Fern from "When I Read, I Dream" series

The doll, Fern, from Charlotte's Web.
See Heidi from the same series.

       I recently acquired Fern from the "When I Read, I Dream" series by Mattel from the second-hand market place.

The back side of the box this doll comes in reads:
       "When I Read, I Dream" collector dolls celebrate the friends we make between the pages of best-loved books. Meet one of the first in our series, Fern Arable, the spunky little girl who befriends a "TERRIFIC" pig in Charlottes Web.
       Fern has a lively imagination and loves to sit on a stool in Uncle Homer's barn, listening to Wilbur the pig. Charlotte the spider and all the other animals share stories. When Wilbur's life is threatened, Fern hears the animals plot to save him!
       Fern is presented here in denim dress overalls and red boots, perfect for listening to barnyard stories or chasing brother Avery through the pasture. And, of course, she wouldn't go anywhere without her friend Wilbur!"

 

       This adorable, seven inch, red head doll is dressed for adventure and well, a few chores on her Uncle's farm.
       Fern has a rooted, silky wig and painted blue eyes. Her costume comes with tiny details like overall buckles and classic blue jeans stitching in a contrasting colors. Her blouse a country styled red and white check with turned down collar.
       She also has her very own tiny plush piglet, Wilbur,  to play with!

 

Left, Wilbur. Center, Fern. and Right, Charlotte in her web.

First edition cover by Williams.

       Charlotte's Web is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams; it was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. The novel tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur such as "Some Pig" and "Humble" in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live.

       Written in White's dry, low-key manner, Charlotte's Web is considered a classic of children's literature, enjoyed by adults as well as children. The description of the experience of swinging on a rope swing at the farm is an often-cited example of rhythm in writing, as the pace of the sentences reflects the motion of the swing. In 2000, Publishers Weekly listed the book as the best-selling children's paperback of all time.

More About Charlotte's Web:

• The animated feature, "Charlotte's Web" from 1973
• Judy Newman at Scholastic about Charlotte's Web

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Mini Lalaloopsy Dolls for Your Dolls!

Lalaloopsy dolls from 2010, from left to right: Pillow Featherbed, Spot
Splatter Splash, Jewel Sparkles, Crumbs Sugar Cookie, Dot Starlight,
Mittens Fluff 'N' Stuff, Bea Spells-A-Lot, Peanut Big Top

        Lalaloopsy is a line of plastic rag dolls from MGA Entertainment. Originally released in 2010 as Bitty Buttons, the brand name was changed to Lalaloopsy shortly after launch. They began to grow in popularity during the holiday season in 2010. A variety of Lalaloopsy dolls have been released, as well as several Lalaloopsy themed video games. In November 2012 and February 2013, Lalaloopsy TV specials and TV series began airing on Nick Jr. and Netflix. Read history...  

Marina Anchor's Beach Day

        Mini Lalaloopsy make perfect little companions for our 18" dolls to collect, play with and decorate the bedrooms in our big doll's house. These come with their very own small houses and miniature toys as well.
       Marina Anchors loves her home and keeps it neat and tidy all the time! She has blue hair and wears a blue and white sailor's costume while she plays at the beach. She comes with a beach ball, a sand pail, a sand shovel and a toy whale. Her beach shanty/lighthouse is not only the package she comes in, but is also a sweet little home you can take with her to set up and play with.

More About Lalaloopsy:

• The Lalaloopsy have their own website 
• Lalaloopsy Girls Review and Collection by BananasMom 
• Lalaloopsy Mini Dolls Fruits Collection by Mini Toy Love
• Mini Lalaloopsy Doll commercial by Toys"R"Us

Left, the front of Marina's beach home. It includes a moving door and lighthouse tower.
Center, is Marina doll, plus her beach toys. Right, is the interior of her beach home.

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Collectible Paper Dolls on Cereal Boxes

Kellogg's Krumbles paper dolls from the back of a cereal box.
A boy and a girl wear traditional folk costume from Portugal.

