The “Crown Princess” doll was created by Ideal Toy Company in 1957. She was only manufactured for one year. The “Crown Princess” was 10 ˝ inches tall and was made of vinyl with “flanged” joints (which means her body limbs were attached by plastic joints rather that being “strung” and connected by internal elastics.) She is unmarked which is unusual for an Ideal doll. Although she has a childlike face, she has a woman’s body and high heel feet. She was produced during the “Glamour/Fashion” doll era of the 1950’s which preceded the introduction of the “Barbie” doll in 1959. The basic “Crown Princess” doll came in a lingerie outfit with a tiny plastic crown for her head. (The doll in these photos is pictured in her original outfit, but is missing the crown) Additional clothing could be purchased separately. Patterns were also sold to make your own clothing for these dolls. The second photo of the doll below shows her wearing a dress and coat made from one of these original vintage patterns.
The “Crown Princess” followed Ideal’s larger size “Miss Revlon” doll which was introduced in 1956. (Click here to see my "Miss Revlon" page) After Ideal discontinued the “Crown Princess”, they introduced another 10 ˝ inch doll called “Little Miss Revlon”. (Click here to see my "Little Miss Revlon" page) Although these dolls appear to be very similar, the “Crown Princess” actually has a different head mold, is a bit taller, and does not have pierced ears. Also, “Little Miss Revlon” was a strung doll while “Crown Princess” had the flanged joints. If you look closely in the photos below, you will notice the slight differences between these two dolls.
It is not clear why Ideal produced the “Crown Princess” before introducing “Little Miss Revlon”. It could be that they were testing the market for a smaller sized version of the “Miss Revlon” doll before they decided to officially use the Revlon name. Who really knows for sure? Whatever the case may be, the “Crown Princess” is certainly a rare and beautiful doll of the late 1950’s.
For more information on fashion dolls of the 1950's, here is a link to a great website:
Fashionable Ladies - The Online Encyclopedia of Glamour Dolls - 1955 to 1964
Also refer to these great books for more information on Revlon dolls as well as other Ideal dolls.
Dolls and Accessories of the 1950's by Dian Zillner