Name: “Let’s Play Dolls” Anna
Made by and When: Alice Darling for Madame Alexander, ©1993
Material: String-jointed vinyl, paint, synthetic hair fibers, fabric, and ribbons
Marks: (Head) ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY; (upper back) Madame / Alexander
Anna has a hang tag that includes a bio.
Height: 13 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: The black synthetic wig has straight bangs and a side ponytail with curly ends. The eyes are painted brown with painted upper eyelashes. The closed mouth has dark red lip color.
Clothes: Pastel-colored floral-print dress with a three-layered collar embellished with an embroidered basket of flowers. A white cloth floral bouquet with pastel ribbons adorns the empire waistline. A white half-slip, white lace-trimmed panties, white mesh knit socks, and yellow leather Mary Jane shoes with an embroidered basket of flowers at each toe complete the detailed fashion statement.
Other: Anna is from the “Let’s Play Dolls, Read Me a Story” series, designed by Alice Darling (formerly Robin Woods*) for Madame Alexander. Anna’s creation was inspired by the book, Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna by Nancy White Carlstrom, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, which was first printed in 1987. Alice Darling created several “Let’s Play Dolls” series. At least three other brown-skinned dolls were included in separate “Let’s Play Dolls” series: Toni from the “Thank Heaven for Little Girls Series”; Magician Milagros from “Let’s Pretend”; and Lisa from “Just For Fun.” Visit the Flickr link below the gallery.
*Robin Woods began using the trade name Alice Darling in late 1991 to early 1992 following a federal court ruling that prohibited her from using her own name (“Robin Woods”) for new doll designs after she resigned from her previous company in December 1991. She then adopted the nom de plume “Alice Darling” to design dolls for the Alexander Doll Company (Justia Law).
Gallery








Alice Darling “Let’s Play Dolls” and Catalogs on Flickr
Reference
_________
Your comments are valued. Donations support the initiative to preserve Black-doll history.
If you subscribe to DeeBeeGee’s Virtual Black Doll Museum™ by email, click the post title of the email, which links to the website to view all text and associated media. Please “like” and share this installation with your social media contacts. If you’d like to subscribe, add your email address to the subscribe or sign-up field in the footer or right sidebar. Add your email address to the subscribe or sign-up field in the footer or right sidebar.