HI DOTTIE
COMPANY: Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 1971
Dottie is extremely popular on one of my favorite Failbook groups. Dottie is another little chatterbox like several I discussed in the past, complete with a small telephone for herself and a bigger one for her owner. Like Chatty Cathy and other talking dolls before her, Dottie didn't have a huge vocabulary, just eleven phrases. For me the draw is her face, with those big brown eyes paired with light hair. I've seen these dolls with blonde hair, light brown hair, and strawberry blonde hair like above, so I'm not sure what color her hair is supposed to be, but she's very cute nonetheless. Keep in mind that my Chatty Cathy's hair used to be dark blonde, and it's turned red as time passed, so maybe the same thing happened with Dottie. Similar things happened to Barbie's early Afro-American friends too. It's not uncommon to find Julia or TNT Christie with deep red hair rather than black, but it's all good. They all look fine.
LI'L SNOOKY
COMPANY: Jolly Toys
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 1960
Shudder..."Snooky" was a nickname Daddy called me when I was a child. I never told him because I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I hated being called "Snooky." Li'l Snooky is a cute doll though, kinda similar in a few ways to Mariannina, one of my Furga dolls. I don't think this doll did anything aside from stand and look cute, but THAT'S ALRIGHT, THEN!!!
GUI-GUI
COMPANY: Estrela
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 1967, give or take, reproduced 2017
Gui-Gui looks a lot like Giggles, and indeed she laughs if you press her belly. The doll in the image is a reproduction, commemorating Estrela's eightieth year of operation, but she's been around since (I presume) the late sixties. Gui-Gui and Giggles have a few subtle differences, mainly Gui-Gui's brighter eyes and wavy hair, but for the most part they're the same doll. Very, very cute.
BIZZIE LIZZIE
COMPANY: Ideal
GUI-GUI
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 1967, give or take, reproduced 2017
Gui-Gui looks a lot like Giggles, and indeed she laughs if you press her belly. The doll in the image is a reproduction, commemorating Estrela's eightieth year of operation, but she's been around since (I presume) the late sixties. Gui-Gui and Giggles have a few subtle differences, mainly Gui-Gui's brighter eyes and wavy hair, but for the most part they're the same doll. Very, very cute.
BIZZIE LIZZIE
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 1971
According to Miss Deb, Bizzie Lizzie was Ideal's attempt to make housework fun for little girls. And to tell y'all the truth, learning to do that stuff WAS fun for me; it was something that I could do "all by myself" to lighten the load for Mama. She could do the laundry, I could run the vacuum cleaner. She could wash the dishes, and I could iron my school clothes. It was light work; Mama and Daddy weren't slave drivers. Lizzie ran on batteries and could vacuum, iron, dust, or run her push sweeper, the kind that's like a vacuum but doesn't need electricity. I love push sweepers! Miss Deb says that the black version above is a rare entity, and indeed I didn't see any when I jumped on eBay to look for this doll.
According to Miss Deb, Bizzie Lizzie was Ideal's attempt to make housework fun for little girls. And to tell y'all the truth, learning to do that stuff WAS fun for me; it was something that I could do "all by myself" to lighten the load for Mama. She could do the laundry, I could run the vacuum cleaner. She could wash the dishes, and I could iron my school clothes. It was light work; Mama and Daddy weren't slave drivers. Lizzie ran on batteries and could vacuum, iron, dust, or run her push sweeper, the kind that's like a vacuum but doesn't need electricity. I love push sweepers! Miss Deb says that the black version above is a rare entity, and indeed I didn't see any when I jumped on eBay to look for this doll.
BABY OH NO
COMPANY: Hasbro
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 1989-1991
This doll reminds me of some of the Magic Nursery dolls that were available around the same time, and of some of the Cabbage Patch Kids, AND of the Rugrats Ice Cream Face dolls that were available during the late nineties. All had the same gimmick: doll "eats" a nummy, gommy treat, doll gets a dirty face, doll cleans up. Shampoo, rinse, repeat. I've seen a few eBay listings call this doll "rare," and...<pauses to look>...quite a few entries under the "Hasbro Baby Oh No" query were actually Baby Uh-Oh, equally cute but not the same doll. So I'd say this doll is semi-rare, and as such she might pop into the blog at a later date. I like anything that's kinda a challenge.
