Doll History 2

This information is from the V&A website and this is used purely for reseach : webpage is: http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/collections/dolls/index.html

Dolls

The Museum has an extraordinary and varied collection of over 8,000 dolls, ranging from the earliest, a wooden paddle doll dating from 1,300BC, to the most contemporary, a punk doll from the Bratz Boyz 2005 range. The dolls represent men, women, and children from all around the world and many fantasy and fairytale characters. They are also made from a wide range of materials - from traditional materials such as wood, cloth, ceramic, wax and plastic to more unusual ones like dried fruit, mutton bones and hair.

Wooden Dolls

This doll is known in the Museum as the 'Old Pretender', as it was believed that she had once belonged to the court of King James II at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (the original Old Pretender was James Stuart, son of King James II). It is said to have been given as a gift to a family of loyal servants by a member of the Stuart family.

This 17th century wooden fashion doll is very rare. We think that dolls like this were not deemed important enough to keep, and fewer than thirty have survived from this period.

Early wooden dolls would have been made in England in the London area. These types of dolls are often referred too as 'Queen Anne' dolls. They are extremely well made by expert craftsmen and were dressed in stylish period dress. Expensive to buy, they were designed as lavish ornaments for adults rather than playthings for children.

This doll has been carved from pine which was readily available in England. The head and body is carved from one piece, with a narrow waist and wide hips, typical of this period. The arms are very long and attached with fabric, and her legs are carved with joints at the knee. Her face and hands are coated with gesso and then delicately painted with features and probably varnished. Her clothes are made of fine materials and are secured onto the body of the doll, as clothes were not designed to be changed as they are today.

Wax Dolls

Wax was originally used for making religious effigies to inspire believers and to aid those recovering from an injury or illness. A wax model of the body or affected limb would be placed on a church altar or at a saint's shrine, an offering of money or jewellery would usually be placed with it, as well as prayers for healing. The shrines would then continue to display the models as evidence of faith in the working of miracles. Important families would also use wax in mourning, by paying for a figure representing their dead relative to carry in the procession at the funeral.

Towards the end of the 18th century there was a new craze, waxworks. These were displays of celebrity figures just like the ones at Madame Tussaud's in Baker Street, London. In fact, Madame Tussaud was one of the earliest makers of wax-headed figures, and modelled portraits of the King of France and his courtiers after they had been executed in the Revolution of 1789. Born (Anna) Marie Grosholtz in 1761, she was taught wax modelling by her guardian, Philippe Curtius. He had learned it as part of his training as a doctor, and found it so fascinating that he eventually gave up his medical practice to show his portrait figures instead. Skilfully made and dressed, and cleverly lit, these life-sized figures must have been a revelation to those who saw them for the first time.

By the beginning of the 19th century wax had become the most popular material for professional doll makers. It was favoured due to its warm, gleaming and lucid qualities - perfect for making dolls and moulding realistic facial features. Not everyone approved, however. The Jury of the International Exhibition of 1862 praised the 'life-like and delicate finish' of wax dolls, but regretted that this did 'diminish the necessity for any effort of imagination on the part of the children who played with them'.

English doll makers such as H J Meech, Charles Marsh, Lucy Peck and the Montanari and Pierotti families led the wax doll industry. Another leading manufacturer, John Edwards, who produced more wax dolls than any of them, declared in 1871 'We are not a great toy-making nation but we admittedly beat the whole world in dolls'.

Wax Boy Doll

Wax boy doll, about 1860. Museum no. Misc. 12-1952 (click image for larger version)

Dolls representing boys and men are much rarer than dolls representing girls or women. Even in the Museum's large collection, the male dolls amount to less than one eighth of the total.

Far fewer male dolls have been made, and even many of them were originally female. Most doll makers devised and used a standard body of basically feminine proportions, with a narrow waist and wide hips, as this boy doll has. Sometimes a recognisably male head was made for a male character or individual, but a surprising amount of the masculine identity of these dolls depended on hair and clothing. The Museum has several examples of female dolls dressed as men, including two which were re-painted by the manufacturer to give them luxuriant black whiskers and moustaches. Few dolls had gender-specific anatomy until the fashion for ultra-realistic baby dolls began in the 1960s.

