In my last post I mentioned that I have a mini-series about throwbacks from my personal collection. These are all non-Barbie dolls but it's fun to take a trip down memory lane and I wanted to share them all with you. I am excited to see what you think of them. Some are very old and I'm hoping you vintage doll experts can help me out along the way.
First, a little backstory.
When my husband and I got married (6 years ago! seems like yesterday) my parents thought it would be time to bring me all the boxes with my childhood collectibles that were stored at their house. Seems right, I have a house now with my own space and even though the boxes were tucked away and they didn't need that storage space, the items were mine and needed to come home with me. (In the hoard was all my Barbie stuff so yeah, it was okay they came to me.) :)
A couple of weeks ago I remembered that there was one item that wasn't sent to me because it was stashed away in a cubby behind my brothers huge and heavy computer desk. I told him I wanted to come get it because I wanted to give it to Jacob.
This was the item.
The Little Tykes strawberry toy chest! When I was little I was heavily into Strawberry Shortcake so my parents bought this for me. A fruit is somewhat gender neutral and since we have spent all of our cash on this new house we built, why not reuse and what better gift to give him than something that was mine growing up.
(Besides, is a boy really that picky about where his toys go? They just want what's inside right?)
Inside was a huge treasure trove of toys and dolls from my childhood. Which brings us to our throwback posts.
The first doll is one I definitely remember but do not remember playing with a whole bunch. I have no idea where I got her from and I don't think I even have a name for this cutie.
Boy is she dirty! My parents had the roof redone a few years ago and the storage cubbies in the house are right up against the roofline. Soot and debris was all over items stored in the cubbies. You can even see how dirty the toy chest is in the picture above.
This doll I think took the worst of the debris. And silly me, I didn't even get a picture of her clothes!
She has a cute face. Just really sweet.
Oh man, her hair is a mess. I'm not sure anything is going to get this hair back to it's original state. Her hair wasn't that great to begin with (from what I recall) but years (many many years, at least 30) of laying on her back with head pressed against other toys led to a major case of "bad hair day."
A couple of days after I unearthed her from the hoard in the toy chest I decided that it was not proper to leave her in this state. She needed a bath!
Boy, what a difference!
There is some newsprint that will have to come off her face. Some clearasil and sunlight might do the trick. There are also some black specs on her legs that wouldn't scrub off. But other than that she is clean (and smells good now too!)
I really scrubbed her hair and it is a beautiful golden blonde color.
After the washing and while her hair was still wet, I tried to style it without a lot of success. Looks better than it did but not there yet.
As I styled it there was a ton of tangles but not a lot of hair pulled out. Makes me think that her root job is pretty solid. I figured she might be a candidate to try my hand at my first re-root but I don't think so. She is kind of vintage, might be a shame to flub something up. Which I'm sure I will do my first time.
I just went and grabbed a quick pic of her clothing. I have some clothes in the stash that are bigger than Barbie size that might work for her. I like the shorts but she needs something else up top! :)
And don't you like the molded on red shoes? I think they are just adorable.
There is one imprint stamp on her that reads "Japan" but nothing else. I have no other idea how to identify this little cutie. I believe that she is a vinyl doll, she doesn't feel plastic to me.
What do you think of her? Like her, not quite your taste? Have a NAME for her? haha
Since we are in the process of moving, posts will be a little scattered but hoping to get some more up here in the next couple of weeks.
Hope you enjoyed my first throwback post! See you next time!
4 comments:
I think it is a very cute idea to give your toy chest to Jacob. The doll looks cute and her face reminds me on some decorative vinyl dolls from my teens. Those weren't really for play, they wer molded in a sitting position, but the faces were the same.
Guessing that her original hair style was all combed down to her face, why don't you try wetting it, combing it down and put a nylon sock over her head to hold it in position and let the hair air dry? Might be worth a try.
Oh, that's a good idea Andrea. I'll have to try that one! I don't see any reason why it WON'T work. I think it WILL work!
I love the throwback post! <3 Did she ever get cleaned up to satisfaction with the Clearasil?
Ugh, just saw your comment echo shea, so sorry I didn't reply sooner!
I have not had a chance to get her cleaned up with clearasil yet. Right after I took the photos we moved so she has been in storage (again.) But as soon as everything in my life settles down a bit, I'm going to try it. Such a cute doll, shame she has to be put away for a while but as soon as I get the shelves in my office set up, she will be free! :) Thanks for stopping by, I'll have more throwback posts up!
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