Is that for real...Joan Holloway paper dolls? How cool!

Oh, the paper doll in McCalls magazine was called Betsy McCall. I loved her and all her outfits.

I wish I still had my paper dolls...I played with them til they were shreds.

Oh well, I guess there's always Ebay.

Z,
Whenever you post a new thread, my memory is pushed farther back in time. I feel like a clone of Benjamin Button! (Keep your thoughts coming. They're great!)

My favorite paper dolls were Shirley Temple and Sonja Henie. Shirley Temple was a popular child star in the late 30s and 40s, very cute with a head full of ringlets. I was told that if I ate all the crusts from my toast, my hair would become as curly as Shirley's. Never happened.

Sonja Henie was a Norwegian Olympic gold medalist in figure skating, 1936, who later appeared in many Hollywood films in the 40s.

I adored both Shirley and Sonja and recall cutting out the paper outfits ever so carefully to avoid accidentally removing the tabs that held them on the doll.

Refrigerator magnets with changeable stick-on outfits are popular today. Currently I have Elvis magnets on my refrigerator. I can't change his costumes, however, but each magnet is dressed differently, among them Elvis in a tux, Elvis in a flowered shirt with a lei around his neck, and my favorite, Elvis in his black leather outfit. Don't have one of him in his white Las Vegas outfit. Just as well. I like the young Elvis.

In the 1940s there was a popular song, “Paper Doll.” I think the words went like this:
"'I'm gonna buy a paper doll that I can call my own,
A doll that other fellas cannot steal,
And then those flirty, flirty guys with their flirty, firty eyes,
Will have to pick on dollies that are real.
When I come home at night, she will be waiting,
She'll be the truest doll in all the world.
I'd rather have a paper doll to call my own, than a flickle-minded real live girl."

If I were a child today I would like to play with paper dolls of Malia and Sasha Obama wearing a variety of colorful J. Crew outfits!

Great idea, Remembering, for the paper dolls of the Obama girls. They are so adorable and sweet, they would make great paper dolls with the cute clothes they wear. I'm thinking those little girls will be the Shirley Temples of today, taking our minds off a little bit from our troubles, just like Shirley did during the Depression.

O.K., all together now, let's sing a verse or two of "Animal Crackers In My Soup":

Animal crackers in my soup,
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop.
Gosh, oh gee, but I have fun
Swallowing animals one by one.

In every bowl of soup I see
Lions and Tigers watching me.
I make 'em jump right through a hoop,
Those animal crackers in my soup.

When they're inside me where it's dark,
I walk around like Noah's Arc.
I stuff my tummy like a goop,
With animal crackers in my soup.

I just love you guys! Such interesting stories! Some of it is a bit before my time (born 1951) but I loved Shirley in the TV movies! I used to think she had all that curly mop top just naturally...not so! I read in her autobiography that her mother set her hair every night to get that look!

So, even Shirley had a "stage mother" although I think she was a sweet-natured stage mother, at least from Shirley's account of her.

I had an older cousin (about 12 years older) who had a Shirley Temple doll and it was so well made and beautiful. Wish I could find one in that condition today. Of course, it would be worth thousands and I'd be tempted to sell it.

Wish I had my old Barbies that I played with until they were practically lipstick-less and bald! I had one of those first ones (had to get on a waiting list) and she cost $3.50 (!!) but she was sooooo beautiful (black ponytailed) to me.

I think in good condition those are worth upwards of $5,000 now. Lord! Just think! If only we'd known then what we know now, we could have bought two each time (one for play and one for investment!) and saved one in the box and had our retirement fund all sewn up!

P.S. does anyone remember if the ponytailed Barbies with black hair (like my first one in above post) came out at the same time the ponytailed blonde ones did? I remember it that way at least...

Oh, and guys, I just saw a Janet Lennon (remember that little cutie from The Lennon Sisters on Lawrence Welk?---they were the only good reason to watch that show!) paperdoll book on Ebay.

The opening bid was $16.00!

This is off-topic, but did anyone catch one of our previously mentioned faves "All About Eve" last night?

I noticed how much Celeste Holm looks like Meryl Streep in it!

I just love that movie!

You really want to make a killing? How about a Joan Holloway inflatable doll?