From the 19th century, dollmakers saw the most demand for female dolls. Even in recent years, male dolls such as Barbie and Sindy's boyfriends Ken and Paul have sold less well than the female characters from the same range or maker. The big exception was Action Man, launched in the USA as GI Joe in 1964 - but then many boys and men might say that these are not dolls.

Pierotti

Young girl doll, Henry Pierotti, about 1870. Museum no. Misc. 274-1983 (click image for larger version)

This doll was made by the wax doll making company founded by Domenico Pierotti in the 1790s. Pierotti learnt the skills for plaster mould making and wax casting from his English wife's family. Their son Anericho Cephas, known as Henry, later developed the company by perfecting the poured wax method used for making dolls' heads. The Pierotti family business continued into the 20th century and ended in 1935 with the retirement of Anericho Cephas' grandson, Charles Ernest.

This is one of the most life-like of all the Pierotti dolls. Her shoulders, head and outer limbs are made with poured wax whilst her body is made from cloth stuffed with cow hair. She has dark blue glass eyes and her human hair is thought to have come from the maker's own children. She is wearing clothes that belonged to a real child in the 1870s.

The doll was given to the V&A Museum of Childhood by the feminist and trade unionist, Muriel Pierotti.

Dolls in Boxes

Novelty egg doll, 1870-89. Museum no. B.109-1993 (click image for larger version)

Some dolls live in boxes. Many boxes were made with religious or royal themes, and the custom was particularly popular from 1700 to 1880. The Museum has other examples, including a miniature shrine to the Christ child, and a doll surrounded by dozens of flowers made from brightly coloured paper.

The doll seen here is bursting from an egg which would have been filled with sugared almonds. The doll's head lifts off to reveal a cavity inside the egg, especially designed for sweets. There are two cords trailing from the egg shell which can be pulled to produce a sound like a baby's cry. This would have been a christening or birth gift . Almonds are often given as presents in European countries for births, marriages, christenings and at Easter.

Queen Anne and her children, wax dolls in a display box, 1830s. Museum no. Misc.184-1923 (click image for larger version)

The box with the group of dolls including a woman with a crown, orb and sceptre is labelled 'Queen Anne and her Children'. It is a mystery if this represents the Queen Anne who reigned from 1702 to 1714. The clothing is from just over a hundred years later, and there are seven other dolls in the group, three of them adults. Queen Anne had eighteen pregnancies, but all her children died as babies except the Duke of Gloucester who died at the age of eleven.

Princess Daisy

Princess Daisy, Doll, maker unknown, 1890 -1894. Museum no. Misc.88-1965 (click image for larger version)

Princess Daisy is one of the most awe-inspiring dolls in the Museum's collection. With a complete layette (a collection of clothing and bedding) including hundreds of clothes and accessories, she has a showcase all to herself.

Among Princess Daisy's layette, there are many items of clothing - dresses, petticoats, mittens, nappies in bundles - especially commissioned for her. She has a silver fork and spoon, a silver mug, and gold and pearl jewellery which babies from wealthy families would often receive as Christening gifts.

Daisy's story starts in 1894 in Amsterdam with a Mrs Grothe Twiss who wanted to raise money for poor children in Holland. She decided to make a wonderful attraction, which people would pay to see. So she bought a wax doll from London through mail order, and commissioned crafts people to make beautiful things for the doll she had named 'Princess Daisy'.

The doll was put on display at the International Exposition in Amsterdam in 1895. She was incredibly popular and raised a lot of money. She was then bought by some English charity fundraisers and brought to England for a tour, at the end of which she was raffled as a prize. Mrs Twiss approved, saying that she hoped Daisy would know the love of a real child instead of the endless admiration of strangers. But when the raffle was drawn nobody came to claim their prize and it was decided to give her to the two year old Princess Mary, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George V and Queen Mary). As Mary was too young to play with her new doll, Princess Daisy was lent to the V&A on 4th April 1936, and later came to the V&A Museum of Childhood where she has been on display ever since.

