Owning a vintage doll is owning a little piece of history. Although you will probably display your doll rather than playing with her, you can imagine the stories that little girls about her made up so long ago. It’s amazing to imagine that the little hands which carefully dressed your doll so many years ago, are now probably wrinkled.
Probably the most popular of all collectible vintage dolls are Barbie dolls. The first Barbie was released by Mattel, one of the most famous doll companies still known today, in 1959. The original Barbie was blonde and shapely just like modern Barbies, although her makeup was considerably different and matched what was popular among ladies during that time period. Her tiny, unrealistic waist was criticized and said to be a bad influence for young girls, and consequently, since Barbie's release her waist-line has widened in more recent versions of the doll. From the time she made her debut, Barbie came with many accessories including a huge wardrobe of clothing for all occasions, and items like clutches, shoes, and hats.
You may be surprised by just how many features vintage dolls actually have.
In 1960, Mattel released a doll named “Chatty Cathy,” which was highly sophisticated for its time. Chatty Cathy spoke 11 different phrases (although an updated version of the doll released in 1963 had a total of 18 phrases) including, “I love you,” “Please take me with you,” and “Let’s play school.” Her voice came from a simple low-fidelity phonograph record which was carefully concealed in the doll’s abdomen and connected to a string which protruded from her back. A metal coil allowed children to pull the string, prompting the doll to say phrases which were random, depending on how hard the string was pulled.
Believe it or not, walking dolls have been around even longer. In 1950, Artisan Novelty Doll Company manufactured a walking doll named “Raving Beauty.” She was made of hard plastic and had a small device embedded in her torso that enabled her to walk. Her legs were set wider apart than those of other dolls of her time, simply because of the mechanism in her wider-than-usual torso. Raving Beauty’s makers took other important aspects of her body into consideration though. Her legs, for instance, though visibly set apart, were intentionally crafted closely to her body so that dressing and undressing her would be easy for little hands.
Vintage dolls were more ethnically diverse than you might think. Although most original versions of dolls in the 50s and 60s were released with blonde hair and blue eyes, in 1962, Mattel manufactured an African American doll that talked. In addition, the first African American Barbie doll, “Colored Francie,” was released in 1967. Her release remains somewhat controversial because she lacked African characteristics, and was actually produced using the existing molds for white Barbie dolls; she simply had a darker skin tone. Still, the release of these dolls in the 60s was revolutionary for the time period.
In the 50s, most dolls were sold with one simple outfit, always a dress. But over the next decade, new outfits emerged and dolls’ wardrobes rapidly expanded. Panties, shoes, socks, sun suits, pinafores, and more were available to beautify dolls. Other accessories became available as well, such as bibs, slips, aprons, coats, stockings, bonnets and pantaloons.
Vintage dolls are available to purchase from hundreds of online stores and private sellers. Prices vary, depending on the doll’s age, condition, and how rare the doll is.
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