Ideal Novelty and Toy Company
began in 1906 and originally produced teddy bears, in the 1930s
they made Shirley Temple, Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin dolls as well
as supplied dolls to other manufacturers. They were first in
their industry to make hard plastic dolls after World War II.
The Miss Revlon high heel fashion dolls dominated the market in the
mid 1950s
in sizes from 10 1/2 to 20". Toni home permanent dolls were another
very popular doll. Ideal had so
many great doll products, it's hard to choose a favorite doll and of course you need the
doll in every size, too.
Ideal's dolls are made of wood, cloth, composition, rubber like magic
skin, hard plastic and vinyl and are considered to
be of very good quality. Ideal Toy Company was acquired by the CBS Toy Company
in 1982, which later went out of business.
Vintage Ideal Dolls For Sale, use the search box to type a specific
doll name, this is a category site
wide ebay search, so be sure to include your search term plus Doll or anything
you may want to purchase.
Good luck we hope you find the doll of your dreams.
Vintage 1950s Ideal Dolls Identified
1950 Ideal Blessed Event
doll or Ideal Kiss Me doll, 19 or 21" tall,baby doll with crying face, molded hair, oilcloth stuffed body, vinyl lower limbs and
head, came wearing a cotton pajamas and blanket, doll marked: 3 Ideal Doll Patent Pending.
1950s Blessed Event doll 19"
1950-1955 Ideal Boopsie doll, 8" tall, all hard plastic jointed body, with molded painted
hair, painted side glancing sleep eyes, came wearing a cotton diaper closed with a safety pin, doll marked: Ideal (within a circle) Pat. Pend.
1950-1955
Boopsie doll 8"
1950 Ideal Judy Splinters doll,
18, 20 or 36" tall, vinyl head and cloth body, ventriloquist doll, yarn
pigtail hair, painted
eyes, wide smiling closed mouth, marked: Ideal Doll. From
TV show by Shirley Dinsdale.
1950 Judy Splinters doll
18"
1950s Ideal Plassie doll, 17,
19 or 22" tall, hard plastic head, and limbs, stuffed cloth body
with crier, molded hair, sleep eyes with lashes either brown or blue with a closed mouth, was
a reissue of the 1942 dolls, marked on head: P-50 Ideal Made in U.S.A.
or Ideal Doll Made In U.S.A. 3 2252077.
Photo courtesy
of Anne and is of the 1942 doll.
1950s
Plassie doll 21-22"
1950 Ideal Tickletoes
doll, 15, 19 or 24" tall, crier baby doll, hard plastic head, stuffed latex
arms and legs, cloth body, molded hair under mohair wig, open
mouth (some have a tongue) and glassene sleep eyes,
doll marked: 16 Ideal Doll Made in USA or P2000 Ideal
Doll.
1950 Tickletoes doll 19"
1951-1954
Ideal Baby Mine doll, 16 or 22" tall,all composition ball
jointed body, glued on wig, sleep eyes, open mouth with teeth,
marked: IDEAL within a diamond USA.
1951-1954 Ideal Baby Mine doll or
Bucilla Thrift Kit doll, 11" all hard plastic fully
jointed body, blue side glancing sleep eyes, four painted
upper lashes, molded painted hair, marked on back: Ideal
Doll.
Originally sold wearing a white
cloth diaper held on with a safety pin, came packaged in red
and white acetate window box. She was referred to
as the Thrift Kit doll because at that time you could purchase
a Bucilla Thrift Kit to sew outfits for this doll. Some of the
outfits offered were a Cowboy, Little Nurse, Roller Skating
Dress, or Sailor Boy.
Photo and Bucilla Thrift Kit text courtesy
of Nancie Sergent
1951-1954 Baby Mine doll, 11"
1951-1953
Ideal Bonnie
Braids doll, 11 1/2" and
14" tall, vinyl head, hard
plastic jointed body, walker, daughter of Dick Tracy and Tess
Trueheart officially born on May 4, 1951 in the back seat of a
taxi cab on the way to the hospital. Character from the Dick Tracy comic book
series, marked on
head: 1951 Chicago Tribune Ideal Doll.
1951
Bonnie
Braids doll, 14"
1951-1955
Ideal Lolly
doll
or Ideal Tiny Girl doll,
9" tall, head turning walker, sleep eyes, molded, rooted or wig hair,
marked Ideal Doll 9, little sister to the Saucy Walker doll.
Reliable also made a similar Lolly doll sold in Canada. See the
Reliable page for
photo.