Since I believe in equal opportunity, you should make a Don Draper inflatable doll while you're at it. I wonder where you'd place the inflation device?

As an added safety feature, you could take them with you the next time you fly out of La Guardia.

SCFan: I think there was a redhead Barbie, too, that was also in the trio along with the black haired one and the blonde one.

Kids didn't need much to keep them happy in those days: using your imagination was where it was at.

I loved paper dolls when I was a kid. My niece (2 years younger than me))and I would spend hours playing with them. You could buy a book of dolls with all their dresses, etc., for 10 cents at Kresge's (forerunner of the present day K-Mart). Every time one of my sisters took me downtown, we always stopped at Kresge's and got candy, paper dolls or a book. I usually got the paper dolls because my brothers would leave those alone, unlike the candy and books.

My mother got McCall's and I loved Betsy McCall as well. I was too old for Barbie dolls when they came out, but some of my younger nieces had the Barbie stuff. Those girls would play all weekend with their Barbies.

Oh yes, paper dolls! My sisters and I played with them constantly. To keep us occupied my Mama would ask the stores for old Butterrick and McCall catalogs. They were like a giant paper doll supply. In those days the figures were illustrated and had a lot of the same poses throughout so you could make a doll with cardboard back out of a figure (I used a swimsuit one) and then cut out "clothes" of the same pose - talk about fun! I often wondered if anyone else did this....?

.....Although my Barbie collection was closer to the Barbies of today, my slightly older neighbor had her older sister's Barbie collection from the 50s and 60s, and I've never seen one like it since.

There was an entire fold-out, mid-century Barbie "living room," complete with a bar and - get this - a teeny tiny reproduction Seagram's 7 bottle!!

How very "Mad Men!"

When we played Barbies, it was all very sophisticated and cosmopolitan.....more like the movie How to Marry a Millionaire than dolls!

I can still remember the velvet flocking on one of the slightly later-issue Ken doll's heads, which was ginger-colored for some reason at that point.

Yeah, Dry...that was most of the appeal of Barbie...she was a teen-ager and a completely new size for a doll (11-1/2") So totally novel and fresh.

All dolls up to then had been baby dolls or toddler dolls or little girl dolls. I don't recall a "teen" doll ever before Barbie, but I could be wrong...

Anyone know for sure?

Dry, did your neighbor's sister's collection include that peach/turquoise convertible sports car Barbie had? I had that and I don't know what happened to it...worth a lot nowadays, I imagine, just like all the original Barbie items!

Also had the "Barbie Sings!" collection of 45 rpm records...so cool, think the Ken songs were done by a guy named something-"Darby" (forget his first name) and don't remember the girl's name who sang Barbie's songs.

Some of the titles/partial lyrics were:

"Busy Buzz" (Ken calling Barbie and getting a busy signal because she's calling him at the same time!
"There's a number I call every mornin' There's a voice that I'm wantin' to hear
But the number I call doesn't answer at all
All I get is a buzz-- busy buzz--- busy buzz--- in my ear!")

"Barbie You're Beautiful" (You're just my style...I fall in love each time we meet....)

"First Date" (I dreeeeaaaam of our very first date...)

And assorted others just as corny and wonderful (to a kid!)

Wish I still had all that neat stuff! Wore most of it out and the other stuff who knows what happened to it?

Bear! Tsk...tsk....thought you didn't like to go in ....that....direction. Funny, though. How about his big...toe? I wonder if Mr. Hamm would want final approval on.....height, hair color,.....length.....that sort of stuff........? Could be a HUGH seller.

Could give new meaning to the "Mile High Club".... I can just see the directions of the box...."INFLATED SIDE UP"...

Paper Dolls? How did you all manage to make them last? Wore them out. I do have a box of Cabbage Patch paper dolls, but I don't think they count as memorabilia...........but maybe in time....if I'm still around. When I bought them none of the kids wanted them...so passe'....(like me).

Silverminx, you have shown yourself to be charming, witty, smart, warm, and sympathetic to your fellow Maddicts. You will never be passe to us, and I suspect not to those who know and love you personally. Shine on, my dear, shine on....

Dear Lady Z.......here's a great big ((((O)))) squeezy hug for you..........! Everything right back at ya! We can always depend on Lady Zerelda! And you ARE a Lady! I have my naughty-bit moments.......Bear does something to me......

