MA
Little Women 3MADAME ALEXANDER LITTLE
WOMEN SERIESPART THREE
PRESENTED BY FRANCIE
Lissy
12" hard
plastic dolls replaced the fifteen-inch size
in 1957 and were in production through 1965.
This set is from 1959. If you go back to an
earlier photo where I showed 8" BKW dolls,
the Beth and Amy, 6th and 7th from the left
are also 1959. Note the variation in fabrics
used for their dresses, still using the same
style. From 1954 through 1986 both sizes (8"
and 14" in 1954-56 and 8" and 12" thereafter)
were available dressed in similar costumes.
The Lissy Laurie was produced for one year
only in 1967. This was the same year that the
Nancy Drew face doll in plastic and vinyl was
introduced for the girl dolls in the 12"
size. The Nancy Drew dolls continued through
1990 when a set was produced exclusively for
Sears. They all have rooted hair. Here is a
photo I borrowed: Laurie, Marme, Beth, Amy,
Meg and Jo.
The 8" size was in
continuous production from 1954 to 1995 with
the exception of 1993 when the four sisters
were reissued using the 12" Lissy mold for
one year only. No Marme or Laurie with this
set.
In 1994 there
were
no Little Women dolls available in the
regular Madame Alexander line, but a set made
for exclusively for FAO Schwarz was shown in
that company's Christmas toy catalog
featuring costumes from the newest version of
the movie, also released at Christmastime in
1994. These were limited to only 1200 pieces,
with sets containing Marme limited to only
500. Left to right: Amy, Beth, Marme, Jo and
Meg.
A new set in
1995 featured new costumes and Marme with the
Cissette head. In 1996 only Aunt March and
Laurie were available. Left to right: Amy,
Laurie, Beth, Jo, Marme and Meg. And after
that, there were no 8" in the line until
1999. Instead, the emphasis was on the
Alexander Company's Little Women play dolls
in a 16" size, probably made to compete with
American Girl and Magic Attic dolls. In
1999 the 8" dolls were re-introduced wearing
the same outfits as the 16" size.
The
dolls have always been dressed appropriately
for the period in long, full skirts, and
pantalets underneath. They nearly always wear
pinafores or aprons, and Jo appears in red
quite often. Costumes show a myriad of
changes over the years and sometimes within
years. Some collectors enjoy finding as
many variations of their favorite dolls as
they can.
We are working to get a copy of a
chart Francie developed for this study but it
may take awhile; in the meantime you may
email her for a copy.
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