1951 Lolly doll
9"
1951-1953
Ideal Sara Ann doll, 15, 21 & 24" tall, all hard
plastic, Toni look-a-like but Ideal did not have to pay the
Toni royalties, blonde or brunette saran wig, marks same as
the Toni dolls (15' - P-90, 21' - P93 or P3, 24' - P94 or P4), so without her box or tags there is almost no way to tell them
apart. The only difference we have been told, is
that Sara Ann has a saran wig (which is easier
to style) not a nylon wig, as worn
by Toni. Thanks to Ron
& Judy of Oregon for sharing this
tip. See also the
1940s Ideal page
for more on the Toni dolls.
1951 Sara Ann doll
15"
1951-1953
Ideal Sara Lee
doll,
17-18" tall, black doll, vinyl and cloth body, molded and painted
hair, brown sleep eyes, named after designer Sara Lee Creech, marked:
Ideal Doll.
1951-1953 Sara
Lee doll 17"
1951 Saucy
Walker doll 16"
1951-1957 Ideal Saucy
Walker doll, 16" or 22" tall, all
hard plastic, walker type doll with a pin jointed body and a grill in her tummy
(with or without crier), wig, sleep eyes,
open mouth with two teeth or closed mouth, some dolls have bent knees, too and
the Saucy Walker doll came in a black version, doll marked: Ideal
Doll W16 or Ideal Doll W22 based on the dolls height.
Saucy Walker dolls were also available through Sears.
In 1954 Ideal made
a 25" tall doll that was called Saucy Walker's Big Sister doll, doll
marked Ideal Doll W25, theBig Sister doll looks very similar to Saucy
Walker just larger, was a mail-in
premium from the Chicago Daily Tribune.
1951 Saucy
Walker doll 22"
1951-1955 Ideal Snookie doll, 10"
tall, hard plastic or latex head with molded hair, magic skin
body, has painted side glancing eyes, came dressed in a diaper
and robe (photo is not in original clothing) marked Ideal
Doll.
Their are also Pete doll and Repete doll - Snookie twins that cooed when squeezed with one
piece magic skin bodies about 12" tall, marked: Ideal
Doll.
Ideal's hard plastic
patent number is 2252077, various dolls have this number in the marking.
1951
Snookie doll, 10"
1951 Ideal Snoozie doll, 17" tall, vinyl head and partial latex rubber limbs,
molded hair, painted blue eyes, open yawning mouth, cloth body. Doll marked
B. Lipfert.
]
1951 Snoozie doll,
17"
1951
Ideal Trilby doll, 19" tall, multi-face doll with three faces, squeaker,
vinyl face and limbs, stuffed cloth body, when you turned a
knob on top of head the face changed to sleeping, smiling or
crying, was dressed in a blue dress and bonnet with dark
blond curly hair attached to the bonnet, doll is unmarked.
1951 Trilby doll
19"
1952-1954
Ideal Betsy McCall
doll, 14"
tall, vinyl head, rooted hair, sleep eyes closed mouth, jointed Toni body, the 1954 was a
Betsy walker doll. Also see the Betsy McCall doll
page.
1952-1954
Betsy McCall doll 14"
1952-1954
Ideal Mary Hartline
doll,
7 1/2, 16, 22 1/2" tall, hard plastic Toni body and markings (if
it is a V instead of the P it stands for Vinyl), blonde wig or
rooted hair, TV personality from the 1950s.
1952 Mary Hartline
doll 16"
1952
Ideal Hugee Girl
doll,
15" tall, one piece soft rubber body, vinyl head with molded short
curly hair, blue sleep eyes, open mouth, marked on neck:
IDEAL DOLL BC 16.
1952 Hugee Girl doll 15"
1953
Ideal Harriet Hubbard
Ayer doll, 7 1/2, 14, 16, 19 and 21" tall, soft vinyl head, hard
plastic Toni marked jointed body, glued wig or rooted hair, sleep
eyes, closed mouth, doll head
marked: MK 16 IDEAL DOLL. Photo is missing
the white sheer apron.
1953
Harriet H. Ayer
doll 16"
1953 Ideal Miss Curity doll,
14" tall, hard plastic jointed Toni P-90 body, wigged, sleep eyes with
heavy black eyeliner, closed mouth, wore a nurses outfit with a first aid kit,
Kendall advertising doll, used the Toni doll body and head
mold, doll marked P-90 on head.
1953
Miss
Curity Doll, 14"
1953-1956
Ideal Princess Mary
doll, 14, 16, 19 or 21" tall, uses the
Toni walker hard plastic jointed body and
markings. This doll uses the vinyl Ruth head mold as seen in
the next doll, some had pierced ears, rooted hair, sleep eyes,
closed mouth.
1953
Princess
Mary doll 16"
1953
Ideal Ruth
doll,
16, 19 or 21" tall, uses the Toni walker body with V according
to size, see the Toni info. - V91, V92, V93 markings on head.
Some bodies are marked : P-19.
