Summer of 1967, Ponce, Puerto Rico, the porch of my great-aunt Olga's house. On my lap: a Betsy McCall doll, the one that had jointed arms and knees so she could be posed different ways. I remember I had her on my lap on the plane, too. I flew alone; my older sisters had arrived earlier that summer. I remember that clownish romper very well--I loved it! You can see from my legs the mosquitoes loved me, too. My thick curly hair was unruly in the humid climate, so short was best. I was almost 12, not quite ready to give up dolls and paper dolls. In addition to store-bought sets, I drew a few of my own, with big heads and little bodies, and wardrobes of mini-skirts and double-breasted coats. Wish I had saved those hand-mades!
Betsy McCall was created in 1951 as a paper doll in McCall's magazine. The doll was produced the following year by Ideal in a large size and later American Character, an 8 inch version, which is the one I had. Since the 1990s, the Robert Tonner has produced a charming version in different sizes. You can read more here.
To see how Betsy McCall evolved as a paper doll, check out Teri Pettit's excellent web site. Teri has quality scans of many rare and hard to find paper dolls, and she's made it easy to save to your computer and print out. Thank you, Teri!
Here's one sheet from Teri's site; click to enlarge:
The Betsy McCall series is a favorite with collectors, for the paper doll and the little stories that go along with it. I've sought out sheets that feature some of my favorite New York City places: the Guggenheim Museum, the Young People's Concerts at Lincoln Center, and Central Park. I also enjoy finding sheets that feature shows I loved as a child, such as Pollyanna (shown here) and Romper Room.
Click the sweet logo below to see a dozen dolls or more...
I've still got my Betsy McCall doll with the jointed legs and arms. There's something so sweetly delicate about her. And she looks like Theresa Brewer, at least I always thought so.
ReplyDeleteI did love collecting the paper dolls each month. Sadly I don't have any of them. I guess they served their purpose.
Great shot of you!
I'm hoping that someone will give us a post about the history of dolls. I've a lot to learn and no one to teach me. I'll have to remember Betsy McCall now too.
ReplyDeleteI never had Betsy McCall, but I loved the paper dolls. I enjoyed cutting them out almost as much as playing with them.
ReplyDeleteWhat an adorable picture! I used to cut the Betsy McCall paper dolls out of the magazines when I was little. Since I am one to NEVER throw away anything, my Mom must have pitched them out a some point. I wish I still had them. And I LOVE Terri's paper doll site. I can spend hours there!
ReplyDeleteLinda
I played with paper dolls some when I was young, but never was crazy about them, wish now I'd saved all of them instead. I haven't had much interest in them in recent years either until now - I wrote about a couple in my post this week that I own and wish I knew more about. Thanks for the insight on the Betsy McCall dolls.
ReplyDeleteWow! I remember the Betsy McCall paper dolls! What a blast from the past (to poach a cliché.) I used to collect them when I visited my grandmother (she saved the magazines for me.) Thanks for the memory!
ReplyDeleteI love that paperdoll site! It's a trip down memory lane to see all of my favorite betsy mccall outfits. My grandmother got the magazine and I would get them from her whenever a new issue came out. They are long gone but my sister and I really enjoyed them at the time. Betsy went through several big changes, the last one looked so different from the early one that was the same week after week and month after month.
ReplyDeleteI remember Betsy McCall paper dolls, but not the other dolls. I didn't realize that the style changed over the years.
ReplyDeleteI love this photo for its wonderful details, including the cute romper, that great chair, the flooring! (tile mosaic?), and your adorable curly hair.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, did you ever return to Puerto Rico? Thanks also for the link to the Betsy McCall dolls.
ReplyDeleteI remember Betsy McCall too. I am glad to meet someone else who still had dolls at age 12; I think looking at kids today how backward I must have been, but I didn't know it. Cute pose with the doll.
ReplyDeleteI still have my Betsey McCall doll. Loved her. I used to sew little clothes for her.
ReplyDeleteColleen
http://leavesnbranches.blogspot.com/
I never realised that paper dolls could be collectable. Like others here I too had a huge collection of paper dolls and clothes. Where are they now? Gone forever, sadly. If I was off school sick, it was one of the things I loved to play with (along with jigsaws) so I mostly remember sitting in bed with a big brown envelope stuffed full, when I recall my own collection. Thanks for the links; I’ve learned a lot.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm An ACTION MAN Myself.....but,yes,they are cute!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't really into dolls as a child, but I do remember the paper dolls. I always made a mess of cutting them out and the clothes wouldn't stay on. You have a lot of good memories of yours :-) Jo
ReplyDeleteI have returned to Puerto Rico three times since that first trip, and that's not nearly enough! But most of the family is stateside at this point. My last visit was in Dec. 2008, with my mom. We stayed at the Ponce Hilton, and visited my Aunt Olga, who has since died. Glad we saw her one last time.
ReplyDeleteThis is so neat! I love the photo of you on the porch, and the link to the paper doll site. I have some Mary Engelbriet paper dolls from her magazine, but I never really played with them when I was little.
ReplyDeleteHappy S.S.!
Kathy M.
Paper dolls were great fun but not so easy to cut out!
ReplyDeleteA fun post. Is there a website for little green army men?
ReplyDeleteLinda, That is such a cute picture.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar Betsy McCall doll which I got in 1957. It was one of my favorites growing up. By the time I was 13, I had stopped playing with her like a little girl and spent part of one summer sewing clothes for her. Some were a bit grown-up, but I had a great time with pieces of 1/4 yard brightly colored polished cotton.
Kwei-lin
A theme that leads to an old image that leads to lots of memories and incorporates some fascinating information. A perfect example of what Sepia Saturday is all about.
ReplyDeleteAwh!!
ReplyDeletegirls and their doll(s)!!
Lovely picture of you.
The faded colors are for once appealing. Gives it a special character.
:)~
HUGZ
Such a cute picture of you. Love your outfit. I loved paper dolls, too. My cousin and I spent many hours cutting them out and then making our own. I think it was what started me on a career in art.
ReplyDeleteBarbara