Vintage Doll

June 4, 2006 12:21 PM

Can you identify this vintage doll? (warning: nudity)

Looks to be from the 40s or 50s, she's 27.5 inches tall, elbows and
knees not jointed, but leg tops are hooked to metal rods to make her
legs walk and head turn from side to side.. Arms pull out of shoulders
on elastic. Pump device forces air through holes in stomach to make
crying noise when turned on back from face down position. Rooted curly
golden hair, almost closed, pursed mouth (kissing), green eyes close when reclined, soft plastic head, hard plastic body, arms, and legs. Small letters D C embossed on plastic at back base of head.

posted by weapons-grade pandemonium to grab bag (7 comments total)

Does a picture of a plastic doll need a "nudity" warning?
posted by A189Nut at 1:26 PM on June 4, 2006

Sorry to disappoint you.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 3:35 PM on June 4, 2006

The "DC" mark is the main clue to the doll's identity, similar to the maker's marks for porcelin.

A quick Google got me to this page of hard plastic doll marks. According to that site, the mark means that it's a Cosmopolitan Toy & Doll Corporation doll. From the pics on that second page, I think you may have a "Ginger" doll. See what you think.
posted by gemmy at 3:45 PM on June 4, 2006

This page has some dolls that look similar. Maybe instead of "DC" it says "AC", like many of the dolls on that site. Near the bottom, one of the dolls' bodies can be seen, and it looks pretty darn close to the one in your photo, although the face is different.
posted by Teh Bean at 3:48 PM on June 4, 2006

Definitely D C with that spacing, Teh Bean. I did a lot of Googling before I posted, and covered the sites linked by gemmy. But that bottom middle picture is very close--perhaps the same manufacturer, but it doesn't say who that is. Most of the close matches I found are not as tall as this.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 4:26 PM on June 4, 2006

Hmm, I had some fun with this. Upon further reflection, I think maybe it's not Ginger, but instead one of the spinoff dolls. Doesn't look like Ginger is a crying doll either, so maybe it's a more recent version?

I would recommend that you go to your local bookstore and look in some books on doll marks. The mark is your best bet at finding more info. Also make sure to look under the hair if you can, as there may be further markings there.
posted by gemmy at 4:35 PM on June 4, 2006

The Ginger dolls and spinoffs are small--eight inches. This one is almost twenty-eight inches. The D C is under the hair, at the back. The rest of the vinyl head is full of thousands of small holes, with about a dozen strands of hair coming out of each hole.

Oh, I just found something on your first link that I had overlooked, gemmy. It says D C is Cosmopolitan.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 4:56 PM on June 4, 2006