First Date paper dolls

 

Love those socks. I'd guess another Merrill, c. 1940s. Lee, Eddie, Bob and Steve, written in pencil on the back.

UPDATE: Thanks to Tattered and Lost and Kathleen Taylor for the ID! Merrill, 1944.

Mystery boys

Beautiful artwork, no names. Loafers with no socks is still a signature style of the leisure class. The tank T and skinny belt evoke the 1930s.

Eclectible on eBay

Sheryl Jaeger is eclectible on eBay, and hast posted for sale the first paper dolls produced by Raphael Tuck, "The Heavenly Twins."

Sheryl is also selling these two embellished paper dolls--chromo scraps that were decorated lavishly. 

 

Another item that caught my eye: this tintype, which I lightened for a better view; the listing is quite dark.

The Coke Crowd 3

This was the centerfold of Merrill's 1946 paper doll book, The Coke Crowd. Love the slangy, casual feel of "Starlight Stuff," a hint of the teenage vernacular more than 60 years ago.

The Coke Crowd, continued

 

The Coke Crowd 2

 

 

Part of the fun of doing this blog is looking more closely at things -- how often do we collect and then store away, forgetting we have something special that merits a longer look? This fragile set was difficult to handle, but worth doing. Love the pedal pushers, saddle shoes and the adorable little bags. Yesterday's post showed shoulder bags, which became popular for women during WW2. My mom remembered saving from her paycheck to buy one. The records shown here are 78s, of course. I have another page in this set, which I'll post tomorrow.

Judy Johnson has a restored reprint for sale here.

The Coke Crowd, 1946

 

 

Product placement in a paper doll set! Did Coke pay for this? Hmmmm.
A few of the dolls aren't in great shape as you can see, but most pages of clothing are intact. A fun, nostalgic layout. 1946 Merrill. The pages are rather brittle.