Have you seen a Reely-Trooly Paper Doll?

Here are my Reely-Trooly paper dolls.

They stand 8½" tall and have a printed cloth backing with cardboard cutouts of head, arms and legs glued to the fabric.

The back view of my four dolls.

Produced circa 1915 by the Reely-Trooly Company of Boston, they were advertised as "The dolls that educate and amuse because the children make them." 

Included in the boxed set were six pieces of colorful fabrics with the template of a dress form printed on each piece of fabric. For each dress form there were heads, arms and legs to cut out and glue to the dress in appropriate places. The dolls even had names....Virginia, Betty, Helen, Myra, Dorothy and Ruth. 

My little dolls came to me in a large group of paper dolls I found on Ebay. The first information I found on my unusual set of dolls was in Mary Young's 20th Century Paper Dolls, Identification and Values.   I discovered there were 6 dolls in the set....a picture of 3 of my little dolls was included. But there was more information to find! 

Here is a finished group of the six dolls that were included in each set. 

Mary Young shared that later the set of dolls were available with the template printed on colored cardboard instead of fabric.

Instructions were included on how to make the Reely-Trooly Dolls....

Dear Little Friend:

There are enough materials in the envelope for you to make six Reely-Trooly  Dolls, the very sweetest little dolls that any one ever saw. They are named Helen, Betty, Dorothy, Myra, Ruth, and Virginia, and we know that you will wish to see them all fixed up right away.

First, select parts of one doll bearing the same name, then with a sharp pair of scissors cut out first the head, legs and arms, and after moistening the gummed side, place it on card exactly in the position outlined for it. When all the paper parts are in place, press the doll in a book until dry and then cut it out along the black line and around the pieces you have stuck on and you will have a finished doll. Each doll is made exactly the same way. Designs can be drawn on the dress in water color or colored pencil.*

 

*These instructions must have been included in the later set of dolls with forms printed on colored paper instead of fabric.

This is an advertisement used by the Reely-Trooly Company at the time the dolls were available. It reads...

"These are the cutest and most life-like dolls ever offered. Making them is a supreme delight to any child. Packages contain materials to make six dolls. On sale to retail stores or direct by mail, at 25 cents per package.

Many mothers have welcomed these dolls as an entertaining diversion for children’s parties. One set is given to each child and time is devoted to making one doll. Such parties have the distinction of being new and novel. We have been variously informed  “the children loved the dolls at once and making them seemed to afford them the grandest time of their lives.”  

WOW!  But wait....today you can buy fabric printed with this advertisement from Spoonflower Fabrics.

                                                                             

The Paper Collector post of August 12, 2014 has shared an excellent copy of the head, arms and legs of each doll, plus three  pieces of the original fabric that can be used to make your own Reely-Trooly paper dolls.

Or, you can choose your own fabric and make your dolls like I did! Have fun!