What's in a name?

I like names.  I like human names, I like hurricane names, I like doll names, and I especially love looking at Cabbage Patch Kid names.  I've got some nice combinations in my collection, like Owen Presley and Cleopatra Chantale (yes, I've gotten compliments on that one), and then I've heard some humdingers, like Charlene Darlene, Karissa Larissa, and my new favorite, Bunnie Candie.  I couldn't resist bringing Bunnie Candie home, by the way; she's a little Preemie.

No joke, that's legit her name.

Bunnie Candie...that's arguably the dumbest one yet.  I think it sounds like a euphemism for rabbit turds, and another lady on Failbook says it sounds like a stripper's name!  Not to mention that Bunnie looks just like Cara Raelean and Stella Rae, but that's beside the point.  I love dolly names...and when you have as many as I do then you see repeats.  Commonly used names like Jane, Sally, and Susie pop up a lot, and today I'm going to TRY to count how many Susies I've heard of.  I own at least three myself.  I'm gonna try to go in chronological order.

SUSIE WALKER

COMPANY:  Reliable
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1954-1957

I presume that this Susie was a rival to the then-popular Saucy Walker.  The gimmick is the same, the material is the same, and the dolls even look a bit alike in the face.  Reliable often did that, did copies of other dolls that were good sellers.  Heck, all companies did that, and still do!  This one's got a sweet face, but some of the others I've seen look a little possessed.

SUZY WALKER TAKES A TRIP

COMPANY:  Unknown
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1950s or 60s

I wasn't able to find much information on this doll other than a couple'a pictures and a listing each on eBay and on Etsy.  From what I can tell Suzy is a small hard plastic walker with sleep eyes and a cute outfit.  Her eyes freak me out a little, but this one pictured has hair to die for.

SUZY PLAYPAL

COMPANY:  Ideal
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1959-1960

A member of the Patti Playpal family, Suzy is a big doll, at 28 inches.  She's my favorite of the Playpal bunch because she has a sweet little face.  Alas, I have no room!  With the entry of my animals to Casa Pizarro I've had to put away most of the dolls I do have, thanks to Tommy's lousy little nails.  But Suzy Playpal is still a favorite of mine.

SUZY CUTE

COMPANY:  Topper
YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1964

I think Suzy Cute was one of the first baby dolls I reviewed in full.  I haven't done much with her since, but she's still loved and valued.  I admit that Suzy's catchy commercial was what gave me the gimmies.  Louis Armstrong was in it, for crying out loud!  I freaking love Louis Armstrong.  And true to her name, Suzy is pretty cute.  I love her smile, with her little baby teeth showing.  It's also worth noting that Suzy Cute's name is a play on "Susie-Q."  I counted plenty of dolls with that moniker, far more than could be listed here.

SUSIE SAD-EYES

COMPANY:  Various
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1960s and 70s

I found my other Susie Sad-Eyes!  She was on my roll-top desk with my ball-jointed dolls...and a large accumulation of other crap.  This Susie is pretty much "what you see is what you get."  She's a hollow plastic doll with big sad eyes and overall serious expressions, and some of 'em add to the drama with sallow circles under their eyes.  Susie Sad-Eyes goes by many other names, some of which incorporate the name "Susie" and some of which do not, but for the most part she's the same doll.

SUSIE SCRIBBLES

COMPANY:  Wonderama Toys
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1987

This Susie could write and draw, though being a doll, her work does indeed look like the scribbles of a young child.  Thank goodness she writes on paper, not in books or on the wall.  My sister drew on her bedroom wall one time, and I never did find out what possessed her to do such a thing.  We'd been told from the word "go" NOT to draw on walls.  Oh nelly, did my sister get a spanking for that one!  But Susie Scribbles is a good girl.  Give her some paper, some fresh batteries, and her cassette tape, and she's good to go.

