Fashion doll

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The original Barbie fashion doll from March 1959 Barbie 1959 First Editions dolls.jpg
The original Barbie fashion doll from March 1959

Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adults. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, though child, male, and even some non-human variants exist. Contemporary fashion dolls are typically made of vinyl or another plastic.

Contents

Barbie was released by the American toy-company Mattel in 1959, and was followed by many similar vinyl fashion dolls intended as children's toys. The size of the Barbie, 11.5 inches (290 mm) set the standard often used by other manufacturers. But fashion dolls have been made in many different sizes varying from 10.5 to 36 inches (270 to 910 mm).

Costumers and seamstresses use fashion dolls as a canvas for their work. Customizers repaint faces, reroot hair, or do other alterations to the dolls themselves. Many of these works are one-of-a-kind and are referred to as art dolls. These artists are usually not connected to the original manufacturers and sell their work to collectors.

Before 19th century

Pandora dolls

A Pandora fashion doll, c. 1600, Livrustkammaren. Owned by Christina of Holstein-Gottorp or Catherine of Sweden. Modedocka, pandora - Livrustkammaren - 72720.tif
A Pandora fashion doll, c. 1600, Livrustkammaren . Owned by Christina of Holstein-Gottorp or Catherine of Sweden.

Fashion dolls may have been in use as early as the 14th century, [1] and from around 1642 onwards some were called "Pandora". [1] They were in use at European royal courts in the 16th century to show the tactile qualities of fashion which could not be incorporated into paintings or described to tailors in words. A letter dated 1515 and sent by Federico Gonzaga on behalf of King Francis I of France to his mother Isabella d'Este asks her to send a fashion doll to the French court so that copies of her style might be made for the women of France. [2] As an adult in Scotland, Mary, Queen of Scots owned dolls, called "pippens", which were dressed by her tailors, and may have been fashion dolls. [3] [4]

In a treatise on collecting printed in 1565, Samuel Quiccheberg noted that princesses and queens sent each other dolls with details of foreign clothing. [5] In April 1604, Helena Snakenborg, Marchioness of Northampton had a doll dressed in the latest fashion in London to send to her sister Karin Bonde in Sweden. [6]

During the period of 1715–1785, Pandora dolls became more common and were manufactured and used by seamstresses, miliners, tailors and fashion merchants, and displayed in their shop windows and sent across borders to illustrate the latest fashion trends. [7] Rose Bertin was among those fashion merchants who used them. Pandora dolls fell out of fashion in the late 18th-century, when illustrated fashion magazines became common after the publication of Cabinet des Modes , and were finally banned by Napoleon I, who feared that they could be used to smuggle secret messages. [8]

During the first half of the 19th century, fashion dolls were sometimes used to display fashion garments for clients before it was made in the salon of the milliner, seamstress or tailor, until Charles Frederick Worth introduced living human models in the 1850s. [9]

19th century

Bisque doll

Bisque doll advertising from the French company Jumeau, 1885 Jumeau07a.jpg
Bisque doll advertising from the French company Jumeau, 1885

The earliest bisque dolls from French companies were fashion dolls. These dominated the market between approximately 1860 and 1890. [10] They were made to represent grown up women and intended for children of affluent families to play with and dress in contemporary fashions. [10] These dolls came from companies like Jumeau, Bru, Gaultier, Rohmer, Simone and Huret, though their heads were often manufactured in Germany. [10] In the Passage Choiseul area of Paris an industry grew around making clothing and accessories for the dolls. [10] Child like bisque dolls appeared in the mid-19th century and overtook the market towards the end of the century. [10]

20th century and modern age

Cissy

The first American fashion doll, Cissy, was released by the Alexander Doll Company in 1955. Cissy sported a pronounced bosom and high-heeled shoes. [11]

Marilú

A model of the Argentine fashion doll Marilu from c. 1936-1939 along with a variety of her outfits. Marilu c. 1936-1940.jpg
A model of the Argentine fashion doll Marilú from c. 1936–1939 along with a variety of her outfits.

