Brand New Baby

Baby themed paper dolls have always been popular with little girls...

and I had this set that was published by Saalfield in 1951. 

 I remember loving the clothes that were included with these cute little babies.

There were five babies...with a set of twins on the cover...Jerry and Babette...

Jerry came with a sleepy gown and sweater set....

a baptismal gown, a hoodie snow suit, a little green coat and a PINK suit.

His twin, Babette, had a little pink dress to match Jerry's suit,

and her sleepy gown also matched Jerry's...

as well as her coat, her baptismal gown and hoodie snowsuit.

I always dressed them alike.

In addition to Jerry and Babette, there are Lou, Sue and Tommy.

Lou was always a good little baby when we played....

and she was pretty and sweet in any of the clothes she was dressed in.

Sue was lively and made lots of goo-goo sounds in her little yellow sleeper.

She also had a baptismal gown and a snow suit...with legs and mittens!

Tommy was an active baby with chubby legs.  

I always thought his purple coat was a little too "girlie" for him. 

He also had a baptismal gown and a snow suit with legs...

...and here they are, all ready for sleepy-time!



Dresses of England

This paper doll book celebrates six eras in the history of England using paper dolls to show how children dressed; it also includes a short story of children during each time period and a verse about the children of that era.  The clothes for each doll have flocking printed on paper and is not actually real fabric.  It was published by Muse Arts Limited in 1951 and was a souvenir from the Festival of Britain....a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951 organized by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote the British contribution to science, technology, industrial design, architecture and the arts.

The children in the stories of each period in time were named Elizabeth and John.  Only the dolls and the first set of clothes have been cut out.

My long flowing dress of soft Autumn shade...

Is fashioned from cloth that my parents have made,

For in most of our homes when evening sets in...

The families gather to weave and to spin.

My tall cone-like hat with its veil of soft net...

Is the latest in styles that fashion has set,

And though, here, in broadcloth my brother is dressed, 

He too will wear damask and velvet for best.



In our Tudor times, as here you can see...

Our clothing was trimmed most elaborately,

With breeches and sleeves slashed to show other shades..

And stiffly starched ruffles, bright buttons and braids

When May Day came round with what joy did we don...

Bright kerchiefs and bells and join in the throng

Of gay Morris Dancers who danced on the green...

To tabor and pipe in the merriest scene.

In Puritan England we children were dressed, 

Like our parents, in clothes of the very plainest;

Bright colours and trimmings were frowned on indeed,

And no plays and no dancing were sternly decreed.

My jacket was belted and buckled my shoes, 

But my sister had little from fashion to choose,

Her prim little bonnet and collar of white..

Were all she could add to make her dress bright.

This little lady in fine satin gown..

Takes a sedan-chair when she goes to town,

And chooses from velvets, soft wools and brocade..

For all the smart dresses that she will have made.

Equally smart is this nice little fellow, 

In gay damask jacket and waistcoat of yellow--

A real courtier he, dressed with elegant grace, 

From his white powdered wig to his kerchief of lace.

I am a little Victorian maid...

In gaiters and mittens and smart dress of plaid;

My yellow straw bonnet so pretty to see...

Was trimmed with green ribbon especially for me.

Johnnie wears checks and long trousers too, 

And a tasselled cap that is terribly new.

Dressed thus did we go to Hyde Park to see...

The Great Exhibition of our century.

The schoolgirl and boy who belong to this page..

Wear proudly the clothing of our modern age:

Both smartness and freedom for work and for play...

Distinguish the fashions we wear in our day.

Some wonderful fabrics have added their name..

To the wool of old England that won her such fame,

And artists, designers and makers as well...

Set a standard indeed very hard to excel.

The Bride Doll

Published in 1946 by Samuel Lowe Company, this book has some of the most wonderfully romantic clothes I have ever seen in paper doll fashion. In 1949 at the age of 5, I was fascinated by the billowing wedding gown and veil...and thought all brides would look this beautiful!

the bride and her "flower girls"......

rehearsal gown....and play clothes

honeymoon ensembles.....

[The Bride Doll was published with 4 pages and 6 pages;

this page was part of the 6 page book.]

finally....the wedding gown....and a negligee...

....the veil took up the whole page...

...clothes for little girls....

[This was the other page that made up the 6 page book.]

....and pretty dresses for flower girls..

I was always fascinated by the one-shoulder dresses for these little girls.

The beautiful bride......

....and her entourage!

Sweetie-Pie Twins

For little girls growing up in the late 1940s and early 50s, one of the most popular items  to play with were paper dolls. I loved paper dolls as much as I loved my dolls and dollhouse, and I could almost always get my Mom to spend 10 to 15 cents for  a book of paper dolls when we went to the "five and dime". Of course, the decision of which one I wanted was never easy....would it be a movie star,  babies,  little girls and boys, or brides and grooms....there was always such a great selection. At first Mom would sit on the floor with me and cut them out, but once I had learn to wield scissors, I enjoyed cutting them out almost as much as playing with them.

We have Mary Young to thank for her excellent books that help us identify different paper dolls, their publishers and the year published.  Uncut doll books are valued higher than cut-out paper dolls, but I prefer the ones that are cut.....yes! I am still playing.  I didn't keep any of the paper dolls I had when young, but from different sources, mostly eBay, I have been able to acquire most of the ones I remember having.  I will be sharing these dolls with you and others that I would have loved to have. Hope you enjoy seeing them!

Sweetie Pie Twins was the first set of paper dolls I remember having.  They are large 12" dolls so they would have been easy for the little hands of a 3-4 year old to handle.

Sweetie-Pie Twins.....Jane and Jean....the dolls that look alike and dress alike!
This book [#166] was published in 1949 by Stephens Publishing Company, Sandusky, Ohio, and included 2 dolls and 4 pages of clothes.

The front cover (must be Jane!) was duplicated on the back cover....they were twins of course!

The first page of clothes....each little girl had seven dresses....all alike...because they were twins and mommies dressed twins identically.

Jane's second page of clothes....with a party dress, a suit and hat.....

...and here are Jean's first four dresses and accessories....just like Jane's!

And Jean's suit and party dress that match Jane's.... 

so everyone would know they were twins!

And here is Jean....Janes' identical twin!