SO SURPRISED SUZIE

COMPANY:  Galoob
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1990-1991

This Suzie is...kinda the poster child for the Baby Face line, and she's also the easiest of the Baby Face dolls to find.  Never mind, I was glad of that, as it meant it was easier to replace my childhood friend.  All of the Baby Face dolls had kid-friendly, easy to remember names, stuff like Natalie, Sarah, Louise, Brooke, stuff like that.  There was a Sally in the mix too, and I may have to do a post like this for the Sally dolls that I know.  But of all my Susies, and of all my dolls in general, Suzie is...well, I won't say she's the absolute biggest character, but she's in the running.

Yeah, yeah, I know.  Talk to the hand.  Maybe she should've been So Sassy Suzie instead of So Surprised Suzie. 

SURPRISE HAT SUSIE

COMPANY:  Tyco
YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1995

Susie falls under the "glitzy toddler doll" category and got a brief mention in a recent post.  Her gimmick is simple and pretty cute:  under her nineties-style hat she conceals hair in one of four color combinations, so she's sort of like a blind box before blind boxes came into style.  Otherwise Susie is pretty basic, with five rotating joints and an outfit that...I guess was in style in 1995.  I've always been about as stylish as a railroad tie, so I wouldn't know.

SUSIE

COMPANY:  R&D
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2003-present day

Yep, this one's just plain Susie.  I THINK Susie is still being made!  This Susie is Barbie-sized and has a drop-dead gorgeous face.  I loved this doll from the minute I saw her in Haute Doll, years and years ago.  Susie is Barbie-sized but is a smidge slimmer and...at the time she had more joints than Barbie, though I think the Made to Move bunch could give her a run for her money.  I freaking love this doll, though.

SUSIE SOFT SOUNDS

COMPANY:  Fisher Price
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1979

This doll's smaller sister recently popped into my "weird dolls" post, though I don't think she's that weird.  Like Baby Soft Sounds Susie makes baby noises, and if what I've read is true then she's motion-activated...kinda like some of the obnoxious decorations my family had at Halloween and at Christmas.  You could turn 'em off, and you could even take out the batteries, but from time to time they'd still go off.  That gave us quite a turn more than once, especially when the item went off at night.  Same sort of thing with this Susie.

SUZY SNAPSHOT

COMPANY:  Galoob 

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1991

Good ol' Galoob!  Suzy Snapshot belongs soundly in the glitzy toddler doll category, but I didn't think to take screenshots of her commercial until after I'd put that post up.  Funny, I remembered to screenshot Twist 'n' Style Tiffany's commercial, but not Suzy Snapshot's.  Anyway, Suzy is attached to a little camera, and as the lens is "focused" she can change the positions of her arms and upper body, not terribly unlike Fashion Photo Barbie and her buddies.  Unlike the other glitzy toddler dolls that I've seen, I think Suzy was legit supposed to be a child model; the others, I'm fairly certain, are just playing dress-up.  Or that's the way I choose to look at it.  

SUSIE STRETCH

COMPANY:  Irwin Toys,

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1995

This Suzie reminds me of a semi-life-sized Betty Spaghetty.  She had long arms and legs that could stretch until the doll's overall height was about five feet.  She also had a sleeping and an awake face, she was good for cuddles, and that's...about it on a stick.  I'd have liked her; I love things that can stretch.

SUSI

COMPANY:  Estrela 
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1966-current day

From what I've read Susi is alive and well in her home country of Brazil.  Having looked at pictures of the vintage doll, I figure that she's based either off Ideal's Tammy, Pedigree's Sindy, or both because she looks a lot like both of 'em.  She doesn't now, LOL!  But indeed, the original Susi was indeed modelled after Tammy, only gaining inset eyes in 1969.  I usually like dolls with inset eyes, but in this case I prefer the painted eyes, as the inset eyes are a bit large for Susi's head.  Still, a fifty-nine-year run is not to be sneezed at in the doll world.  A run that length puts Susi in a league with Barbie and Licca-chan.

SUSIE SO SMART

COMPANY:  DSI Toys

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2001

This Susie was similar to Julie (1980s) and Amazing Amy and her bunch in that she could interact with her toys.  If she said she was hungry, you gave her her cookie.  If she was thirsty, she wanted her sippy cup.  And if she was in the mood to make some noise she had a harmonica.  A harmonica, of all things!  The appropriate noises accompanied all three accessories...and as far as I know that's the extent of it.  Susie wasn't as verbose as Julie or Amy, but she did enuff to keep one occupied.