Princess Mary gave Princess Daisy and her layette to the Museum as a wonderful gift in 1964. The Duchess of York, who eventually became Queen Mary was a great supporter of the Museum, donating around 100 toys, and bringing her grand-daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret to visit.

Rag Dolls

Rag dolls have been around for centuries. They were hand-made by mothers for their small children, often very simple in design and made using various materials found around the home. Without exception, every culture across the world has their own variation. Dean’s Rag Book Doll

Doll, 1936-38. Museum no. Misc.165-1978 (click image for larger version)

This rag doll was made in England by Dean's Rag Book Co. Ltd. in the 1930s. The Dean family had been in business for a long time before that, and had started out as a book publishing company in 1711, producing rag books for small children which consisted of short stories printed on calico. These rag books sold so well that they opened under the new name of Dean's Rag Book Co. Ltd. in 1903. Building on their success, the company diversified their range with postcards, photo albums, cut-out sheets, rag toys, character toys and teddy bears.

The rag doll pictured here is unusual as she is almost life-size. She is made mainly out of felt and is stuffed with cotton. Felt was preferred to other materials as it could be stiffened and then pressed over a mould to give the doll features. Her wig is sewn on, her features hand-painted and the Dean's label sewn onto the bottom of her shoe. This doll is a good quality example and would have been expensive to buy.

Lenci Boy & Girl

Boy and girl dolls, Lenci, Italy, about 1927. Museum nos. Misc. 205-1980 and Misc.206-1980 (click image for larger version)

In 1920, Elena and Enrico Scavini began to create dolls and toys from the felt made near their home in the northern Italian town of Turin. They later registered to trade under the name of Lenci, which was Elena's nickname. In the early 20th century Lenci dolls became well known for their naturalistic moulding and painted felt faces.

These two felt dolls were made in 1927. Their bodies are stitched down the back, on top of the shoulders and hand-stitched between the legs so that they could be dressed in realistic low cut clothes or with bare limbs. Their bodies have been modelled instead of stuffed and their hair is mohair sewn into their heads. They are dressed in children's clothes typical of the 1920s and 1930s. The boy's eyes glance sideways giving him a sullen appearance. Sideways-glancing eyes became fashionable on dolls in the 1920s, especially on felt dolls.

The Lenci factory was largely destroyed during World War Two. Lenci dolls continued to be made from plastic and composition.

Steiff Character Doll

Character doll, Steiff, Germany, about 1913. Museum no. Misc.336-1984 (click image for larger version)

The German company Steiff are best known for making teddy bears but have also produced rag dolls and soft toys.

Steiff was founded by Margarete Steiff in 1877 when she began selling clothes and household articles that she had made herself at a ready-to-wear felt clothing company. In 1880 Steiff made her first felt soft-toy - a pin cushion elephant. Six years later over 5,000 elephants had been sold - the pin cushion had become popular with children.

We think this doll of an old woman was made by Steiff in about 1913. She is very life-like with knobbly knees, a sagging stomach, a drooping bustline and rounded shoulders. She is made from felt and cotton and is stuffed with straw. Her eyes are black buttons sewn into her face and she has a slight smile painted on. She is 48cm tall.

Ceramic Dolls

The Museum's doll collection has many dolls made from bisque. Bisque was first introduced as a material for making dolls in the 1830s. It is a type of unglazed ceramic that was used to make their heads and limbs - the dolls' bodies and limbs were made from more hardy materials, such as moulded composition (a wood-pulp mixture) or stuffed cloth. Bisque was cheaper to produce than wax, which was the fashionable material for doll-making in the early 19th century. The main problem with bisque is that it breaks easily, which meant that children had to play very carefully with their dolls.

The introduction of bisque meant that more dolls could be produced and they were much cheaper. From the 1880s to the 1930s, the most sought-after and expensive dolls were made by French companies like Bru and Jumeau. But German manufacturers such as Armand Marseille and Simon & Halbig dominated the doll-making industry. German dolls were very popular, good value for money, and exported all around the world

Mandarin’s Son

Mandarin’s Son, Bähr & Pröschild, about 1890. Museum no. Misc.30-1978 (click image for larger version)

Dolls representing people of different nationalities and races became a successful product for English and German manufacturers in the latter half of the 19th century. New opportunities for world travel, and books written by travellers, made people more aware of other cultures.

