This post is for Giggles

Literally, I do these posts just for sh!ts and giggles.  The one and only Ideal made this charismatic little doll.  I found this image on Pinterest, so if it's yours let me know and I'll give you the proper credit...or take the image down, one or the other.  Sadly Giggles does not have ties to any musicians of the era, not that I know of.  But she sure is cute!

So stinkin' cute!  Giggles hails from the same era as Saucy and Swingy, and her gaily striped dress reflects that.  She is eighteen inches tall and sports long, straight hair with bangs.  The Caucasian doll has...you guessed it!  Dishwater blonde hair and blue eyes!  Giggles also came in an adorable African American form, which is more than I can say for Swingy!  Miss Deb notes that Giggles's black form is rare, which sadly is often the case with dolls of color.  In her post about Baby Heather she explains that the white doll would be featured in the commercial, while the black doll only got attention when she popped up in stores.  Even as recently as the late nineties I've noticed that, with Cabbage Patch Kid commercials like Pretty Crimp 'n' Curl, Teeny Tiny Preemies, Baby's First Haircut, the notorious Snacktime Kids, and that's not all of 'em!  I know for a fact that all the above lines had African American options because I've seen 'em, and because they appeared at the very tail end of some of the commercials.  Cabbage Patch Kids have always been good about representing the various races with their products...and yet the dolls and children in their commercials were usually white.  Shame, because dolls are supposed to be for everyone.

Racial discussion aside, since Giggles is an Ideal doll her mechanism behaves in a similar manner to Kissy's:  bring out the doll's arms, then gently pull them together.  Giggles's head will shift, her eyes will move, and she'll...well, she'll giggle!  She apparently did not require batteries, which again is more than I can say for Swingy, OR Baby Heather!  As I've said before, I tend to be leery of battery-operated toys.  Sooner or later you get bored with the toy, and if you forget to take the batteries out (as a bubblehead like me can do) they sometimes leak and do a number on your toy.  When I bother with batteries at all I'm extra-diligent about taking them out when I'm done with the toy.  Giggles avoids that problem, which is more than I can say for Swingy and Baby Heather.

I have to admit that if I had infinite room and infinite money I'd have both Giggles and Swingy in a New York second.  Their smiling faces and Mod-colored clothes make my retro-style heart sing.  I'm not betting on ever being independently wealthy, but one day I'll have enuff room.  Unfortunately that'll likely mean that I'll be alone in the house...so let's not think about that!  I'll admire Giggles from afar instead.

Love,
RagingMoon1987