MUFFIE & LORI ANN
by Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls of California, 1953 - 1960

There is really no mistaking a Muffie. Her full lips and sweet face are unique.

Photo: my collection
2 1955-or-later Straight leg, molded lash walkers (left & middle)
and a pre-1955 strung painted lash Muffie (right)

Photo: my collection
1956 Bendable-knee Muffie with vinyl head and rooted hair

But there are other clues to her identity:

Arms are attached with a "loop" arm hook and her fingers are individual and separate
Photo: my collection
Many Muffies are marked on their backs. But don't depend on this - many are not marked!
Photo: my collection
Muffie's head seams go behind the ear, so the ear is one piece and undivided
Pre-1955 Muffies are strung, with straight legs & painted eyelashes
After 1955 Muffies were head-turning walkers (straight or bendable lags) and had molded lashes:
Vinyl head with rooted hair was introduced in 1956, but hard plastic head with replaceable wig remained standard.

The dolls on this page are not all wearing their original clothes. This offended at least one viewer who specializes in high-end collectibles. However, plenty of people also love - or can only afford - the less well-preserved played-with dolls.

Muffie was my first - and always favorite - 8-inch doll. Aunt Jane got her for me in Cleveland, Ohio, when I was five or six.

Years later, while visiting my parents, I found a box of the wonderful clothes Aunt Jane had sewed for my old Muffie. The doll herself had long since gone the way of all overly-loved, overly-played with old toys, but the clothes were still in great condition. I thought it would be fun to get a Muffie to go with the clothes. I quickly discovered that Muffie was out-of-reach price-wise, so I started looking for alternatives. And that's how I discovered Pam, Lucy, Joanie, Janie, Ginger, and all the others.

And so Muffie - via her high price tag - is the cause for this entire website venture!

Who's Lori Ann?

I'm not sure. Hard plastic Lori Ann looks very much like Muffie. Most Lori Ann's I've seen are vinyl headed, but Muffie may also have had a vinyl head. I've read some explanations as to how to tell the difference between them, but none are really conclusive or convincing.

Photo: Ebay listing
In 1987 an attempt to revive Muffie was made with this vinyl doll. Sorry, this is NOT the original face, despite the ad's claims!

Was Muffie ever African-American?

Photo: Ebay listing

Gleaned from an EBay auction listing, this is a 1950's Nancy Ann Story Book Doll Muffie with reddish brown skin and black hair. Her back is marked "Story Book Dolls California Muffie". The doll brought a fairly high price - into the three-figures, despite being in obvious played-with condition...But was she manufactured as an African-American? The seller described her thus:

"Her brown coloring reminds one of the results we used to get from the old instant tanning cream. The coloring looks darker in the manufacturing flaws that you would normally not even notice. Her lower face is darker than the upper portion and her eyelids are "flesh*"

(*i.e. pinky-cream-colored "flesh" color of persons of Northern European descent).

So, while it is possible that the erratic coloring, including the light eyelids, are the result of aging, it is more likely that someone painted her after purchase. So far, I have never seen a bona fide Black Muffie. If one exists, I'd love to hear about it - and see it!

Other Nancy Ann dolls include:

4 1/2 ", and 6 1/2" Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls (in composition, bisque, and hard plastic)
Miss Nancy Ann (small teen fashion doll)
10-inch Debbie (hard vinyl head, rooted hair, hard plastic body)
Nancy Ann Style Show (19 inch teen fashion doll)

Here's a source for more Muffie information:

I am a co-author and the only distributor of the reference book called "The Muffie Puzzle". It has been on the market about 6 years and is most often used on ebay as the reference book to identify Muffie, her clothes, accessories and boxes. There are over 200 photos of originally dressed dolls plus a myriad of other information which includes all factory information that is known to exist. If you would like more information - let me know. The book is $ 50.00 and you will not be disappointed if you want to learn about Muffie. - Lillian Roth





Animal	Breed	Zip Code

MUFFIE & LORI ANNby Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls of California, 1953 - 1960

But there are other clues to her identity:

Who's Lori Ann?

Was Muffie ever African-American?

Other Nancy Ann dolls include:

MUFFIE & LORI ANN
by Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls of California, 1953 - 1960