Name: Saralee (Reproduction)
Made by and When: Collectible Concepts Corp/Yesterday’s Treasures, Mattel, Ashton-Drake; ©2001
Material: Porcelain, stuffed brown cloth, acrylic eyes, paint
Marks: A cloth licensing label is sewn to the doll’s upper back.
Height: 17 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Molded and painted black hair, brown inset acrylic eyes, an open/closed mouth
Clothes: The reproduction Saralee wears a replica of the original, yellow-ribbon-trimmed white organdy dress; a matching bonnet, and pantalettes. White lace-up shoes and white socks accent her outfit.
Other: Released to the market in 2002, produced under license by Collectible Concept Corp. with its image and license from Mattel, Inc., and copyrighted in 2001, this porcelain Saralee is an exclusive replica of the original 1951 vinyl doll sculpted by Sheila Burlingame and manufactured by Ideal Dolls. The 17-inch porcelain replica is approximately one inch shorter than the original doll. It was reproduced for Yesterday’s Treasures Collection and distributed by Ashton-Drake. Cardstock accessories include a hangtag, a certificate of authenticity (COA), a care instructions card, an About card, and a clear vinyl envelope to store the COA, care instructions, and About card. (The original sculptor’s surname is incorrectly spelled on the COA.)
The About card includes an inserted photograph (courtesy of Miriam Gittleson) of Eleanor Roosevelt with the Saralee doll in 1951 at the “color jury”. Also, from left to right in the photo are Bernard Baruch, presidential [advisory]; John Golden, theatrical producer; and Dr. James Hubert. The About card text describes the significance of the original Saralee doll as follows:
ABOUT YOUR EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIBLE: Saralee
Saralee was the first doll to truly represent an Afro-American baby. Up until Saralee was introduced in 1951, white dolls were simply painted brown, but she was different. Not only was the brown color molded into the vinyl, her face was especially molded by a prominent sculptor after extensive studies of real Afro-American children.
The mission of her developer, Sara Lee Creech, a social worker from Florida, was to give Afro-American children a doll they could identify with. Saralee was also entrusted with the goal of helping to end discrimination
This doll was given such importance that former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt stated “The white child in finding her unconsciously choosing a doll without any regard to color will forget discrimination,” Mrs. Roosevelt convened a distinguished panel of leaders of the day including Dr. Ralph Bunche and Walter White, president of the NAACP, to decide on the right color for the doll. Saralee went on to become the official doll of the New York City school system among many other honors.
Truly a breakthrough doll of her time, we are pleased to bring her new life for the doll collector of today.
Produced under license by Collectible Concepts Corp. PO Box 561, Great Falls VA 22066. Doll image is owned by and used under license from Mattel, Inc. © 2001 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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