Marilú was an Argentine composition doll that was highly popular in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. [12] It was created by Alicia Larguía, who was inspired by the French predecessor of Bleuette, a doll available through the famous magazine for girls La Semaine de Suzette [13] The game proposed by Marilú was, on the one hand, that of the transmission of motherhood in the girls—who were called the doll's "mommies"—, but the doll's clothing also occupied a central role. [14] The advertisements encouraged girls to change and renew the doll's clothes according to the occasion or season, with the Marilú brand thus promoting the clothes they made to accompany the toy. [14] In addition, the Billiken and Marilú magazines included patterns for the girls or someone in their family to sew the doll's wardrobe, and published instructions and fashion tips. [15] [14] In this way, Marilú can be placed within the genealogy of fashion dolls, such as the Gaultier dolls, the Huret dolls, or the more recent Vogue dolls and Barbies. [16] [14]

Barbie

Barbie was launched by the American toy company Mattel in 1959, inspired by the German Bild Lilli doll. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years.

Paris-made fashion dolls from the Theatre de la Mode (1946) on display at the Maryhill Museum of Art. Post WWII Paris fashion dolls.jpg
Paris-made fashion dolls from the Théâtre de la Mode (1946) on display at the Maryhill Museum of Art.

Many fashion doll lines have been inspired by Barbie, or launched as alternatives to Barbie. Tammy was created by the Ideal Toy Company in 1962. [17] Advertised as "The Doll You Love to Dress", Tammy was portrayed as a young American teenager, more "girl next door" than the cosmopolitan image of Barbie. [17] Sindy was created by the British Pedigree Dolls & Toys company in 1963 as a rival to Barbie with a wholesome look.

Tressy

American Character Doll Company released their "Tressy" fashion doll in 1963 to compete with Barbie. Tressy was first sold as an 11½" fashion doll, and, after being acquired by the Ideal Toy Company, by the late 60s was sold as a larger pre-teen doll. Tressy featured a long swatch of hair that could be pulled out of the top of the doll's head by pushing a button on the doll's midriff; that mechanism allowed children the ability to comb the hair in a variety of styles. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Ideal released several other large fashion dolls with hair with adjustable length.

The Crissy Doll and friends are 16" and Velvet Doll and friends are 18". British designer Mary Quant's Daisy doll from 1973 had a large selection of contemporary 70s fashion designed by Quant.

Fulla doll

Fulla is marketed to children of Islamic and Middle-Eastern countries as an alternative to Barbie. The concept of her evolved around 1999, and she hit stores in late 2003. [18]

Bratz

Bratz were released in 2001, designed by Carter Bryant and manufactured by California toy company MGA Entertainment. [19] They are distinguished by large heads with skinny bodies and lush, glossy lips. [19]

Later Mattel dolls

Mattel introduced the My Scene line in 2002 and the Flavas line in 2003 to rival Bratz. [20] [21] [22]

In 2010 Mattel launched the Monster High doll line, based on fantasy and horror monsters. Subsequently, they launched a spinoff in 2013, titled Ever After High, inspired by fairytales. In 2016, both lines went through a massive reboot and were discontinued soon after. Also in 2016, Mattel launched an animal-themed line titled Enchantimals; it was originally a spinoff of Ever After High but became its own line soon after.[ citation needed ]

Lamm dolls

In 2014, artist Nickolai Lamm unveiled Lammily, [23] a fashion doll based on Lamm's study comparing Barbie's figure with measurements matching those of an average 19-year-old woman. [24]

Asian dolls

Asian fashion dolls are made by Asian manufacturers and primarily targeted to an Asian market. Blythe dolls with oversized heads and color changing eyes were originally made by American company Kenner but are now produced by Japanese company Takara. Another doll with an oversized head, Pullip, was created in 2003 in Korea. Japanese fashion dolls marketed to children include Licca (introduced in 1967) and Jenny (introduced in 1982) by Takara Tomy.