SUSIE SOUR STRAW

COMPANY:  the one and only MGA Entertainment
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2024-present day

This young lady is one of the Yummiland Lip Gloss dolls that's currently in stores.  These are not to be confused with THIS Yummi-Land, yet another MGA doll...and come to think of it, my old Yummi-Land doll has a pet named Susie!  I like these, with their bright colors and translucent hair.  As many of these dolls as there are a Susie of some variant was inevitable, but at least she's cute.  I love green and pink together.  And speaking of Yummi-Land...

SUSIE STRAWBELLA

COMPANY:  MGA Entertainment again!
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2006-2008

Susie was one of the debut Soda Pop Girls.  Remember that my Betsy Bubblegum was an Ice Cream Pop doll.  Anywho, Susie appeared in several items of media for the Yummi-Land line, and also as a styling head, but her debut doll was her only doll.  I kinda wish I'd picked this one instead of Betsy; her coloring is great from what I can tell.

That's nowhere NEAR a comprehensive list of the dolls in this world named some variant of Susie, but y'all get my drift.  It's an easy name to remember, an easy name to say and spell, and thus it loans itself well to dolls.  Do any of y'all have any favorites that I missed?

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

Throwback Thursday review: Susie Sad-Eyes

Ladies and germs, Halloween is upon us!  Every year around this time I try to do something kinda freaky, and...well, I'm not sure how freaky she is, but some folks are really creeped out by this doll.  Susie Sad-Eyes sort of made her photographic debut here TWO Octobers ago, but y'all know how I'm the queen of procrastination.  Usually she is known as Susie Sad-Eyes, Sad Susie, or plain old Sad Eyes Doll. Some of Susie's sisters came in rain gear and were called "Susie Slicker," while her Afro-American self was called "Soul Sister."  Mine, however, is straight-up Susie Sad-Eyes.  This one is Susie with an "s" in the middle, by the way; So Surprised Suzie has a "z," and Suzy Cute has both a "z" and a "y."

Killecrankie, who on Earth thought this one up???  These little goobers remind me of the Biggers that Miss Emily reviewed (here and here), only nowhere near as happy.  According to multiple websites Susie is/was a cheaply-made mass-produced doll dating from the sixties and seventies, and her big, solemn eyes were based on...ewww, on Margaret Keane paintings.  Several companies made these dolls, with one name standing out:  S. Rosenburg Co., Incorporated, the company that produced my Cherry Fizz doll (zowwee, that post was a long time ago).  The oldest Susie dolls are older than the original Blythe, but apparently not as old as Little Miss No-Name.  I don't own a Little Miss No-Name (yet), but for reference sake here's Susie with Jaylin, my factory Blythe.  Pity that Jaylin can't tip her head to look at her companion, because these two always look a little or a lot put-out by something.

Okay, they usually look put-out, though Jaylin is also capable of looking incredibly smug.  As y'all can see, Susie is quite a bit smaller than Jaylin, though they do have torsos of a similar size.  This would likely mean that Susie can also share dresses with Licca-chan and Elly-chan, though they too are a bit taller than Susie.

On the other hand, Ayame (It's a Small World Japan) and Whimzee are considerably smaller than Susie, and I highly doubt that she can wear their clothes. 

For a final size comparison, here's how Susie measures up to Fluff (vintage Skipper friend) and Joie (Creatable World.

Pity I can't get at my Stacie dolls, because they're of similar size to Susie...or they are if my memory serves me right.  90's-era Stacie dolls were pretty little.  Anyway, as I noted in that post about Technicolor bell-bottoms, there's a photography book dedicated to Susie Sad-Eyes, one entitled Susie Says, by the one and only Gina Garan.  Ms. Garan is credited with giving Blythe new life with her first book, so I figured I'd grab Susie before she becomes super-popular again.  Granted, Susie is already popular on Flickr, and she has a few groups on Failbook too.  Plus, Susie Says has been out for TEN YEARS, so I'm a little late to the party.  Oh well, better late than never!  My Susie is a little better-looking than some, but none of these dolls will ever win any beauty contests.  I've seen brown-haired Susie dolls, a handful of blondes, and one or two redheads (one of them was a reroot).  I was fortunate enuff to find a redhead of my own.