This doll was made by the German company Bähr & Pröschild in about 1890. He was made with a standard mould used by the company to make dolls based on European children, so his features are not authentic to the Chinese boy he is meant to represent. The only difference to his features are his curved painted eyebrows and long, braided mohair wig. He is wearing a dark blue silk tunic and has an olive green silk jacket. His hat is made from cardboard covered in silk. He wears Chinese-style slippers.

He was part of a collection of dolls owned by a girl called Audrey Denison, who was born in the 1880s. Audrey kept a record of her 'Dolls of Different Countries' in a special notebook, saying where each doll came from, who had given it to her and when. The first entry was for a doll in Norwegian costume which her father gave her in 1885, and the last for a Japanese doll which was a present from Commander Tatsuo Matsumura of the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1907. This Chinese boy doll is recorded as 'Dressed by Ah Lay - a tailor who was shot by an Englishman a week after he finished the doll. Tientsin, from Mother and Ah Lay Jan 1890.'

Cedric

Cedric, Simon & Halbig, about 1900. Museum no. Misc:20-1979 (click image for larger version)

This doll is called Cedric and was made in about 1900 by the German manufacturer Simon & Halbig. He is a typical bisque doll because only his head is made from unglazed ceramic whilst his body is made of less expensive composition. This made him more affordable to produce and to buy. He has glass eyes that close when he lies down to sleep and a blonde mohair wig. He is about 23cm tall and is dressed in a sailor suit, a typical boy's dress of the early 20th century, with a red collar and red shoes.

Cedric was bought in 1903 from a shop in Westbourne Grove. He came with a Saratoga trunk full of different clothes for him to wear, including two extra pairs of shoes, two extra pairs of socks, another sailor suit, a nightshirt, a wool coat with pearl buttons, a straw boater and a crocheted beret. The trunk also contained accessories for Cedric, including a handkerchief, an umbrella, a black leather belt and a satchel with an English dictionary and a book about the history of England inside.

Cedric was quite an unusual name at that date: Amy, the little girl who owned him, may have named him after Cedric Errol, the hero of the classic children's book Little Lord Fauntleroy, by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1886).

Kämmer & Reinhardt

Black baby doll, Kämmer & Reinhardt, 1909. Museum no. Misc.423-1985 (click image for larger version)

True baby dolls were not made until the 20th century. Prior to this most dolls were called baby dolls but actually represented children and adults.

Kämmer & Reinhardt were one of the first manufacturers to make baby dolls. They called their baby dolls 'Character Dolls' and registered them as such in 1909. While Kämmer & Reinhardt made the bodies, they bought the distinctive heads from another manufacturer called Simon & Halbig.

This baby has a bisque head. The back of the head bears the mould number 100 and the marks of both manufacturers - a common practice in doll-making. The body of the doll is made from composition. Composition is a pulp usually of wood or paper that is pressed into moulds and then dried. This process became popular with doll makers as it was cheap and durable. The baby's body would have been put together and then painted, with special attention on the facial features.

Kewpie Doll

Kewpie doll, J. D. Kestner, 1913. Museum no. 18-1974 (click image for larger version)

This is an all bisque Kewpie doll made in about 1913 by the German manufacturer J. D. Kestner of Waltershausen. It is jointed at the shoulders so that its arms can move up and down and has painted features, including its eyes which have been moulded onto the head and painted. It is about 12cm tall.

The Kewpie was invented by the poet and artist Rose O'Neill, first featured in magazine illustrations in 1909 and was patented in 1913. The name ‘Kewpie’ comes from the resemblance to the naked babies known as cupids, after Cupid the Roman god of love. Over the next few years the Kewpie became really popular - people bought Kewpie books and accessories to match, such as rattles, soap, dishes and salt-and-pepper shakers. Some women even began to pluck their eyebrows in the style of the doll.