        In 1876, John Harvey Kellogg became the superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium (originally the Western Health Reform Institute founded by Ellen White) and his brother, W. K. Kellogg, worked as the bookkeeper. This is where corn flakes were accidentally created and led to the eventual formation of the Kellogg Company.
       Now Kellogg's products are manufactured and marketed in over 180 countries. Kellogg's largest factory is at Trafford Park in Trafford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, which is also the location of its UK headquarters. Other corporate office locations outside of Battle Creek include Chicago, Dublin (European Headquarters), Shanghai, and Querétaro City. Kellogg's holds a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales.
       On this post are vintage versions of paper dolls printed on the back sides of Kellogg's Cereal boxes for kids. I have restored these so that students can see what these advertisements looked like when they were originally printed.

• Putting Children First - Kellogg Foundation
• We'er a Plant-Based Company

Kellogg's Krumbles paper dolls from the back of a cereal box.
A boy and a girl wear traditional folk costume from Mexico.

Vintage Kellogg's Cereal Commercial

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Vintage Advertising Paper Dolls by Nestle

Nestlé like many food and soap companies, used paper dolls to advertise their company products to consumers. I have restored three examples of this company's vintage advertising dolls here for our readers to examine.

Henri Nestlé Founder.

       Nestlé was formed in 1905 by the merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1866 by brothers George and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1867 by Henri Nestlé. The company grew significantly during the First World War and again following the Second World War, expanding its offerings beyond its early condensed milk and infant formula products. The company has made a number of corporate acquisitions, including Crosse & Blackwell in 1950, Findus in 1963, Libby's in 1971, Rowntree Mackintosh in 1988, Klim in 1998, and Gerber in 2007. 

• Official website 
• Documents and clippings about Nestlé in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW

 

This vintage Nestle paper doll comes with three full outfits and undergarments.

 

This Nestle paper doll comes with four costumes plus hats.

This Nestle paper doll comes with a cape, two dresses and four hats.

Heidi from "When I Read, I Dream" series

Heidi doll inspired by Johanna Spyri's
 novel "Heidi."

 "When I Read, I Dream" doll series has four characters thus far include: 

• Jo from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Anne from Anne of Green Gables by Maud Montgomery
• Heidi from Heidi by Johanna Spyri
• and Fern from Charlotte's Web written by E. B. White

       The back side of the box this doll comes in reads:

"Heidi loves her mountainside home with its whispering fir trees and views of snow fields and peaks reaching to the sky. And she loves the Alps most in springtime, when she climbs up to the pasture with Peter the goatherd to pick bluebells and primroses in the warm sun.

      Heidi's traditional Swiss-style outfit features a brightly printed dress, vest and apron. She looks ready to wave goodbye to her grandfather, then race up the mountain with Schwanli the goat to join Peter and the rest of the herd!"

       This seven inch doll has realistic features: brown eyes, freckles, blond braids and pale natural colored lips. 

       She wears a pair of sturdy looking brown boots suited for the Swiss mountain countryside! Her rooted wig is pulled by with a traditional white kerchief. 

       This version of Heidi wears a cotton printed peasant dress with ruffles around the skirt and sleeves. 

       She is ready to accompany any little girl into her world of imagination!

Heidi's black velvet vest features scrollwork and flowers. Right, her fresh starched
apron is also trimmed with tiny flowers and gold embroidery lace. 

Left, Heidi's box features her grandfather's quaint, mountain cabin. Right, the back of the box.

More Dolls from "When I Read, I Dream":

• Anne of Green Gables
• Jo doll from When I Read, I Dream series
• Read "Heidi" for free

We have color paper dolls of Heidi and Peter here!

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Enchantimals Dolls

Left, Enchantimals in the box. Right, Enchantimals out of the box.

       Enchantimals are a toy line and tie-in media franchise launched in 2017 by American toy company Mattel. The line consists of human-animal hybrids and their woodland creature pets who live in Everwilde. It was released as a companion and spin-off line to Monster High and Ever After High. The by-products from Mattel's media strategy with Enchantimals include a web series, four chapter books so far, and a television special. Development began in late 2015 after new Ever After High dolls stopped production. It was announced on October 12, 2016 and toys were first released in June 2017. 

Bree Bunny dressed in pink.

