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Historical Overview
All the Dolls
Lesser-Known Dolls
Madame Alexander
Betsy McCall
Ginger
Ginny
Molded-On T-Strap Shoe Dolls
Mindy
Muffie
8-Inch Teen Dolls
Barbie
9 - Inch Child-Bodied Dolls
If You're Serious About Small Vintage Dolls, This book is a Must-Have:
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| | GINNY 1955-57: Molded Eyelashes, Bent-Knees, Lots of ClothesBy 1955, Ginny was a household word wherever there were children. Yes, boys had Ginny dolls, too! A doll is, after all, but a toy human!   Photos: Ebay In fact, this whole 8-inch genre of dolls speaks to a "Free To Be Me" attitude that is absent (or overshadowed by more blatant messages) in later dolls and "action figures". Barbie has tried, in recent years, to be a more positive role model, but she and her little sisters - with their impossibly thin and shapely bodies - still look much like sex objects. Both Jennie Graves and Madame Alexander were quite outspoken on the subject of children and gender-role stereotyping. They insisted that dolls were wholesome for both boys and girls, and that boys had innate fatherly instincts just as girls had maternal inclinations. Also, the 8-inch dolls of the 1950's (of which Mrs. Graves and Mme Alexander were leaders) did not restrict doll play to "mommy" behavior. These dolls were designed to be friends, peers, alter-egos, available for any type of play, limited only by the child's imagination. |
Beginning in 1955, Ginny dolls were marked with a patent number on their backs. Photo: Ebay
The big innovation for 1955 was molded eyelashes. In 1956, the Ginny Doll Club was established, to encourage Ginny owners to correspond with one another, and planting the seeds of the Collector movement. Throughout this period, clothing and accessory lines flourished. "Sold Separately" clothing came in both luxury and budget lines.  In 1957, Ginny's big sister, Jill, was introduced, in response to growing interest in a high-heel teen fashion doll.
Jill had bendable knees, so why not Ginny? So in 1957, Ginny came with a bendable knee option, although the straight-leg walkers continued as well. Recognizing that many women out there in market land were skilled and budget-conscious seamstresses, Ginny also came in a "dress-me" model, with patterns available for sewing your own clothes. NEXT: LAST HURRAH FOR THE DECADE 
Photo: Ebay
1955 "Kindergarten" series | 
Photo: Ebay
"Merry Moppets" series 1955 Ginny | Photos: Ebay
1955 Ginny "Boy" face. Ginny "boys" were usually named "Jim" - although this one is Davey Crockett! |
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