The Kewpie dolls were first manufactured in Germany but were later made in Belgium and France after the outbreak of the First World War. Later models were made using other materials, such as celluloid, wood, and paper. The Kewpie doll is one of the earliest examples of toy mass toy manufacturing.

Three-in-One Doll

Three-in-One doll, Doll Pottery Company, England, 1916. Museum no. Misc.2-1973 (click image for larger version)

Multi-faced dolls have been produced since the 1860s. They can help to make the dolls more realistic by showing more than one facial expression or they can show a different side to a character in a story.

This doll is known as the Three-in-One doll as it has three different heads that go with one body. Not only is the doll multi-faced, it is also multi-gendered and multi-racial. Two heads are white girls with blonde hair and the third is a black boy. The doll has two sets of arms and legs - one for the boy and another for the girls. The heads are attached by being pinned or sewn to the stuffed cloth body through the holes in the shoulder plate. The limbs are fastened by cord or thread to the fabric upper limbs.

The doll was made in 1916 in England by the Doll Pottery Company. This was one of the few companies set up in England during the First World War to produce ceramic doll parts when German dolls were not available.

South East Asian Doll

Bisque doll, Armand Marseille, 1924. Museum no. Misc.36-1964 (click image for larger version)

This little doll, dressed as a Japanese baby, was made by the firm of Armand Marseille, which was one of the largest and most successful doll manufacturers in Germany in the 20th century.

Armand Marseille issued their first version of a true baby doll in the 1920s and called it 'My Dream Baby'. Until then, like most doll manufacturers, their 'baby' dolls were based on young children rather than infants. 'My Dream Baby' came in a variety of sizes from 21.5 cm to 61 cm, and there were four dolls in the range, representing South East Asian, Mixed Race, Black and Caucasian babies. They also sold the head design to other doll manufacturers around the world.

This baby doll was made in the 1920s when dolls derived from different cultures were particularly popular in Europe and the USA. The mould was very similar to the one which would have been used to make white dolls, with minimal differences to suggest the South East Asian features

Plastic Dolls

Doll manufacturers started using celluloid in the 1860s when it was developed by the Hyatt Brothers in New York. Made from pyroxylin and camphor, it became a highly popular material with manufacturers because it was easily produced and, by the 20th century, very cheap to produce. The drawbacks of using celluloid to make dolls were that it faded if exposed to bright light, it could be easily crushed and it was highly flammable. By the 1950s plastic was invented and materials such as vinyl became more popular.

.Tiny Tears

Tiny Tears, Palitoy, 1980. Museum no. B.1818:4-1999 (click image for larger version)

Drink and wet dolls were developed in the USA in the 1950s. Tiny Tears was one of the first and was launched in the UK in 1966 when it won UK Toy of the Year. This Tiny Tears doll was made by the Palitoy company and was launched in the UK in 1977. She is made from soft vinyl. Tiny Tear's unique characteristic was that she cried tears and wet herself. To make her cry you had to feed her with her bottle then put here dummy in and finally squeeze her tummy. She would wee at the same time as crying. Tiny Tears eyes gradually closed when you rocked her to sleep instead of opening or closing depending on her position like many other dolls.

Baby Born, Zapf Creation, 2003. (click image for larger version)

Drink and wet dolls are still made today. Zapf-Creation's doll Baby Annabel is a very popular battery-operated doll which not only cries but also gurgles and giggles, moves when she drinks and makes baby snoring sounds when she sleeps. Zapf-Creation's Baby Born also squeals with delight as well as cries and uses her potty.

Cabbage Patch Kids & Rice Paddy Babies

Cabbage Patch Kid, 1985. Museum no. B.359:1-1996 (click image for larger version)

Cabbage Patch Kids were invented by the American art student Xavier Roberts in the late 1970s. They started off as 'Little People' with sculpted heads and bodies. Roberts experimented with a process called needle sculpture to make the dolls. The process is similar to quilting and can give a doll more texture and shape. In 1982 American company Original Appalachian Artworks started to mass produce the dolls with vinyl heads and soft fabric bodies.