LI'L POLLY PUFF
This doll reminds me of some of the Magic Nursery dolls that were available around the same time, and of some of the Cabbage Patch Kids, AND of the Rugrats Ice Cream Face dolls that were available during the late nineties. All had the same gimmick: doll "eats" a nummy, gommy treat, doll gets a dirty face, doll cleans up. Shampoo, rinse, repeat. I've seen a few eBay listings call this doll "rare," and...<pauses to look>...quite a few entries under the "Hasbro Baby Oh No" query were actually Baby Uh-Oh, equally cute but not the same doll. So I'd say this doll is semi-rare, and as such she might pop into the blog at a later date. I like anything that's kinda a challenge.
LI'L POLLY PUFF
COMPANY: Remco
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:
Oh, Remco! I like Remco dolls. I saw this one in Doll Reader years ago. In that particular article Polly was as sixties as a doll could get, staging sit-ins and peaceful protests while lounging on her inflatable couch. Yep, Polly Puff herself was your typical small rag doll with a vinyl head and vinyl hands, but she came with a "house" that could be draped over a card table, and her furniture was inflatable. She also had a younger sister that the Doll Reader author pet-named "Starshine." Being a hippie at heart myself, I loved that name. While this doll is strictly a toy, I love her play value! Little kids could use that card table house and inflatable furniture for a number of imaginary games, not just "House." I used to like "Cops and Robbers," and I might've pretended that Polly's house was my hideaway...and that Polly was the mastermind!
PASSPORT FRIENDS
COMPANY: Funrise
Oh, Remco! I like Remco dolls. I saw this one in Doll Reader years ago. In that particular article Polly was as sixties as a doll could get, staging sit-ins and peaceful protests while lounging on her inflatable couch. Yep, Polly Puff herself was your typical small rag doll with a vinyl head and vinyl hands, but she came with a "house" that could be draped over a card table, and her furniture was inflatable. She also had a younger sister that the Doll Reader author pet-named "Starshine." Being a hippie at heart myself, I loved that name. While this doll is strictly a toy, I love her play value! Little kids could use that card table house and inflatable furniture for a number of imaginary games, not just "House." I used to like "Cops and Robbers," and I might've pretended that Polly's house was my hideaway...and that Polly was the mastermind!
PASSPORT FRIENDS
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 2005
Saw these on Reddit! They reminded me a little of Wee 3 Friends, so here they are. Indeed, Veni Vidi Dolli implies that Passport Friends were a knockoff of 4Ever Best Friends, so there you have it. These dolls travelled the world, and if the commercial offers any clues they're probably obsessed with fashion as well. The dolls themselves are named after the city for which they are bound, which for a doll like Paris or Sydney isn't so bad. Rome and Manhattan, not so much; I've never met of a little kid with either of those names. I presume that the Asian character's name is Beijing since that's where she's headed, and that's also...well, Google calls it a "non-traditional" name choice, so that doll's name doesn't really work either. Manhattan is a brown-eyed blonde though, so I'll give her that. In general these dolls don't look that bad, and names can always be changed. I like the little animal stampers too! Looks like Sydney has a koala...sigh, I love koala bears, but I kinda wish wombats would pop up more in Australia-themed doll lines. Wombats are epic. But so are koalas, so I'll shut up!
McDONALDLAND BIRTHDAY GIRL
Saw these on Reddit! They reminded me a little of Wee 3 Friends, so here they are. Indeed, Veni Vidi Dolli implies that Passport Friends were a knockoff of 4Ever Best Friends, so there you have it. These dolls travelled the world, and if the commercial offers any clues they're probably obsessed with fashion as well. The dolls themselves are named after the city for which they are bound, which for a doll like Paris or Sydney isn't so bad. Rome and Manhattan, not so much; I've never met of a little kid with either of those names. I presume that the Asian character's name is Beijing since that's where she's headed, and that's also...well, Google calls it a "non-traditional" name choice, so that doll's name doesn't really work either. Manhattan is a brown-eyed blonde though, so I'll give her that. In general these dolls don't look that bad, and names can always be changed. I like the little animal stampers too! Looks like Sydney has a koala...sigh, I love koala bears, but I kinda wish wombats would pop up more in Australia-themed doll lines. Wombats are epic. But so are koalas, so I'll shut up!
McDONALDLAND BIRTHDAY GIRL
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 1999
I saw this pet on Failbook and got some serious flashbacks. I only remember this hazily, but I remember when McDonald's did birthdays like this. My family isn't a party bunch so I never had a McDonald's celebration (didn't really want one either), but I remember my friends talking about how much fun they had, and of course, the cake. No birthday is complete without a cake. Indeed, this little doll's cake was pretty special. It unlocked with a key and apparently played some type of music, and there was something hidden inside as well. The milkshake would also change "flavors" when one pressed the straw, so this doll had some fun items. Oh, and the doll herself has a cute little face. And is that Birdie I see on that shake cup? Ronald McDonald and Grimace still pop into advertisements from time to time, but Birdie...Birdie was kinda an early nineties thing, if my memory serves me right. This commercial was my favorite, because pigs, that's why. Anyway, this doll is yet another simple, interesting concept, one that ignites the nostalgia in my nineties inner child.