Adult collectors

In the mid-1990s larger fashion dolls mostly marketed to adult collectors appeared. These include Gene Marshall from Ashton-Drake, Tyler Wentworth from Tonner and Alexandra Fairchild Ford from Madame Alexander. They are between 15.5 and 16 inches (390 and 410 millimetres), larger than typical fashion dolls marketed as children's toys. In 2005, London artists Desmond Lingard and Charles Fegen, created Sybarites, 16" resin artist-dolls as fashion dolls for adult collectors.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbie</span> Fashion doll brand by Mattel

Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy company Mattel and launched in 1959. The toy is the figurehead of the Barbie brand that includes a range of fashion dolls and accessories. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over six decades. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line. The brand has expanded into a multimedia franchise since the late 1980s, including video games, computer-animated films, and a live-action film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bratz</span> American fashion doll and media franchise

Bratz is an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment, which debuted in 2001.

Since Barbie's introduction as a teenage fashion model in 1959, the doll has been portrayed with many careers. Dolls are sold with sets of clothes and accessories that fit the career being portrayed. For example, the Lifeguard Barbie playset includes a Barbie, an outfit with shoes, a lifeguard chair, a dolphin, and a life preserver, while the Spanish Teacher Barbie includes a Barbie, an outfit with shoes, flashcards, a Spanish quiz, an easel, a notebook, a key chain, and a hairbrush.

Chatty Cathy is a pull-string "talking" doll originally created by Ruth and Elliot Handler and manufactured by the Mattel toy company from 1959 to 1965. The doll was first released in stores and appeared in television commercials beginning in 1960, with a suggested retail price of $18.00, though usually priced under $10.00 in catalog advertisements. Chatty Cathy was on the market for six years and was the second most popular doll of the 1960s after Barbie.

Totally Hair Barbie is a fashion doll, in the Barbie line by Mattel, that was released in 1992. The doll's extra-long hair reached all the way to her toes and at the time, she had the longest hair ever for a Barbie doll at 11.5 inches in length. She is notable for being the highest selling Barbie doll in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What's Her Face (doll)</span>

What's Her Face! was a line of customizable dolls that straddled the line between traditional fashion dolls and creative activity toys. Made by Mattel, the line ran from 2001–2003, and enjoyed only a modest success in a market dominated by Mattel's iconic Barbie and MGA Entertainment's Bratz dolls. Following the discontinuation of the What's Her Face! line, their body molds were used for the Wee 3 Friends line of Barbie-related dolls. Several fashion, wig, and activity packs were also released for the What's Her Face line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bleuette</span> French doll

Bleuette is a doll that was produced from 1905 to 1960 in France and was available to readers of the girls' magazine La Semaine de Suzette, or the English version, "Suzette's Week".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Scene</span> Fashion doll series

My Scene is an American series of fashion dolls that Mattel released in 2002. They were discontinued in the US in 2008, and worldwide in 2011. Mattel's Barbie character is one of the dolls in the toy line. The My Scene dolls' bodies are slim, similar to earlier Barbie dolls, but their heads are larger. The New York Times described their features as "exaggerated lips and bulging, makeup-caked eyes." My Scene were designed to appeal to the tween market and compete with the Bratz dolls from MGA Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flavas</span> American line of fashion dolls

Flavas is an American line of fashion dolls created by Mattel in 2003. They are multi-ethnic and have an urban, hip hop style with "bling-bling" jewellery and stick-on tattoos, described as "ghetto-fabulous" by Newsweek. They were designed to appeal to tweens and compete with the widely successful Bratz dolls. They were marketed as "reality-based" and "authentic" and have more points of articulation than traditional fashion dolls for more expressive posing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bild Lilli doll</span> Discontinued West German fashion doll line

The Bild Lilli doll was a West German line of fashion doll launched by Greiner & Hausser GmbH on August 12, 1955, and produced until 1964. Its design was based on the comic-strip character Lilli, created by Reinhard Beuthien for the tabloid newspaper Bild. The doll was made of polystyrene, came in two sizes, and had an available wardrobe of 1950s fashion. The Lilli doll was copied, and altered to some degree, for Mattel upon the direction of that company's co-founder, Ruth Handler. Mattel acquired the rights to Bild Lilli in 1964, and production of the German doll ceased, in favor of Mattel's new vinyl doll, which they called Barbie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sindy</span> Fashion doll made in the United Kingdom

