Photographs courtesy of Karen Kilburn Name: MarFan Bonnie Lou Made by and When: Terri Lee, late-1950s Material: Hard Plastic Marks: Terri Lee Height: 16 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black wig/basic painted facial features are not as elaborate as earlier Terri Lee dolls/closed mouth painted red Clothes: All original in a light blue cotton-print dress that ties inContinue reading “MarFan Bonnie Lou”
Category Archives: vintage black dolls
Benji
Photographs courtesy of Karen Kilburn Name: Benji Made by and When: Terri Lee, 1950s Material: Hard plastic Marks: Terri Lee Patent Pending Height: 16 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black fur wig/painted facial features/closed mouth with painted red lips Clothes: White button-down shirt with pointed collar, red suspender pants, white socks, black shoes; Benji is missing his redContinue reading “Benji”
Bonnie Lou, Benji, and So-Sleepy
Photographs courtesy of Karen Kilburn Name: Bonnie Lou and Benji with Reproduction So-Sleepy Made by and When: Terri Lee, 1950s and circa 1990s Material: Hard plastic (Bonnie Lou and Benji); vinyl and cloth (So-Sleepy) Marks: Terri Lee Patent Pending (Bonnie Lou and Benji) Height: Bonnie Lou and Benji are 16 inches tall; So Sleepy isContinue reading “Bonnie Lou, Benji, and So-Sleepy”
Cosmopolitan Ginger
Photographs courtesy of Karen Kilburn Name: Ginger Made by and When: Cosmopolitan, 1950s Material: Hard plastic Marks: Unmarked Height: 8 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black wig styled in a short flip with bangs/amber-colored sleep eyes/closed mouth with painted red lips Clothes: All original red plaid dress, red straw hat, white socks, red vinyl Mary-Jane-style shoes, red vinylContinue reading “Cosmopolitan Ginger”
Toto (Little Brown Koko-type)
Name: Toto (Little Brown Koko-type) Made by and When: Handcraft Dolls, circa 1940s Material: Cloth Marks: Paper tag attached to right foot reads: Toto and Bum (Bum was probably his cloth dog) Height: 16 inches Hair/Face: Loops of black yarn, embroidered facial features with red circle mouth Clothes: Wears blue gingham shirt, blue short suspenderContinue reading “Toto (Little Brown Koko-type)”
Amosandra by Sun Rubber
Name: Amosandra Made by and When: The Sun Rubber Company, 1949 Material: Rubber Marks: ©Amosandra, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (on head); Designed by Ruth E. Newton/Manufactured by The Sun Rubber Company/Barberton, OH USA [indiscernible patent numbers] (on back) Height: 10 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black sculpted/inset brown stationary eyes/drinker mouth Clothes: Original one-piece wrap-around romper Other: AmosandraContinue reading “Amosandra by Sun Rubber”
Tiny Tears Lookalike
Name: Tiny Tears Lookalike from England Made by and When: Unknown maker,1950s Material: Hard plastic Marks: Unmarked Height: 12 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black Astrakhan wig/amber sleep eyes/closed mouth Clothes: Redressed in pink knit dress, bonnet, and pants with enclosed feet
Rosebud Baby
Name: Baby Doll Made by and When: Rosebud, mid-1950s Material: Hard plastic Marks: Rosebud Made in England (on neck) Height: 11 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Sculpted black hair combed to the doll’s right side/amber sleep eyes with brown specks/red closed mouth Clothes: Original floral-print cotton dress with matching panties, Cinderella-marked blue vinyl Mary-Jane-style shoes
Martha Chase Stockinette Boy
Name: Martha Chase Boy Made by and When: Martha Chase, circa 1940s-1950s Material: Stockinette (stuffed vinyl type material for body arms and legs; head uses stockinette over a mold). Marks: None; these dolls had paper labels on their bodies which usually fall off. Height: 14 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Painted black hair/painted brown eyes/closed mouth Clothes: RedressedContinue reading “Martha Chase Stockinette Boy”
Walking African Girl
Name: Walking African Girl Made by and When: Pedigree, 1950s Material: Hard plastic Marks: Pedigree (on the neck) Height: 16 inches Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black astrakhan wig/brown flirty eyes/red painted lips with two inserted upper teeth Clothes: Period-appropriate red circle-print dress, red Cinderella-marked sandals, gold-tone hoop earrings Other: During the 1950s and prior, Pedigree used very deepContinue reading “Walking African Girl”