Each Cabbage Patch Kid was unique with different hair or eye colours and different outfits and they all had different names on their birth certificates. They were marketed as dolls which needed adopting - instead of buying a Cabbage Patch Kid you simply paid the adoption fees. The dolls were instantly popular. By the end of 1983 more than three million had been sold. In 1985 a Cabbage Patch Kid even went into Space. In 1985 a series of trading cards known as the Garbage Pail Kids were issued by the American company Topps. These cards featured gross caricatures of the Cabbage Patch Kids. Nevertheless they became really popular, resulting in a film in 1987. Original Appalachian Artworks later sued the Topps company for violating the Cabbage Patch Kids trademark which led to the cards being discontinued by the end of the 1980s.

Rice Paddy Dolls were made in Hong Kong in about 1985. The Rice Paddy Dolls are known as cousins to the Cabbage Patch Kids. Each Rice Paddy Doll came with their own birth certificate and individual identity, ready for adoption by the child that bought them. The doll is made from vinyl and is stuffed with cotton. It was made by a company called Mieler Dolls.

Barbie

Ultra Hair Barbie, Mattel, China, 1991-2 (click image for larger version)

Barbie was launched at the New York Toy Fair in 1959. She was a new radical style of doll, a teenage fashion doll. Her debut outfit was a black and white strapless swimsuit, white sunglasses with blue lenses, high-heeled shoes, a ponytail and lashings of make-up. With the job and lifestyle of a teenage model, she was an instant success – more than 351,000 dolls sold in her first year of production.

Barbie is manufactured by Mattel, a company which started life in a garage, run by Ruth & Eliot Handler and their friend Harold Mattson, making picture frames and dolls' house furniture. Today, Mattel is one of the largest and most successful toy-making companies.

The story of Barbie began when Ruth Handler wanted to make a doll that her daughter could play with. Her daughter was a fan of paper dolls which came with a choice of outfits that you could cut out and change. Ruth thought it would be good to have a doll that had lots of clothes and accessories that children could play with. She and her colleagues carried out some research to develop a doll that would fulfil Ruth's criteria. Whilst on a trip to Europe they saw a doll called Lilli that had the look they were after, and following a few modifications to the design, Barbie was born. She was named after Ruth's daughter Barbara.

When Barbie was released she was very different from other dolls on the market. Teen dolls had been around since the forties and fifties, but they were quite conservative and meek. Barbie was glamorous, with an accentuated female hour-glass figure, long legs and side glancing eyes. Her image captured the spirit and desire, following the Second World War, for haute couture.

Barbie was very desirable to children, especially as Mattel also sold a range of outfits and accessories for her. Her affordability and pocket money pricing undoubtedly contributed to her success. She also had a desirable lifestyle - all the things a teenage girl could dream of, any job you could want - a model, a pop star, a city girl, air hostess, doctor, pilot. Then there were the houses, cars, friends and, of course, the boys. Her long time boyfriend Ken, first introduced in 1961, is still in production but today there is more competition from a new range of boys. Barbie's family was also extended with sisters Skipper, Tutti, Stacie, Kelly and Krissy.

With ongoing competition from the British teen doll Sindy, and more recently Bratz, Barbie has had to diversify with new versions such as My Scene and Fairytopia. They have helped to ensure that she remains one of the most popular dolls of all time.

Sindy

Sindy doll, Pedigree Doll Company, 1964 (click image for larger version)

The Sindy doll was launched in September 1962 by the Pedigree Doll Company. Pedigree had a long history of making dolls and wanted to branch out with a teenage doll. Sindy was one of many teenage fashion dolls reflecting wider popular culture and was nicknamed ‘the girl you love to dress’. It’s believed that she was the first UK toy product to feature on a 30-second TV commercial. She had a girlish figure and flat shoes at first, with a head of big, curly blonde hair. She also had a promotional gramophone record, featuring The Dolly Beats – no doubt gaining inspiration from the iconic youth band of the era, The Beatles. And with fashion influenced by the likes of Mary Quant, and models such as Twiggy, it’s no surprise that Sindy became Britain’s top teenage doll.