BEBE GLOTON
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 2009
This doll may make some of y'all raise your eyebrows, scratch your heads, or both. Indeed, she freaked me out a smidge the first time I heard of her, and she aroused a fair amount of controversy. Bebe Gloton (Baby Glutton in Spanish) is...well, she's a breastfeeding doll. The doll is accompanied by a vest that the child wears to simulate nursing sites, and when Bebe "latches" onto one she'll make sucking sounds. Now the first time I saw this I freaked out and called it "WAAAAY too inappropriate for little girls." My mom bottle-fed us, see, and so did everyone else that I knew, at least in public. Indeed, I was...I think I was thirty-two before I saw someone breastfeed her child in public. Right in the library, no less! Yes, even at thirty-two I was ignorant enuff to think that breastfeeding was some sort of in-your-face thing, and so when I saw this young mother doing it to her baby so discreetly I was very surprised. In fact, I'd leaned in to say hello to the baby (she was a pretty little baby) and didn't immediately realize that I was dangerously close to touching the mom's breast (I was caressing the baby's cheek). The mother was thankfully a very nice lady and politely schooled me on how to get the job done. But yeah, I was that ignorant at thirty-two. So my opinions on Bebe Gloton have changed over the years; I see her now as both a cute, interesting little doll and a learning tool, one that could prevent other little girls from being ignorant about breastfeeding as long as I was. Oh yeah, you can also burp the baby. I loved watching Mama burp my sister when she was little, LOL. Ooo, ooo, and I even found evidence that boy Bebe Gloton dolls existed! Y'all know how I like boy baby dolls.
Bebe Gloton is a fairly recent doll compared to some of the other entries on today's list, but I'm unsure if she is still in production. The links I found gave me a 404 error message, so I guess Bebe must not be in Berjuan's lineup anymore. She CAN be found on eBay occasionally, but only for sky-high prices. The Moon will have to get VERY lucky to add this one to her collection.
NENUCO WON'T EAT
COMPANY: The one and only Famosa
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 2014
Nenuco Won't Eat was also controversial, but for reasons that I found more idiotic than Bebe Gloton. Nenuco is your classic feeding time baby doll, but in this case the child turns her head AWAY from her feeding spoon. With some persistence the doll can be fed, but it takes some work. Now if you've ever cared for a baby or a small child then you know there are times when they won't want to eat. Nenuco represents that, but a lot of mamas freaked out anyway, saying that Nenuco "promotes unhealthy eating habits" that can ultimately lead to anorexia. One source says that the message is subliminal...just like the messages that Led Zeppelin's music DOESN'T have. I thought the controversy was absolute malarkey, and that Nenuco was...well, I thought she was just a stubborn baby, like my sister and I were! Nenuco won awards at the London Toy Fair that year, so obviously others felt the same way I did. I personally am more disturbed by Nenuco Sore Throat because she is accompanied by what looks like an incentive spirometer. And that's just a personal hangup on my part, as I don't like it when very small children are sick or injured. It's a fact of life, just like goofy eating habits are.
Have any of y'all seen/heard of/owned any of these? Discuss.
Happy Groundhog Day,
RagingMoon1987
NENUCO WON'T EAT
YEARS OF PRODUCTION: 2014
Nenuco Won't Eat was also controversial, but for reasons that I found more idiotic than Bebe Gloton. Nenuco is your classic feeding time baby doll, but in this case the child turns her head AWAY from her feeding spoon. With some persistence the doll can be fed, but it takes some work. Now if you've ever cared for a baby or a small child then you know there are times when they won't want to eat. Nenuco represents that, but a lot of mamas freaked out anyway, saying that Nenuco "promotes unhealthy eating habits" that can ultimately lead to anorexia. One source says that the message is subliminal...just like the messages that Led Zeppelin's music DOESN'T have. I thought the controversy was absolute malarkey, and that Nenuco was...well, I thought she was just a stubborn baby, like my sister and I were! Nenuco won awards at the London Toy Fair that year, so obviously others felt the same way I did. I personally am more disturbed by Nenuco Sore Throat because she is accompanied by what looks like an incentive spirometer. And that's just a personal hangup on my part, as I don't like it when very small children are sick or injured. It's a fact of life, just like goofy eating habits are.
Have any of y'all seen/heard of/owned any of these? Discuss.
Happy Groundhog Day,
RagingMoon1987
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