Tiny Terri Lee Dolls & Ginger Dolls

Terri Lee Sales Corp. started in 1946 in Lincoln, Nebraska, then moved to Apple Valley, California from 1952 until 1962 when they went out of business.  In the mid-1950s, a Tiny Terri Lee, a 10-inch walking doll, was produced. 

 

This is a 10" Tiny Terri doll produced between 1955 and 1958.  She is made of hard plastic and is a walker doll with a blond wig and brown sleep eyes.  On the back, she is marked with a circled 'c.' She wears a Terri Lee tagged pink dress with lace trim and embroidered flowers, white underwear with tulle overlay and pink flower (part of original Terri Lee tag inside - looks like it was cut off), and white shoes marked Cinderella size 01.  She wears a flower bracelet on her left hand.

This is a 10" Tiny Terri doll produced between 1955 and 1958. She is made of hard plastic and is a walker doll with a curly strawberry blond wig and brown sleep eyes. On the back, she is marked with a circled 'c.' She wears a blue and white dress with blue and red hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades and white underwear, white shoes marked Fairyland Toy Prod, Made in USA.  She has a straw hat with blue ribbon and accents.

 

This is a 10" Tiny Terri doll produced between 1955 and 1958. She is made of hard plastic and is a walker doll with a light brown wig in braids and brown sleep eyes. On the back, she is marked with a circled 'c.' She is wearing a tagged Terri Lee white, pink and grey checks and dots dress, tagged Terri Lee white underwear with light blue dots, light blue tulle accent, white socks and white shoes marked Made in USA 10.

 

This is a 10" Tiny Terri doll produced between 1955 and 1958. She is made of hard plastic and is a walker doll with a dark brown wig that is partially in a net and brown sleep eyes. On the back, she is marked with a circled 'c.' She is wearing a masquerade costume with white top and black and white tulle skirt with white underwear, white hat with black tulle edging, silver shoes, and black felt mask.

 

The following dolls were made by Cosmopolitan Doll & Toy Corp. of Jackson Heights, New York from the 1950s on.   

This 7 1/2" Ginger doll is made of hard plastic and was made from 1955 on.  She has a dark brown wig that is nicely set and wears a blue, red, green, and white plaid dress with lace trim and matching plaid underwear, red overcoat with hood; white socks and red boot shoes.  She has rust glasses.

 

This 1956 7 1/2" New Ginger doll has a body made of hard plastic and a soft vinyl head with GINGER marked on the back of the head.  She has rooted blond hair and blue sleep eyes.  She wears a pink sweater with blue letter G, a tagged ʺFashions for ʺGingerʺ Cosmopolitan Doll & Toy Corp, Jackson Heights, NY, with R trademarkʺ blue skirt with pink edging, pink underwear, pink socks, rollerskates, and a pink cap.

 

Cameo Dolls by J.L. Kallus

Here are a couple of dolls designed and copyrighted by Joseph L. Kallus, founder of the Cameo Doll Company in 1922.  It was originally based in New York, New York and later moved to Port Allegheny, PA where it existed until 1970.  J.L. took the line drawings of Rose O'Neill's Kewpies and transformed them into three-dimensional form.  

This is a 15" Joy doll.  It is has a composition head and torso and wood segmented arms and legs.  She has the side glancing blue painted eyes and Kewpie features.  She is wearing a pink dress with tulle accents and bow in her hair.  She also wears cream colored socks which are attached to her pink wood shoes/feet.  The Joy mark in the picture above is on her chest. 

 

 

This is a 9" Pete the Pup doll.  It has a composition head and wood body.  The Pete mark in the picture above is on his back. 

Ideal Toni Dolls

My first stab at organizing and inventorying this collection was finding a few that had marks at the base of their heads and mid-backs.  Most of the following dolls are marked P-90 IDEAL DOLL MADE IN U.S.A. on the head and IDEAL DOLL P-90 on the back unless described differently.

Ideal was in business from 1906 through the 1980s based in Brooklyn, New York.  Dolls were made of composition in the early years and later were made of rubber, hard plastic, vinyl and cloth.  They were affordable and of good quality and widely known by children in their time. 

According to Vintage Doll Collector.com, Toni was one of the best selling dolls of the 1940s and 1950s; and it was an advertising tie-in with Gillette home permanent company.  The Toni doll had a nylon wig that could be styled and set with the Play Wave kit that included a sugar water solution, shampoo, curlers, end papers and a comb. 

These are my best guesses at what the dolls are made of; I'm sure as time goes on, I will need to revise as I learn more.

This Toni P-90 (14") is made of hard plastic, has a blond nylon wig, blue sleep eyes, a Genuine Toni Doll tagged blue and white dress and blue and white crocheted or knit cap, underwear, socks and black shoes marked Ideal Toy Corp, Made in U.S.A. 

This ca. 1954-1956 Toni walker P-90 W (14") is made of hard plastic, has a strawberry blond nylon wig, green eyes, a blue dress with white sheer overlay with red polka dots and blue ribbon and rick-rack and lace accents.  There are fabric flowers tucked into the ribbon.  She also has underwear, white socks and shoes.  The marking on the base of the head is P-90 W IDEAL DOLL.  On the back, the mark is IDEAL DOLL 90 W.

 

Toni walkers have a pin through the hips and a mechanism that makes one lego forward and other back and the head turns from side to side as the legs move.

This Toni P-90 (14") doll is made of hard plastic, has a blond nylon wig, blue sleep eyes with a blue and white checked dress and white dress overlay and cream shoes with ribbon ties.

This Toni P-90 (14") doll is made of hard plastic, has a strawberry blond nylon wig, blue sleep eyes with a sheer blue long dress with a blue and white striped wrap over the top portion with a butterfly and ribbon ties.  She has underwear, a long white slip, sheer blue socks and white paper? shoes.  She has pink flower barrettes with blue stones in them.

This 13" unmarked doll that had a note attached that said "1940's - Unmarked - All Composition - Toni."  The wig is strawberry blond possibly human hair with blue sleep eyes.  She wears a blue and white dress with lace and purple accents with purple flowers, underwear, white socks and black velvet shoes.

 

This Toni P-90 (14") doll is made of hard plastic, has a black nylon shorter style hair wig and green sleep eyes.  She wears a long white dress with dots studding it with matching long slip and underwear.  There are lace and yellow ribbon accents and a yellow flower decoration on the dress.  She has white socks and black shoes marked IDEAL TOY CORP 14.  She has a light blue bow in her hair and hair net.

This Toni P-90 (14") doll is made of hard plastic, has a blond nylon wig and blue sleep eyes.  She wears a beautiful wedding dress with lace flower bouquet on her right arm.  Matching veil, long slip, and lace long pants and underwear.  Wears knee high nylons and matching shoes with lace ties.

This Ideal P-19 (19") doll is made of hard plastic? Head not attached to body.  The wig is blond with nicely set hair and has blue sleep eyes.  The markings are partially obscured by the glue of the wig.  On the back of the head it says P __, IDEAL ____, MADE IN U.S.A.  The mark on the back is IDEAL DOLL P-19.  She wears a blue, green and red plaid dress with a green felt coat with matching hat with fur embellishment.  Has a fur muff accessory.  Also wears underwear, white socks and black shoes marked FAIRYLAND TOY PROD., NO. 3, MADE IN USA.