I just can't do it. No matter how hard I try, I just can't leave a poor, old dolly behind at the thrift store that looks like they'll probably end up getting thrown away. I mean, how sad is that? We have a Goodwill in our area that always has bunches of vintage of dolls on it's shelves...most look like they've seen way better days. Here is a grouping of the most recent little orphans that jumped in my cart over the past several weeks and "begged" me to take them home:
They're not all vintage, but they definitely all need some TLC.
American Characters and Madame Alexanders
Chatty Cathy and more precious babies
BFC Ink doll and Disney Animators
I love Madame Alexander babies. Their faces are so precious and their bodies so huggable...especially the big ones! Here we have two, brunette Pussycats, and a blonde Puddin'. Little one in the front is about 18" and has all of her original clothing. She is in good shape, so there's not much to do except wash her clothes and clean her up. 22" Pussycat on the left is naked, so she will need an entirely new outfit. She's fairly clean but needs her hair styled. 20" Blonde Puddin' needs cleaning, her hair styled, and a new outfit, since what she is wearing is not original or well-fitting.
Mattel Chatty Cathy--needs cleaning, hair washed and styled, and a new outfit. She is completely unmarked, which means she is one of the very first Chatty's that were produced. Her vinyl face is also super-soft--another hallmark trait of these early dolls. She has her pull string, but no longer talks. There are people who repair the voice boxes on these dolls, though, so I'm hoping that when I sell her, she goes to someone who can have her repaired!
More vintage babies. Both are about 12". Initially, I bought these two just for their clothing, thinking I'd strip them down, keep the clothes and re-donate the dolls. However, once I got them home, I discovered the one on the right is a Vogue Dream baby, made about the same time as one of my other favorite dolls, Vogue's Baby Dear. She has the same style cloth body and bent baby limbs. Her outfit is beautiful and all original. Just needs to be cleaned! She will be staying in my collection, as I have already fallen in love with her. Dolly on the left is another Madame Alexander baby, all vinyl. I think her clothes are original, but I'm not sure. They seem a little large for her, but maybe that's because all of the elastic has worn out? She even still has her little pacifier. Again, she and her clothes just need to be gently cleaned.
BFC Inc., Kaitlin
I used to find BFC Inc dolls all the time at the thrift stores, but not so much recently. Just when I was wondering if I'd ever see one again, there she was! Her poor little legs were just dangling over the shelf where she'd been thrown along with all of the other toys. There is quite a collector base for these dolls, and I've never had a problem selling them. This is one of the earlier dolls, as she does not have the extra joints in her elbows, wrists and ankles like the dolls that came after her. BFC Inc. dolls have very pretty faces.
Disney Animators
These dolls are just so sweet. I love their expressions! Belle looks playful, Merida looks mischievous, and Cinderella looks demure. Disney has done a great job with capturing the personality of each princess as a toddler. These dolls stand about 16" tall and each has her original dress (but missing shoes). They are fairly clean, but...their HAIR! Oh, my goodness, I must be a glutton for punishment. It takes me a good 1-2 hours to fix the hair on each one of these dolls. So much time is spent washing, conditioning, combing, flat ironing and styling so it can look presentable again. But it's totally worth it! I usually "play hair" while I watch an episode (or two or three!) of a favorite tv show.
And last but not least, we have these American Character "Toodles" dolls. The 22" toddler isn't in too bad of shape...she needs a good cleaning. Her dress and bloomers are replacements, but they are well made, so I will do some minor repair work and let her keep them. 20" Toodles baby on the other hand...oh, my...where do I even begin? She is filthy. Her eyes (along with the Toodles toddler) have some kind of mildew film on them. Her hair is matted. Her left leg is pushed too far into her body so it sits at a weird angle. And then there's the matter of the huge gash that runs across the front of her torso.
I can't determine if it was done on purpose or she suffered some unfortunate mishap?
Poor little thing! I just couldn't leave her behind at the thrift store, looking like that! Nobody would adopt her, and then she'd be thrown away. She actually came with her original sunsuit, which is just the cutest thing! It will need to be mended and washed before she can wear it again, though. I forgot to put it in the picture, but you'll see it when I get her all fixed up. And then you can be amazed! As for her gash, I searched and searched on the internet for what kind of glue I should use, and I finally determined that "Shoe Goo" made by "GOOP" would be my best option. It bonds vinyl, stays flexible, and is waterproof. So that is what I'll be trying first. I will let you know how it goes!
So these are my projects for the next couple of weeks. Among a million others! I have been super-busy listing bunches of dolls on Ebay lately, and making lots of outfits for the dollies who are naked. They can't make their world-wide debut on the internet in their birthday suit, can they?!?
Most of the dolls in this post will head over to Ebay once I make them pretty again. Except for Vogue Dream Baby. She's small enough that I can squeeze her into my doll cradle with my other favorite babies!