I also have a brunette Susie Sad-Eyes somewhere in the mix, but she looks more narked off than sad, AND her legs are frozen.  So y'all get the coppertop.  Her hair is supposed to be straight, but it developed a kink somewhere along the line that hasn't yet relaxed out.  The fibers are fairly stiff and hold kinks like mad.  Regarding the style, she's got a center part and bangs up front, like so.

The rooting is...so-so.  It looks fine when Susie's hair is down or pulled into a low ponytail, but a parted style is OUT!!!

Regarding the face, Susie has several different names, varying hair and eye colors, and widely differing bodies, but she always has this face.

Eye color varied as much as hair color did with these dolls.  My brunette Susie has aqua eyes, while Copperhead's are amber.  Like all good Susie Sad-Eyes dolls her lids are dark and heavy, and the lower lid is ringed with shadow.

Some of these dolls have green circles painted under their eyes, making them look ill as well as sad.  I don't like this effect and I'm glad that neither of my Susie dolls have this paint.  Right now my only surviving picture of Raven Susie is this one from the technicolor bell-bottoms post, and it'll give y'all an idea of what her eye paint looks like.  Both Raven and Copperhead have flubs in their right eyes, LOL.

See Copperhead's flub?  These dolls were very cheaply produced, so I'm surprised these mistakes are the only paint errors.

Susie's sullen little mouth has only a touch of blush-colored paint.  Some of these dolls have rosier lips, but mine does not.

Susie's ears are simple little affairs with no piercings...and a little dust.

A simple, average head, and with a simple, average head goes a simple, average body.  The arms are vinyl, and the rest is hard, hollow plastic.  I presume that Susie is supposed to be a child, because she's got a child's build.

Since Susie is cheaply made she has the joints one might expect.  Her head is a ball joint and thus is her best joint.  She can turn and tip her head.

Surprise, surprise, her head comes off easily...but it doesn't go back ON easily so I usually leave it alone.

The rest of Susie's posing is about what you'd expect.  Her arms rotate like so.

Her hands have a lot of flash on the seams, but it's possible to see knuckles and nails in there.  Not all of my dolls have that, and I can always pare away that flash.  Shudder...I hate X-ACTO knives!

Like the shoulders, Susie's hip joints are par for the course.  They're hollow plastic, straight up and down, with an angled joint at the hip.  This means that Susie can stand, sit like a bimbo on Quaaludes, and do front-to-back splits, like so.

Susie's stubby little legs are made of blown plastic like her torso, and...well, they're legs.  She knows how to use them, though.

The seams on Susie's legs are rough, though they're not the worst I've ever seen.  Interestingly, the toes on her right foot are almost nonexistent; her left foot has simple toes.

From the side one can see that...oh, I'd say three millimeters of the right foot are missing.  That's a lot for a doll this size.  

Susie can't stand on her own, and I think the deformed foot may be part of the problem.  It should also be noted that not all Susies have bodies like this; Tam owns one that is made of softer vinyl.  That particular little doll is better quality overall.

Susie Sad-Eyes and her similarly morose cronies weren't the most fashionable poppets to begin with, and my Susie CERTAINLY wasn't fashionable when she arrived (she was nude).  Etsy has plenty of options, but they're usually marked for Blythe or for Licca-chan, with Susie being mentioned in the "also fits" list.  That said, this little dress was made specifically for Susie dolls, and it fits my doll perfectly.  Etsy shop is IDressDolls and they focus largely on undergarments, but there are a few little dresses to be had too.  

Even though that dress was made with Susie in mind, I decided to swap Licca's and Susie's dresses anyway.

