Back To School

A few weeks ago the Vogue Ginny dolls and their friends headed back to school.  Most of these dolls are from the 1950's so they wore their plaid dresses to school.  I grew up in the 1950's and that's what my sister and I seemed to wear most of the time back then.  I felt it was appropriate for the Ginnys to all wear plaid this year.  Of course, the boys didn't wear plaid.  I guess the plaid rule didn't apply to them.  If you look carefully you'll see a Cosmopolitan Ginger doll already on the bus.  She's wearing her plaid dress too.  I don't think you can see it so you'll have to take my word for it.  I actually had more dolls dressed in plaid but I couldn't fit them in these pictures.  A Vogue Jeff doll is the school bus driver and he made sure to wear his 1950's era plaid shirt.

 

 

 

I do seem to favor the plaid dresses on my dolls.  I'm really not into all the "frilly" clothes although I do have some for my dolls.  I guess it's because back in my childhood I never liked the "frilly" clothes myself.  I hated going to birthday parties because back then everyone got all dressed up.  I guess I've always been a casual type person.

Here I am in a plaid dress posing for a school photo back in 1954.  My mother made sure I wore a plaid dress but what was she thinking when she let me go out in public with that hairdo???  Remind me to tell my kids to burn any of these old B&W photos when I'm gone.

The school bus was given to me by a doll friend 15+ years ago.  As I recall it was sold at Target and was actually an art kit.  The roof opens up and there are sections for supplies.  We were just thrilled that the bus was the right scale for Ginny photos. You can't really see it but I added the name Medford School District on the side of the bus.  The Vogue Ginny Doll Company was located in Medford, MA at one time.  Betty

Saving Ginny Doll Number 2

 In my previous post I told you about the four Vogue Ginny dolls I bought on eBay and showed you the first one I restored.  I've had Ginny doll number two finished for a while, but just hadn't gotten around to writing about her here. 

Ginny number two really didn't require too much work.  She's a bent knee walker and was given a bath with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and her little dirt spots disappeared.  Her hair was a little messy but combed back into place quite well.  It was a little "fly-away" so I patted on some Armorall.  I learned about that treatment on a doll list some years back and have used it before.  She still has some "fly-away" ends so I might go back at some point and give her another treatment.  I already had the 1959 Ginny dress #1213 and decided she was the perfect doll for that dress.  It was missing the pink bow so I added one.  I'd really like to find the matching 1959 Jill dress #3233!  I have a thing for the matching Ginny and Jill outfits.

Here are a couple of before pictures:

And here is how she looks today:

Here she is with her sister from the previous post:

I showed you the bag of clothes and accessories that the seller so nicely included with the dolls.  (Don't you just love those kind of surprises?)  I've washed, ironed, and steamed a few of those things so far.  Here is the 1955 Ginny Bride outfit #64 from that bag.  It had a blue mark on the bodice but it washed right out.  The netting and lace were in very good condition.  I added white bows on the dress and veil and added a bouquet.  This is a reproduction Ginny wearing the outfit.

And here is the back of the veil.

I'm really not crazy about her bouquet but that's what I had on hand to use.  It might be replaced some day.

I've been working on a few other things (and goofing off) but I will get the other dolls restored soon.  Betty

Saving The Vogue Ginny Doll...One Doll At A Time

 Growing up in the 1950's I had quite a few dolls.  Every Christmas we got at least one new doll, but my favorite by far was the Vogue Ginny doll.  I remember sitting on my bedroom floor and playing with Ginny for hours.  I had the cardboard Ginny dollhouse and some furniture along with Ginny and her sisters Ginnette and Jill and her brother Jeff.  I also had lots of clothes for my dolls and I'm fortunate to still have many of those clothes today.  I still have one of my childhood Ginny dolls.  Back then most of my friends had Ginny dolls or one of the other popular dolls in the same scale as Ginny.  We even brought them to school sometimes and played with them on the playground.  Ginny was a popular childhood doll in New Jersey where I grew up.  In Texas I have never found another person around my age who even knew what a Ginny doll was which kind of surprised me.  I guess because Ginny was made in MA she was more popular on the east coast.

As an adult I became a doll collector.  Over the last 20+ years I've added to my doll collection, but the Vogue Ginny doll has always been my favorite doll. 

