Name: Doll Craftin’ Negro Boy and Girl Dolls
Made by and When: Mangelsen’s, ca. 1975-1985
Material: Soft vinyl, paint, synthetic hair (for the girl)
Marks: (Heads) blurred wording; (upper backs) HONG KONG
Catalog Numbers: (Boy) 158-37 and (Girl) 158-38
Height: 12 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: The boy has painted and sculpted black curls. The girl’s black-rooted hair has a center part and two side braids. Both dolls have painted-brown eyes, drinker mouths, and painted-red lips
Clothes: Sold nude
Other: These vinyl dolls were sold through Mangelsen’s craft stores as part of the company’s popular “Doll Craftin’” line, designed for home sewing, crochet, and decorative craft projects. Manufactured in Hong Kong during the late 1970s and 1980s, the dolls feature molded vinyl bodies and rooted hair and were marketed under the labels “12-inch Negro Boy” and “12-inch Negro Girl.” This terminology reflects commercial language commonly used in U.S. retail at the time and provides insight into how race was represented in mass‑market hobby materials. These dolls use Shindana’s Baby Zuri sculpt, which was possibly acquired by Mangelsen after Shindana shuttered its business in 1983 or shortly prior.
Craft dolls like these were popular among hobbyists and not specifically meant for play. Today, they serve as artifacts of late 20th‑century American craft culture and illustrate both the creative practices of hobbyists and the period-specific language found in consumer craft goods.
Gallery
The front of each package label includes the brand name (Doll Craftin’), a description of the doll, and the catalog number. The back of each label includes other craft items that Mangelsen of Omaha, Nebraska, sold at the time these dolls were manufactured in Hong Kong.
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