1953
Ruth doll 19"
1953
Ideal Little Wingy doll, 13" tall, vinyl stuffed head, hard
plastic walker body, long saran wig, blue sleep eyes, closed
mouth, dimples. Face is coated with phosphorescent paint
so it "glows" in the dark. Character from the Dick Tracy
comic strip series. Marked on head: CPR 1953 Chicago
Tribune Ideal Doll, and on back Ideal 14.
1954 Little
Max doll, 16" tall, a mute eight year old orphan kid who was Joe Palooka's
sidekick, comic strip
character doll, also made by the Personality Doll Corporation 1953. See the Hard
Plastics Dolls 1950s page for the Little Max doll.
Not shown; 1955 Buddy Palooka doll, 15" tall, The New Champ,
Pride of the Palooka Family, the doll with the knockout personality, comic strip
character doll, son of Joe Palooka and Ann Howe, all vinyl doll with
jointed body, blonde molded hair, blue eyes, made by Personality Doll
Corporation 1954.
1953 Joan Palooka doll
14"
1954-1959
Ideal Baby Big Eyes
doll,
20 or 23" tall, soft vinyl head, blue sleep eyes with lashes,
curly rooted saran wig, came in christening gown or pajamas, marked on
head: IDEAL DOLL P6 or VS-18 or VS-20
1954-1957
Ideal Magic Lips doll, 24" tall, vinyl head with rooted hair,
sleep eyes open mouth with tongue & teeth, oilcloth torso
& upper limbs, vinyl lower limbs, crier in the tummy that when pressed the
doll moves her mouth & cries, marked: T-25.
Photo courtesy of Connectibles.
1954
Magic Lips doll 24"
1954-1956
Ideal Posie
doll,
17 or 23" tall, hard plastic doll, very similar to the
Saucy walkers but this one has bendable knees, dolls ad
reads "Pretty Posie of a hundred life like poses".
Earliest doll had a hard plastic head with flirty blue sleep
eyes, later ones had a vinyl head non-flirty eyes and rooted
auburn hair. Dolls have the walking mechanism, blue
sleep eyes, closed mouth and crier. Doll marked on head:
Ideal VP-17 or VP-23.
1954
Posie doll 17"
1955-1956
Ideal Bride doll,
14 or 19" tall, walker, vinyl head, hard plastic body, rooted
saran hair, dressed in bride gown, veil holding a bouquet of
flowers and plastic curlers, doll marked: 14" - Ideal
Doll W90 or 19" - Ideal Doll V92.
1955 Bride doll
19"
1956-1957
Ideal Honeybunchdoll,
14-15" tall, vinyl head with saran rooted hair, sleep eyes,
rooted lashes, one piece vinyl stuffed body, marked on
neck: VS 15-2, and on back marked: VS-14.
Not shown in original clothing.
1956
Honeybunch doll 15"
1956-1959
Ideal Miss Revlon
doll, 15, 18, 20" tall, vinyl
head and arms (some have jointed elbows), hard plastic
body, sleep eyes,
rooted hair in several colors & styles, pierced ears, high heeled feet. Marked:
Ideal 15N, VT-18, VT-20
according the the size of the doll.
In 1957 Ideal made a Revlon Walking doll,
18 or 20" tall, with hip pins and head turning mechanism.
1956
Miss Revlon
Doll 18"
1957
Ideal Miss Revlon Pink Fairy doll, 18" tall, same doll as the above mentioned, (vinyl head, sleep
eyes, flat feet) and has
pink rooted hair with bangs, wears a pink satin & tulle tutu, has wings on
back attached to the tutu, and pink ballet
slippers, doll marked: VT-18. We don't think any of the
other Revlon sized dolls had pink hair.
She does surface in online
auctions occasionally, but would be considered quite rare and
commands a rather high price compared to other Revlon sized
dolls with other hair colors & outfits.
1957
Miss Revlon Pink Fairy doll 18"
1957
Ideal Crown Princessdoll,
10 3/4" tall, vinyl head, flanged body construction, sleep eyes,
rooted hair, no pierced ears, high heel feet, came wearing lace bra
and panties and a small plastic crown. Unmarked doll,
very similar to the later produced Little Miss Revlon doll but the
head mold is different (larger) and this doll is slightly taller.
1957
Crown Princess doll
10 3/4"
1957
Ideal Patty Prays
doll, 20" tall, #7741, vinyl head and hands, cloth loosely stuffed body,
rooted hair, side glancing blue painted eyes, painted facial features, wears
cotton pajamas with matching cap with white pom-pom and has a
white ribbon with dolls name on it in blue, recites a bedtime prayer
when wound.
1957
Patty Prays doll 20"
1958 Ideal Baby Coos doll, 19, 21, or 23" tall, vinyl head with short rooted
hair, sleep
eyes with real upper lashes, closed mouth, jointed plastic body.
