

Candi and Charisse Dolls

Name: Candi and Charisse Dolls Made by and When: 1994-2004 Hamilton Toys, Hamilton Toy, Integrity Toys, and Mikelman (Mikelman designed the Charisse doll) Material: Vinyl with bendable knees Marks: All Candi dolls are marked Hamilton Toys, Inc. 1990 (on the heads); Hamilton Design Inc./MADE IN CHINA (on the backs). Retro Charisse by Mikelman is markedContinue reading “Candi and Charisse Dolls”

Izannah Walker/Martha Chase-Style Doll

Name: Izannah Walker/Martha Chase-Style Doll Made by and When: Svetlana Lukina, 2017 Material: Papier-mâché head, arms, and legs, cloth body, and sheepskin hair Marks: The artist’s signature is on the back of the papier-mâché breast plate. The hangtag reads, Izannah Walker reproduction dolls by Svetlana Lukina. (The artist’s contact information is also included on theContinue reading “Izannah Walker/Martha Chase-Style Doll”

Eliza by Ulrike Hutt

Name: Eliza Made by and When: Ulrike Hutt for Gotz for United Federation of Doll Clubs Material: Vinyl Marks: Artist’s incised mark that looks like a U above an H (on the back); #397/500/2002 (handwritten on the lower back); the dress is tagged Gotz. Height: 10 inches Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Sculpted brown cornrows, brown paintedContinue reading “Eliza by Ulrike Hutt”

Dale and Van by Topper

Name: Dale and Van (Friends of 1970s Dawn) Made by and When: Topper, 1970 (Dale); Van was released with the second set of dolls circa 1971. Material: Soft vinyl with rigid plastic bodies Marks: Dale on the left is marked on the head 4/H62. Van’s head is unmarked. Dale on the right is marked onContinue reading “Dale and Van by Topper”

Musical Cloth Dolls

Name: Musical Dolls Made by and When: Lorna Paris, 2008 Material: Cloth Marks: 2008/Doll Art by Lorna Paris (on back) Height: 8 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Handmade wigs with rosette headbands/hand-painted facial features Clothes: Painted dresses and shoes Other: Made to sit, these three dolls are examples of Paris’ musical dolls. They are similar but one-of-a-kind hand-paintedContinue reading “Musical Cloth Dolls”