Since Licca has longer legs than Susie the green dress proved way too short in the skirt and a bit too short in the sleeves, though it fits perfectly across the shoulders and bust.  In a similar manner Licca's dress is long on Susie, but again it fits across the bust and shoulders with aplomb.  Licca's shoes even fit, though I wouldn't make Susie wear these particular shoes.  They have a slight high heel and Susie's feet are flat, end of story.  Flat shoes for Licca or Blythe may work, though.

Speaking of Blythe, Jaylin has a few things lying around idle.  I'll start with pajamas, since it's almost impossible to go wrong with pajamas.

I forget which Etsy shop these came from, but I think Jaylin has worn them maybe ONCE.  They've got "NY" all over them, giving off sort of a New York vibe.  Since they're pajamas they're big on Susie's small body, but they fit her without too much fuss.  This other outfit came in a blind bag, and I wasn't too sure about the fit of it at first.

Well, we see the results, LOL.  The crocheted top is a little tight around the shoulders, enuff that I had a little trouble fastening the button, but the rest of the outfit fits Susie perfectly.  Even the boots fit, and they help Susie stand on her own.  I won't forget that this outfit is Jaylin's, but she's okay to lend it out for now.  

For a lark I put Susie in Ayame's kimono.

Ayame's obi fastens in the back like a good obi should, and y'all can't tell it, but I couldn't get it fastened.  This whole kimono fits Susie more like a happi coat than a kimono...but it fits pretty well across the shoulders.  Ayame has the same body and measurements as Cherry Merry Muffin, so mayyyybe the occasional CMM piece might fit Susie Sad-Eyes.  But don't bet on it.  That's alright, because some Licca-chan and Blythe pieces do fit, as long as one avoids long skirts and pants.

Before I wrap this up I want to go on a brief tangent, one that applies to my other Susie doll.  That Susie has a "dress me" body with frozen legs and huge shoes, which kinda limits what I can dress her in.  Good ol' Tam presented a lovely idea on her blog that I'm itching to try.  She saddled her "dress me" Susie with a Harry Potter body, and even the tones match!  It's not a perfect fix since the Harry Potter neck knob is smaller than the whole in Susie's head, but Tam makes it work.  So Imma try that and get back to y'all.  

That's a good place to break this off.

BAD
*Overall quality of my particular doll is pretty average.  Some have better bodies and some have worse.
*The hair is stiff and can't be restyled, except for a basic ponytail.
*Mayyyybe my doll's lip paint could be better???  I've seen some of these dolls with pretty lips.
*Some variants have a stiff "dress me" body.  Some folks don't like those, so keep that in mind.
*Some variants are hard to find.  I've NEVER seen Soul Sister for a reasonable price.

GOOD
*No specific appearance other than the head.  Just about any hair or eye color can be found.
*Semi-easy to find, as long as you're not looking for Soul Sister!
*Hair is low-maintenance, despite being long.  
*Can wear Blythe and Licca-chan clothes as long as the items aren't too long.  Shoes even fit.
*Under the right conditions, Susie can be very photogenic.  I understand now why Gina Garan put Susie Says together.
*Can be customized readily, for those of y'all that are into that.

Whew!  I almost didn't get this one done in time!  That was on me, procrastinating and being lazy as sin; Susie herself is quite simple.  What you see is what you get:  a solemn-faced doll with a vinyl head and a stiff plastic body, who looks good in a wide array of clothes despite being quite different from both Blythe and Licca-chan.  Susie is popular among those who like their dolls a little weird or creepy, and of course, fans of vintage dolls.  And I can see why, since she's lightweight, easy to tote around, and low-maintenance.  If Susie Sad-Eyes lights your fire, beware of "dress me" bodies and know that rebodying is an option, and also know that obtaining clothes is a cinch if you have access to Etsy.  Also...beware of bad lighting.  Susie can look downright sinister in the wrong light.

Happy Halloween, y'all!  True to the forecast it's raining and isn't supposed to stop 'til after midnight, so I'm staying in and keeping the lights off.  If any of y'all do go out, be safe, watch for pets, kids, and drunks, and have fun.

Love,
RagingMoon1987