       3 Enchantimal dolls shown here are:

• Bree Bunny - is a little inventer. She as pink skin, a rooted hot pink wig, bunny ears and rabbit-like face paint. She has 5 points of articulation and is 6" tall.  Her creature pet is Twist. She wears a green, plastic ivy crown and also a molded body suit with a removable hot pink skirt. She also wears tiny high-heel shoes. Bree has blue eyes and brown eyebrows.
• Lorna Lamb - Her creature pet is Flag. She also has a molded body suit and a gathered, removable purple skirt. Her skin is white, her eyes are brown, and she has very little face paint, just a tiny black nose. She also has large pink lamb-like ears and a tight curly, white wig. She wears fuchsia heals and a hot pink crown of feathers made from molded plastic. Lorna has five points of articulation and stands 6 inches tall.
  
• Preena Penguin - runs an ice cream shop. Her creature pet is Jayla. She wears a gathered, removable blue skirt and heals. Her hair is black, rooted and worn up on top of her head with a plastic, yellow scarf. The wig is shaped into a widow's peak about the forehead. Her skin is very white and she has blue eyes plus very distinctive, yellow eye-shadow. Her molded clothing is similar to that of her companions.

Lorna Lamb has a molded yellow bodice with lace trim.

Preena Penguin is a polar Enchantimal from Frozenwood.

The backsides of the boxes for Enchantimals.

       There are approximately 159 characters in this series, four chapter books and television specials. You can read the listing of these characters at Wikipedia. The three fantasy dolls in our family's collection are: Bree Bunny, Lorna Lamb and Preena Penguin. 

• Visit the Enchantimals doll website to play games here.

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Kuu Kuu Harajuku Dolls

A doll called "Love" from Kuu Kuu Harajuku doll series by Mattel. Above, New In Box.

       "Love" is a character doll played by Daisy Masterman in a child's television series broadcast originally in Australia. She is one of five dolls, the others not pictured here are: "G" (short for Gwen), Baby, Music, and Angel. The dolls are sold separately and this one comes with a charm bracelet made of plastic. 

• Love herself is made with vinyl. 
• Her hair is jet black with hot pink highlights. 
• She wears her hair up in a modern, knotted Japanese hair style. 
• There are also plastic hairbands and a barrette attached to her head of colorful hair. 
• Her eyes are painted on brilliant blue with many lashes. 
• Points of Articulation: 11
  
• Height: 10 1/2"
  
• Costume: A futuristic looking girl's school uniform in red, black, white and grey. The skirt is plaid. There is a printed tie and an attached white collar. Her leg warmers and tall white boots are molded from a softer plastic.
• Her interests are: animal activism, science, loving others
• She has a positive, upbeat personality
• Love is one of six characters in her series: Rudie, Music, Gwen, Love, Angel and Baby

Kuu, Kuu Harajuku Dolls have eleven points of articulation and are ten inches tall.

"Love is the sweet, optimistic, and positive center of the series. She love loves everything and always tries to look on the bright side! she's also quite the inventor!"

       Daisy Masterman is an Australian actress. Masterman graduated from Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne in 2008. During her time in high school she was involved in school plays and took drama lessons as a hobby, but it was only after she left that she decided to start pursuing acting further. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Performing Arts from the University of Ballarat Arts Academy. She has appeared in many commercials for brands such as Tetley and Cadbury. Along with acting Daisy loves figure skating and has appeared on The Today Show and The David and Kim Show as an exhibitionist skater. She also is a big animal lover and animal rights activist.

Love wears high top boots with white laces and knee pads all are molded plastic.

Like all Kuu Kuu Harajuku dolls, Love's hair is rooted and her facial features are painted.

Love wears a girl's private school uniform, with school colors: red, grey, white and black.

        Kuu Kuu Harajuku is a Japanese-influenced animated children's television series created by singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani. It is based on her Harajuku Lovers merchandise brand, and the show doubles as a brand itself, with a line of tie-in products by Mattel. The show follows a teenage girl group called HJ5 and their manager Rudie as they live in a fantasy version of Tokyo called Harajuku City. HJ5 is a quintet: the four Harajuku Girls (Love, Angel, Music and Baby) with their leader G. Episodes follow the band members and Rudie overcoming obstacles preventing them from performing. Read more...

• Kuu Kuu Harajuku website full of videos, fun and games
• Kuu Kuu Harajuku Youtube Channel 

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