Another Tonner Effanbee Patsy!

Ever since bringing home my first Effanbee Patsy by Tonner, I have been searching for another.  They are just so darn cute!  When I saw this one on Ebay, I watched her for one week, and then forgot to bid on her!  Luckily, no one had bid, and the seller relisted her.  Then I had to wait another week until the auction ended.  But I finally won her!

Her name is "Jill", as in Jack & Jill, as she's one of a 1000 limited edition.

She was part of this set.  Isn't "Jack" just as adorable?  I have never seen him for sale anywhere, so I expect that he is quite rare and hard to find.

Jill has the most adorable clothing.  It is all beautiful quality and feels so well made.  The dress has a heavily embroidered, attached apron and lace trimmed collars.  The skirt is lined with a lace trimmed petticoat, and she also has lace-edged pantalets.  Underneath her pantalets she wears sage green tights, and her ivory, patent leather, mary-jane shoes close with a real buckle and strap.

She also wears a flower-trimmed straw hat:

I love her hair!

It is parted down the center and pulled into two pigtails on each side of her head.  Each pigtail is then divided into six, little, looped braids and trimmed with a ribbon.  So cute.

What a precious hairstyle.

Her dress closes in back with snaps.

Remember "Party Pink Patsy" from my previous post?  Here she is, welcoming Jill to the family!

They both have brown eyes.  I think I shall have to find one more Patsy with blue eyes in order to round out this collection.  Sounds logical, right?

I wish I would have know about these dolls when they first came out back in 2003.  I probably would have bought more!

I highly recommend these little cuties by Tonner.  Everything about them is high quality, and they have such a nice "feel" in your hands. 

Effanbee Tonner 14" Party Pink PATSY Doll

My youngest is seven, and I am determined to make a life-long doll lover out of her!  (My oldest daughter lost interest in dolls once she became a teenager, and my middle daughter only ever liked stuffed animals.)  I use every major holiday as an excuse to add another cutie to her collection, in the hopes of holding her interest.  So far, so good.  This picture was taken on Easter, just after she had found her basket:

Do you see the darling little doll amidst the other goodies?

A closer shot

She really is just the cutest little thing ever!  This is an Effanbee Patsy doll, designed by Robert Tonner back in 2003.  I think her "official" name was Party Pink Patsy.

She is modeled after the composition Patsy dolls from the 1930's.

This little Patsy is made completely of strung vinyl.  Her right arm is bent and her left arm is straight, just like the original Patsys.

When I found her at a local doll show the day before Easter, I just knew she'd be the perfect addition to my daughter's Easter basket.   I have always been partial to pale blondes dressed in pink, and this sweetie is no exception.  There is just too much cuteness to resist!

Here she is, posing with an American Girl Angelina Ballerina Pram which I recently acquired through Ebay.  The baby in the pram is a Zapf Mini Baby Born doll.

I am very impressed with the quality of the pram.  The undercarriage and side handles are metal, the plastic is thick and sturdy, and the fabric hood actually opens and closes.  Originally, this pram came with a white satin pillow and blanket.  Since mine no longer had that, I substituted a pink satin, lace trimmed pillow I had lying around.  The Zapf baby is about 4" tall and fits well in the pram.  American Girl has made some wonderful accessories in the past, and this is one of them.  You can still find them readily available on Ebay in the $20-30 range.

This is such a great prop for dolls.

In case you don't know the story behind the Patsy doll, here's a brief history:  The Effanbee doll company first introduced the all composition Patsy doll back in 1928.  She was based on the very popular Armand Marseille "Just Me" bisque doll which had first been very popular in Europe.  The Vogue doll company decided to import these dolls and dress them to sell in the United States.

Here is an actual, antique "Just Me" doll with bisque head and composition body.  Can you see how similar her face is to my vinyl Patsy?

And here is a composition Patsy from the 1930's which Robert Tonner modeled his vinyl versions after.  They all have a cute, little rosebud mouth.

Isn't she just so sweet?

These dolls are no longer being made, but you can find them on Ebay or other online doll sites.  Their prices are all over the board, just depending on the seller.  I was able to purchase mine for just $35 at the doll show.  If you ever find one for a good price, don't hesitate to snap it up.  They are just too adorable, and you will smile every time you look at that sweet little face!

8" Tonner Alice in Wonderland Doll

A few weeks ago, I attended a doll luncheon whose theme was "Falling Down the Rabbit Hole".   Imagine...a get-together with other doll lovers, centered entirely on Alice in Wonderland!  You didn't have to ask me twice if I wanted to attend, especially when I found out that the  souvenir all the attendees would receive was an 8" doll by Robert Tonner.  I love Tonner dolls, and I was sure I'd love this little Alice as well.  She did not disappoint:

8" of perfection from the top of her blond head to the soles of her cute, little Maryjane shoes.

I also found this adorable little hutch at Goodwill shortly after the luncheon...I thought it might be the perfect scale to use as a prop with little Alice.  It's plastic, but ornately modeled, so it really appealed to me.  The bottom doors are actually a drawer that pulls out, so one could store items down there if needed.  I just thought it would be a cute place to display the china Alice tea set (bottom shelf) that I picked up at Tuesday Morning a few months ago.

It's only three pieces--a plate, a cup & saucer (which are molded together),and a teapot with non-removable lid.  For some reason, I was having trouble getting my camera to keep all three items in focus, so this picture focuses on the plate...

...while this one focuses on the teapot:

Tuesday Morning used to get lots of great deals on dolls and collectible china sets like this one, but lately I don't find as much good stuff there anymore.

I think Alice looks right at home in front of this hutch.

This Alice has lovely, blue painted eyes and a silky, thick wig.   Her arms can lift out at the sides as well as up and down.  Another nice feature about this little cutie is that she has jointed knees!

"Oh, no!  Dinah, you are not to be up there!" 

(I think Alice's cat Dinah is usually portrayed as a dark colored kitten, but this little, china, Siamese cat was the only one I had available)

I love miniatures.  I bought this little kitty with my own money when I was a child.  My father built me a dollhouse, and I spent countless hours playing with it.  This little kitty was one of the "pets" in my dollhouse.

"No, Dinah, you mustn't!"

"You come down from there right now!"

Alice needed to drag over a chair in order to reach her naughty kitty!

Finally!  Safe in her lap at last.  Here you can see the way Alice's little knees can bend when she's sitting.

The week following the Alice luncheon, my doll club had our monthly meeting at a local tea house.  We all donned hats (provided by the restaurant!) and used our best manners (just kidding...I think we were all having too much fun for our own good!)  Here I am with my youngest, who got to come along on this excursion.

She brought along one of her favorite baby dolls, a vintage Corolle doll.

And I brought along Alice, who started to get into quite a bit of mischief, what with perching on things like teapots and the like.

She thought the sugar cubes looked tasty, and besides, one never knows if they might come in handy at a later date if she nibbled at one and it caused her to grow taller...

This little Alice is simply adorable.  I love her petite size, her serene expression, her bendable knees, and her detailed outfit.  She makes a delightful addition to my Alice collection.