Duchess Novelty Dolls

My sample selection of Duchess plastic dolls in slips. Someday I will get around to dressing them,
 I suppose.

Front and back head shots of two Duchess dolls; one brunette and the other one blond. The hair
on these dolls is not a wig but a soft mohair swatch that was attached with glue. As this mohair
ages or comes in contact with regular play it will break down at the top of the head. You can
remove it gently with a toothpick and soak in Woolite and cool tap water to wash it before
reattaching it to the head. Craft stores still sell wavy mohair shanks and you can replace
old mohair with similar curls if you prefer.

       My small 8" Duchess dolls have blinking eyes and movable arms only. The arms and heads being attached with rubber bands and the legs and torso are one solid piece of plastic. Plastic novelty dolls like these were sold through hobby shops for homemade dressing/knitting projects. The factory dressed versions were often displayed in drug stores or department stores as novelty dolls during holidays or as birthday gifts. 

       I've included pages from a merchants catalogue, 1954, below to show you "how" the dressed versions of these inexpensive dolls were suggested to retailers for display purposes. Duchess doll corporation also made larger sized dolls as well. The dolls were not intended for play but as boudoir dolls with extra attention given to costume and detailed trims.

       Duchess dolls that were dressed in factories were sold in series in order to promote the collecting of them. The costume series were often related to: ethnic folk dress, costume for 12 month of the year, holiday themes etc... You might say these dolls were considered the older prototypes of play fashion dolls or tiny stuffed animals in respect to the "way" merchants chose to promote them. The artificial market values attached to these mass produced dolls eventually collapsed while people tossed them out for dolls of greater quality and limited editions. 

More About Mohair Wigs on Vintage Dolls:

• Tutorial: How to restore a mohair doll's wig by Atelier Mandaline
  
• How to make a mohair doll wig by Linda Wall

Available picture frame Duchess Dolls to hang on the wall or display on
the counter of a merchantile, doll shop or pharmacy.

 

       "Here is your best buy in the doll field! And it's a Duchess Exclusive! Duchess Doll Corp. has long been a leader in the miniature Doll field in bringing to the trade original and fast-selling merchandise. Here is another new and revolutionary development by Duchess and exclusive with Duchess. 

       This new Duchess De Luxe Series brings you the same incomparable Duchess Doll packaged in a real picture frame box. The picture frame enables you to hand the Duches Doll on the wall and also to stand it on a display counter by means of the built-in easel; while the square acetate box displays the Duchess Doll completely and at the same time protects the doll from dust"

Exquisitely costumed Duchess dolls modeled after famous opera divas!
Available at the 1954 toy fair in New York.

        "This new and exclusive line of "Dolls of Famous Operas" as created by Duchess are dressed in original and exquisite costumes designed from 12 famous operas. Each doll features moving eyes, moving arms and head and carries on her wrist a little booklet which tells an interesting condensed version of the story  of the opera she represents.

       Since opera has become a household word due to Radio and T.V. young and old have come to know and appreciate the Opera. These millions of opera lovers constitute a ready and willing market for these exquisite Duchess "Dolls of Famous Operas."

Duchess Coronation Dolls from a 1954 merchant catalogue.

        "Tie in your sales with the tremendous publicity and interest in the forthcoming Coronation of the new Queen of England. This Duchess Coronation Doll has moveable eyes, head and arms. She is dressed regally with a white-on-white satin dress, decorated with lace and gold trim. Her head is adorned with a crown of gold, and on her shoulders is a cape of red velveteen."

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