Sindy is a British fashion doll created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys in 1963. A rival to Barbie, Sindy's look and range of fashions and accessories made her the best-selling toy in the United Kingdom in 1968 and 1970. After Marx Toys' unsuccessful attempt to introduce Sindy in the United States in the late 1970s, Hasbro bought the rights to Sindy and remodelled the doll to look more American. As a result, the doll's popularity declined; in addition Barbie manufacturer Mattel filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement, which was settled when Hasbro agreed to remodel Sindy's face. During the 1990s, Barbie's share of the doll market continued to grow while Sindy's diminished, which led to Sindy being delisted from major retailers in 1997. Hasbro returned the doll's licence to Pedigree, and the doll was relaunched in 1999, manufactured by Vivid Imaginations. Sindy's 40th anniversary in 2003 saw a new manufacturer, New Moons, and another relaunch and redesign. There was a further relaunch in 2023.

<i>Maxies World</i> American childrens television series

Maxie's World is an American animated children's television program produced by DIC Animation City. Distributed by Claster Television and Saban International and originally aired in first-run syndication in the United States from September 14, 1987 through October 27, 1987. It consists of one season, comprising a total of 32 episodes, each 15 minutes long. In the series' original run, Maxie's World alternated on weekdays with Beverly Hills Teens and It's Punky Brewster. The series was briefly rerun on USA Network in 1994.

Tressy was an American fashion doll with a feature to adjust the length of its hair. Tressy was first produced by American Character Doll Company in the 1960s and later by Ideal Toy Company in the 1970s. The doll was invented and patented by modern furniture designer Jesse Dean and his wife, Diana.

Earring Magic Ken, also known as "Gay Ken" and "Fey Ken", is a model of the Ken doll introduced by Mattel in 1993 as a companion to its Earring Magic Barbie figure, one of five dolls in the Earring Magic Barbie line.

Monster High is an American multimedia-supported fashion doll franchise created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel in 2010. The show is aimed at children ages 7-14, the franchise features characters inspired by monster movies, sci-fi horror, thriller fiction, folklore, myths and popular culture, centering around the adventures of the teenage children of monsters and other mythical creatures attending a high school of the same name.

The Barbie Basics is a line of collector's edition Barbie dolls. They were created by Mattel designer Bill Greening and were introduced in late 2009 to be officially released in the spring of 2010.

Louvenia (Kitty) Black Perkins is an American fashion designer. The majority of her career was spent designing clothing for Barbie. She designed the first Black Barbie in the late 1970s.

The American Character Doll Company was an American toy company specializing in dolls. Their most popular dolls included "Tiny Tears," "Tressy," "Butterball Doll", "Sweet Sue," and "Toodles." Founded in 1919, the company's fortunes peaked in the mid-20th century, as they sold millions of dolls exclusively to retailers and mail-order houses such as Sears and Montgomery Ward. The company was the first to produce mass-marketed rubber dolls in the United States. American Character Dolls went bankrupt in 1968, with their assets acquired by the Ideal Toy Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilú (doll)</span> Argentine doll produced between 1932 and 1960

Marilú was an Argentine composition doll produced between 1932 and 1960, considered the most prominent and enduring doll in the country, and an icon in the history of national toys. It was created by Alicia Larguía, who was inspired by the French predecessor of Bleuette, a doll available through the famous magazine for girls La Semaine de Suzette. Seeking to replicate this model, Larguía launched Marilú in association with Editorial Atlántida, which was responsible for publishing advertisements and clothing patterns for the doll in its children's magazine Billiken, the most widely distributed in Latin America at the time. In view of the doll's immediate success, Atlántida also published a weekly magazine for girls, Marilú, between 1933 and 1936. Advertisements and texts published in the Billiken and Marilú magazines constructed a narrative around the doll, promoting a bourgeois lifestyle and a prescribed form of femininity, and also contributed to the shaping of girls as consumers.