Well, who says a lady can't be naughty on occasion? We can't let the bad girls have all the fun, now can we?

Hey, I like the answer Kevin Bacon just gave the interviewer on the "E" Pre-Show (red carpet) for the SAGs---

When asked how he and Kiera (sp?) Sedgwick have managed to stay married 20 years in Hollywood, he said:

"Keep the fights clean and the sex dirty!"

You go, Kev!

The Joan paper dolls can be purchased at"

Dyna Moe's Zazzle page, or can be viewed along with several other incredible Mad Men illustrations on Flickr. Happy hunting.

Being the 3rd child I got cheated in the Barbie dept. I remember getting this cheap plastic wanna be barbie doll that when you wanted to have her sit down her legs spreaded wide apart. I'm not making this up. I couldn't take her anywhere!

.....SCfan.....That is some great Barbie trivia. You know the words - too funny! You guys are really amazing on just about every subject and, whether I post or not, I always enjoy the interesting back stories and historical facts.

One funny thing about the Barbies....I don't know if the Mattel-issue Barbie clothes were not to her standard, or what, but my ma made the most incredible fashions for my first Barbie, which cracks me up because I can barely sew a button.

We're talking navy velvet, drop-waist, pleat-skirt Carnaby Street-style mini dress, with red satin piping and white boots. And the tiniest white pearly buttons I've ever seen.

A bright, Chinese red, velvet A-line sleeveless empire-waist square neck Jackie-O evening gown, with matching red velvet full-length cape, which had a white ermine collar (not kidding).

A denim mini-dress jumper, complete with red T-strap kitten heel pumps and a white under-blouse.

I mean, it's a small doll anyway, but these things were tailored a "T." No idea how she accomplished that, especially as her late-night sewing sessions were where I first learned all my favorite profanities, in their many and varied combinations.

That first Barbie had this very long, straight, silky dark-ash colored hair, with long bangs, and the front and sides were pulled into a elastic at the crown. This Barbie was a "good girl."

I thought she was a pale-skinned, tastefully made-up (with a dignified expression) classy pre-cursor to the Malibu Barbie sluts (and their dune buggies) that came later. (Heh.)

She was also pretty stacked for a 16-year old, in my opinion. It was years before I realized she wasn't a 25-year old career girl, what with all that running around.

As to my ma.....for whatever reason I don't think she cared that much about Skipper or Francie, though. They didn't get many clothes.

Midge was before my time, and I can't remember the name of Ken's younger friend.....

Also, at some point there were talking Barbies? Can anyone recall that? There was this one named Penny, I think, and she was British and had all these cheeky sayings on her inner tape....?

Since we're on the subject - anyone remember the Little Kiddles? Damn, those were funny.

Dry M...wow, how neat your mom made all those Barbie clothes! My mom sewed constantly for me but I can't recall her making any clothes for my Barbies, maybe so, but I don't recall it.

I do remember how meticulously-made the clothes one bought for her from Mattel were...unbelievably detailed and quality-made. Sounds like the ones your mom made were every bit as nice if not more so...how wonderful to have such treasures. Hope you do still have them?

I don't remember the talking Barbies...maybe I was "over" her by the time they came out. If it was after 1963, I was 12 by then and moving on to being Beatles crazy instead of Barbie obsessed.

I do remember Chatty Cathy, though and I pulled her ring until she sounded like she was drunk...
'Wrrrrrill yeeerrrrrr pllllllll wrrrrrrttthh mmrrrrrreee?"
(Will you play with me?)

Before Barbie, there were Toni dolls, from the Toni home perm kits that a lot of moms used in the 1940s. I had a blond Toni doll. You could give her a pretend permanent. She could have been a teen or a young woman but she didn't have boobs like Barbie.

.....And before that, of course, were the Madame Alexander dolls. Before my time, but my much older sis had a whole collection.

Loved those Madame Alexander dolls, Dry!

Only ones I ever had were the "Little Genius" a tiny (about 6" long) baby doll and the Jackie Kennedy (in her Inaugural Ball white satin ensemble---so gorgeous) and Caroline (pale blue organdy dress) (wish I still had those two!) and an "Elise" ballerina doll that I think was made by MA, but not sure.

I always loved the MA "Little Women" set...did your sis have those?