Marked on back: Ideal Doll B-19, B-21 or B-23
(according to the dolls size).
1958 Baby Coos doll 19"
rooted hair, closed
mouth.
1958-1960
Ideal Little Miss
Revlon doll, 10 1/2" tall, vinyl head, strung body, jointed, sleep
eyes, rooted hair in several styles, pierced ears and high heel feet. Marked
on head: VT 10
1/2.
1958
Little Miss
Revlon doll 10 1/2"
1958-1963
Ideal Shirley Temple dolls, 12, 15, 17, 19" tall, the
12" doll is the most commonly found doll, marked on head:
Ideal Doll ST12, the ST = Shirley Temple + the
dolls size.
1959-1963 Shirley Temple, 26"
tall, all vinyl, rooted hair, same as the smaller sizes, this
doll is believed to have been used as a store display for the
real Shirley's public appearances to promote the doll.
Is very rare.
1962 the 12" Shirley was no longer available. 1963 Shirley was only
available in 15".
1958-1963
Shirley Temple doll 12"
1958-1961
Ideal Shirley Temple doll, 19" tall, also came as a walker
marked: Ideal Toy Corp ST-19-R and the non-walker was
marked: Ideal Doll ST-19-1 on head). The 17 &
19" tall sized dolls are a little harder to find, and
have flirty eyes. Separate wardrobes were sold for all
sizes except the 26" doll. There was a 19" light
brown or black Shirley too, but this one may never have been
produced. Also a 36" life size -
you'll find that on the 1960s Ideal page.
1958-1961
Shirley Temple doll 19"
1959-1962
Ideal Cream Puff Baby
doll,
19, 21, 23 or 24" tall, all vinyl, rooted hair, blue eyes, dimpled
cheeks.
1959
Cream Puff Baby doll
1959
Ideal Playtex Dryper
Baby doll, 21 or 32" tall, all vinyl, molded or rooted hair, drink
wet coos doll, came with layette, clothes, disposable diapers, soap,
bottle, doll head marked: IDEAL DOLL OB23-3.
1959
Playtex Dryper
Baby doll 21"
1959-1961 Ideal Patti
Playpal doll, 35" tall, she is
the same size as a three year old child, hard plastic joined
at neck, shoulders and hips toddler body, vinyl head with rooted
hair, sleep eyes, closed mouth, marked on head:
Ideal Doll Toy Corp. G-35 or B-19-1. In 1982 they
issued a black Patti Playpal version. Later issue's do not have sleep
eyes.
Their were several hair styles
and colors issued, as well as several family members at
various ages, all made life sized.
Many other companies jumped on
making large
sized Playpal type dolls with their own versions, as they were
so popular, some are unmarked or with different than Ideal's
doll marking. Use our search button with the term
"playpal" - to find other companies who made similar
dolls.
1959
Patti
Playpal doll 35"
1959
Ideal Bonnie Playpal
doll, 24"
tall, Patti's three month old baby sister, all vinyl, sleep blue eyes, rooted blonde hair,
doll head marked: Ideal Doll O.E.B. -24-3 or OEB 24-23.
Bonnie is not shown in original clothing.
1959
Bonnie Playpal doll, 24"
1959
Ideal Johnny Playpal
doll, 24"
tall, Patti's three month old baby brother, all vinyl, blue sleep eyes, molded hair,
closed mouth, head
marked: Ideal Doll BB-24-3.
1959
Johnny Playpal doll 24"
1959
Ideal Penny Playpal
doll, 32"
tall, Patti's two year old sister, hard plastic jointed body,
vinyl head with rooted hair, sleep eyes, closed mouth, marked on head: Ideal
Doll 32-E-L.
1959
Penny Playpal doll 32"
1959-1960
Ideal Suzy Playpal doll, 28" tall, Patti's one year old sister, vinyl head,
hard plastic jointed body,
short straight or curly saran rooted hair, usually found
wearing a dotted swiss dress, marked on head:
Ideal Doll O.E.B.-28-5 or -24-3. In 1960 her name was spelled
Suzie Playpal.
1959 Suzy Playpal doll 28"
Additional Vintage 1950s Ideal dolls
not shown
1950s Ideal White Fairy doll, 15" tall, vinyl head with blonde rooted hair with
tinsel, sleep eyes, closed mouth, hard plastic jointed jointed body, wore a white net dress with silver stars,
white net wings with tinsel and a star wand in her right hand, doll
mark P91.
1952
Ideal Baby Ruth
doll,
14-19" possibly other sizes, vinyl head with rooted wig cap
glued on for hair, sleep eyes, open mouth no teeth, vinyl oil
cloth stuffed body, partial vinyl stuffed arms and legs, doll marked
on back of neck:
DO 14 Ideal Doll.