References

  1. 1 2 Gesa Stedman, Cultural Exchange in Seventeenth-Century France and England
  2. ↑ Croizat, Yassana C. (Spring 2007). ""Living Dolls": Francois I Dresses His Women". Renaissance Quarterly. 60: 94–130. doi:10.1353/ren.2007.0027. S2CID   161091249.
  3. ↑ Genevieve Warwick, Cinderella's Glass Slipper: Towards a Cultural History of Renaissance Materialities (Cambridge, 2022), pp. 73-74: Sophie Pitman, 'Dolled Up', Serena Dyer, Jade Halbert, Sophie Littlewood, Disseminating Dress: Britain's Fashion Networks, 1600-1970 (London: Bloomsbury, 2022), pp. 28, 38-9.
  4. ↑ Michael Pearce, Edinburgh Castle Research: The dolls of Mary Queen of Scots, Historic Environment Scotland, 2018
  5. ↑ Sophie Pitman, 'Dolled Up: The Material Dissemination of Dress in Early Modern Europe', Serena Dyer, Jade Halbert, Sophie Littlewood, Disseminating Dress: Britain's Fashion Networks, 1600–1970 (Bloomsbury, 2020), 39: Mark A. Meadow & Bruce Robertson, The First Treatise on Museums: Samuel Quiccheberg’s Inscriptiones, 1565 (Getty, 2013), 84.
  6. ↑ Sophie Pitman, 'Dolled Up', Serena Dyer, Jade Halbert, Sophie Littlewood, Disseminating Dress: Britain's Fashion Networks, 1600-1970 (London: Bloomsbury, 2022), 33: Janet Arnold, Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (Maney, 1988), 157.
  7. ↑ José Blanco F., Patricia Kay Hunt-Hurst, Heather Vaughan Lee, Mary Doering: Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to Toe
  8. ↑ Kate Nelson Best, The History of Fashion Journalism
  9. ↑ Tom Tierney: Great Fashion Designs of the Victorian Era Paper Dolls in Full Color
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "A Brief History of Antique Dolls, Part II - About.com". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  11. ↑ "Beatrice Alexander (1895-1990)". Jewish Virtual Library . 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  12. ↑ Lescano, Victoria (1 August 2003). "Muñecas, de antes y de ahora". Las12. Página/12 (in Spanish). Buenos Aires. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  13. ↑ Pelegrinelli, Daniela (2010). Diccionario de juguetes argentinos. Infancia, industria y educación 1880-1965 (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: El Juguete Ilustrado Editores. p. 151. ISBN   978-987-26042-0-2.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Vicky Salías, Daniela Pelegrinelli (26 October 2020). TCH "Muñecas. La educación del gusto". Invitada: Daniela Pelegrinelli (YouTube video) (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Museo Nacional de la Historia del Traje. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Pelegrinelli, Daniela (2017). "Prodigiosa Marilú. Marilú argentino-alemana. 1932-1939" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Ediciones Razz. Retrieved 19 August 2023– via Scribd. Prodigiosa Marilú is a research project in development on the Marilú doll. This material presents a preview of that research on the period 1932-1939
  16. ↑ Pelegrinelli, Daniela (2017). "Prodigiosa Marilú. Marilú argentino-alemana. 1932-1939" (in Spanish). Prodigiosa Marilú is a research project in development on the Marilú doll. This material presents a preview of that research on the period 1932-1939. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Razz. Retrieved 19 August 2023– via Scribd.
  17. 1 2 Stephens, Kay (2004-10-10). "Doll collectors relive their childhoods with Tammy, not Barbie". Associated Press Newswires.
  18. ↑ Khaleej Times Online.com. ""Pulla" - the Arab world's Barbie". Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2006.
  19. 1 2 Margaret, Talbot (December 5, 2006). "Little hotties: Barbie's new rivals". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on November 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
  20. ↑ "Toys: Flavas Of The Week". Newsweek. August 4, 2003. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  21. ↑ "To Lure Older Girls, Mattel Brings In a Hip-Hop Crow". Wall Street Journal. July 18, 2003. Retrieved September 17, 2010.(subscription required)
  22. ↑ "New Flava In Dolls: Barbies With Hip-hop Attitude". Sun Sentinel. July 30, 2003. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  23. ↑ Wagstaff, Keith. "Meet Lammily, the Crowd-Funded 'Realistic' Alternative to Barbie". NBCNews.com . Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  24. ↑ Stump, Scott (3 July 2013). "'Normal' Barbie uses real women's measurements - TODAY.com". Today . Retrieved 8 March 2014.
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