YAY!!!!!! It’s so good to be back!! We really did miss ya’ll like crazy. How awesome was Dottie’s Retro Roundup?? My wallet is thankful that Wolfie is growin’ like a weed and can’t wear any of that cuteness! (Never mind that he would probably strongly object to the darling color-block mini dress..) So in honor of our triumphant return (take THAT H@CKERS!) I thought it would be fun to do a Vintage toy post….and I knew *just* the thing I wanted to share with you.
Most of you guys know I love my Blythe dollies. To me they are the quintessential doll to represent the 70s: stylish, cool, colorful and just a leetle bit weird. BUT I’ve already written a ton about them (you can read my fun article on Blythe in MAEVE magazine over here), so I wanted to show you some of Blythe’s kooky, and lesser known, friends!
image:Â ~Jo~
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, toy manufacturers were CLEARLY smoking the wacky tobacky as they sat around and drummed up new toy ideas. Most really make no sense, yet I still find them all beautifully bizarre. Let’s take a look at a handful of my faves!
FLATSY
In 1969, Ideal introduced Flatsy. And yup, like the name says she is a mega flat doll. Flatsieswere made of rubber and had wire inserts that made them flexible, much like Gumby. The Teenage Fashion Flatsy was far creepier looking to me. They had the most awesome catch phrase: “She’s Flat and That’s That”. Kind of says it all.
image: Natsuko
LEGGY
In 1971, Hasbro brought us The Leggies! These odd dolls were identified by their excessively long and gangly legs. In this day and age, they send a pretty bad message about body image….but I can’t lie I find them pretty cute. You know, in a Daddy Long Legs kinda way.
Meet Leggy Nan, Leggy Sue, Leggy Jill and Leggy Kate.
Images: mame3
EMERALD THE ENCHANTING WITCH.
With lavender skin and luscious green locks, Emerald was a quirky, sprightly imp. The thing that made her so cool was that she had a little switch in the back that made her eyes glow. She was made in 1972 by Milton Bradley. She’s kind of like a combination of My Little Pony and those crazy Troll dolls. But def cuter.
image: Fluxie
image: funny bunny
DAWN
Glamorous, glittery and faaaabulous! It’s the Wonderful World of DAWN. Created by Topper Toys in 1970, she was a diminutive answer to Barbie. Dawn had long blonde hair and a bevy of pals—Angie, Dale, Gloria, Jessica, Longlocks and GARY. Oh Gary. I always loved her little ensembles.
SUSIE SAD EYES
In 1972, riding coattails of  Margaret Keane’s popular wide-eyed moppets came Susie Sad Eyes. I think the name sort of says it all. So small. So sad. *sniff* Makes me want to hear Peggy Lee’s, “Is That All There Is?”
images: Susie Sad Eyes Flickr Group
LITTLE MISS NO NAME
OK. Susie Sad Eyes has *nothing* on this little waif. She’s pretty amazing but also makes me a little sad. The colossal eyes and little crystalline tear drop are one thing…but the burlap sack and bare feet take her over the edge. I’m DYING to know what marketing genius thought this would be a “fun” doll for little girls.
Are you dying yet?? I mean, it isn’t enough that the poor thing is wearing a burlap sack, they gotta put her in a snowstorm box??? Oh Hasbro….
LIDDLE KIDDLES
Weeeeee! These tiny treasures stand an awesome 2 3/4″ to 4″ tall. There was even a super teensy version that was about an inch tall. Despite their diminutive stature, they still had rooted hair and moveable arms and legs. They were produced by Mattel from 1966-1971. My favorites are the Lucky Locket Kiddles (which were necklaces). They were also Kiddle Kologne and Kola Kiddles (who lived in a perfume and soda bottle respectively) and the green Kosmic Kiddles—flying around in their hip UFOs. But really, the Kiddle Lockets were where it was at.
image: super junk
PETEENA THE FASHION POODLE
I’ve saved the best for last. This kookoo doll is one of my all-time favorites. Created in 1966, the lovely Peteena came with her own polka dot bikini. Um. Yes. A poodle-kini. While she has a the head of a pup, her body is human….she is totally weird but with her long lashes and sweet smile, I find her oddly lovely. Call me crazy.
image: Peteenainct
image: xie kitchen
image: axelsrose
That’s it for today’s toy round up. What do you think? Do these delight you or make you scratch your head?? One thing’s for certain, these dollies are every bit as colorful and creative as the 60s and 70s themselves.