Sindy had everything a teenager of the 1960s could wish for, including a handsome boyfriend, Paul and a younger sister to play with, Patch, issued in 1966. As a keen follower of fashion she had a huge wardrobe of designer clothes and accessories. In the 1980s ‘material girl’ Sindy even gained her own houses and cars. American company Hasbro bought her in 1986 when the Pedigree Doll Company stopped trading.

Active Sindy, Vivid, 2002. Museum no. Misc.37-1975 (click image for larger version)

In the early 1990s there was a legal battle between Sindy and Barbie. Sindy had been remodelled by Hasbro and sales overtook that of Barbie. Mattel, the owners of Barbie, felt that Sindy’s new look was too similar to Barbie. Barbie won her case in court and Sindy was forced to change her look again.

Sindy is now predominantly a line of girls' accessories produced by the company New Moons.

Daisy

Prototype designs for Daisy’s face, about 1970. Museum no. Misc 94:1-1979 (click image for larger version)

The British fashion designer Mary Quant opened a shop called in Bazaar in 1973. Her designs were new and striking, including mini skirts, hot pants and brightly patterned tights which were modelled by Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. Later that year Quant turned her talents to designing, what was later marketed by the manufacturer Palitoy, as ‘the best dressed doll in the world’. The doll was given the name Daisy after the daisy flower logo used by Quant. The teenage doll was launched in the same year by the toy company Flair, which was especially formed to distribute and sell the doll.

Daisy in her skateboarding outfit. Museum no. Misc 92-1979 (click image for larger version)

Daisy was a made from vinyl and originally had curly blonde hair. Her eyes glance sideways and she wore turquoise eye make-up. Her many outfits were all designed by Quant and included outfits, such as the ‘Puddleduck’ – a white PVC raincoat and hat with red trim, the ‘Cucumber Sandwich’ – a long green floral dress, the ‘Black Magic’ – a black satin evening dress and the ‘Hoity Toity’ which was a white fur coat and hat. Daisy was manufactured for ten years, mainly in Hong Kong, before being discontinued in 1983.

Bratz

Cloe, Bratz doll, 2001 (click image for larger version)

Branded as ‘the girls with a passion for fashion’, Bratz, were launched in June 2001. The Bratz dolls look cool, dress in high fashion and come with modern accessories such as mobile phones. They differ from traditional teenage dolls because they are really trendy and have abstract, character figures, instead of idealised figures. Bratz are aimed at ‘tweens’, girls between the ages of eight and eleven.

There are different versions of the dolls, such as Bratz Babyz which come with their own pet and baby accessories as well as Bratz Boyz, Bryce, Cameron, Koby and Dylan. Various editions of Bratz have been developed since their launch, such as Bratz Birthday Bash featuring four dolls with party accessories, Bratz Campfire Cruiser with camper van and camping equipment and Bratz Wild Wild West with cowgirl-style outfits. Bratz now have their own animated TV show in the USA featuring the adventures of Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha and Jade which was launched in 2005 and a feature film is set to follow.

Bratz now rival Barbie and have sold more than 100 million dolls worldwide. They won the UK People’s Choice Toy of the Year Award in 2002.

Action Man

Action Man started life in 1964 in the USA where he was known as GI Joe. He was a revolutionary toy at the time, since dolls for boys had never been popular before. He arrived in the UK two years later and was given the new name Action Man, inspired by the TV series Danger Man which ran from 1960 to 1961 and starred John Drake. Action Man went on to be so popular that he was UK Toy of the Year in 1966 and UK Toy of the Decade in 1980.

He started off as a military style doll, aimed at boys. He came with army, navy and air force accessories, complete with a scar on his right cheek. In the 1970s a range of vehicles and accessories including a tank, helicopter, jeep and motor cycle were developed for him and new versions of the doll were released, such as a sportsman, an adventurer and a Space Ranger.

In 1984 the Palitoy Company stopped making Action Man but in 1993 he reappeared under new management. The Hasbro Company has developed Action Man into a 21st century superhero character, known as ‘the greatest hero of them all’ who fights against arch enemy Dr X.