I tell myself that I have enough dolls and nowadays I don't even look at eBay daily.  Back in the old days I would look several times a day, but not anymore.   However, a week or so ago I took a look and spotted a BIN with 4 Ginnys for $80.  I think the shipping was around $10.  The seller only had a 4 after her name and no recent feedback.  Normally I would bookmark a BIN and think about it for a while.  Most times when I would come back the BIN would be gone.  For some reason this time I acted impulsively and did the BIN. 

Oh dear...I had immediate regrets.  What had I done?  I watched to see if the dolls would even be shipped.  After all the seller wasn't an active seller on eBay.  I followed the package until is said it had been delivered.  I hopped in the car and went to the mailbox and retrieved the package.  I brought it home and opened the package expecting that I had made a big mistake.  I took a look and almost cried.

 I have never bought a mint doll.  Most of my Ginnys are fixer uppers.  I enjoy give them new life and like to think that I'm saving a doll that some little girl really loved at one time.  It was a doll friend that told me once that these dolls are previously loved dolls.  Well, included in the box was a note from the seller:

I've never actually had a seller tell me that a doll I bought was their childhood doll.  I always knew the fixer uppers must have been played with (and probably loved) by a child in the 1950's, but in all probability came from an estate sale, garage sale, or even a doll show and the person selling it wasn't the original owner. The note almost brought me to tears.  (Am I crazy or what??)  These 4 dolls came from the original owner and now I knew I had to get busy and restore them.  They weren't really in bad shape for being around 70 years old.  They mostly needed to be cleaned, restrung, and their hairstyles restored.  Here are the 4 dolls:

And here's the bonus that the seller referred to in the note:

I knew I had to get busy and "save" these dolls!  Since the above picture was taken they've all had "baths" and been restrung.

This was the first one I decided to work on mainly because she looked like she'd be the easiest one:

Here she is after she was cleaned and the glue was cleaned off her forehead and ears.  (The Vogue Doll Company got a little carried away sometimes when they glued on the wigs!)  There were only a couple of marks on her one arm that I couldn't get off.  I thought about replacing the arm since I have some extras but then decided I'd rather keep her all original.  After all those marks mean she was played with by some little girl and I'm assuming loved.

I had to reglue her wig around the edges.  Then I got her dressed so she could begin her new life with me and my Ginny doll family.  I already had the perfect dress for her!  (The bracelet was in the bag of clothes and I decided she should wear it.)

Now I'm on to the second doll...the dark haired Bent Knee Walker.  She cleaned up nicely and I think I'll be able to just comb her hair back into place.  I've already fooled with it a little.

Most of the clothes in the bag were non-Ginny clothes although there was the Vogue 1954 pineapple dress and the 1955 wedding gown along with pj's, robes, nightgowns, a Jill leotard, hatbox and numerous shoes and accessories.  Most need a little work and I still have to identify some of the other clothes in the bag.  Needless to say I was thrilled with all of it.

The 1954 Painted Lash Walker needs a new wig and I have one that I can use on her.  The only problem that I'm having with her is that the glue won't come off her face.  This is only the second Ginny that I've come across in all the years I've been restoring these dolls that doesn't have a water soluble glue that comes right off with water and a gentle scrape with my fingernail. I looked online and tried a couple of suggestions but so far nothing has worked.  I removed her old wig so I can try some other things on her scalp to make sure nothing damages her face.  If I can't get it off I'll try and hide the glue with the replacement wig.

The blond Bent Knee Walker had some of the old rubber bands stuck in her hair.  I might wash her hair.  I haven't decided yet.

This will keep me busy for a while but I'll put up pictures as I get them all restored.  Before you know it they'll all be part of my Vogue doll family!  I like to think they'll all live happily ever after.  Betty

Foodie Mini Brands

 Last week I was walking through Target when I spotted the Foodie Mini Brands in the toy department.  In the past I've bought some of the Mini Brands Toys and Food balls, but this was a new one.  In case you've never seen these balls they usually have sections that you open and most of the time the things are 1:6 scale, but not always.  It's kind of a gamble when you buy one because you just never know what you're going to get.  Here's what the Mini Brands have looked like in the past:

This is what the new Foodie Mini Brands looks like:

The Foodie Mini Brands are packaged a little differently.  They're in a larger pink ball with individual packages that you open and inside is mostly fast food in 1:6 scale.  I bought a couple and then my son surprised me with a few more!  My Vogue Ginny dolls have been chowing down on their new food items.

They had a picnic in the park and there were Subway Sandwiches:

Food from Sonic:

A burger from White Castle:

And a burger from Carl's Jr.

These Foodie Mini Brands balls cost around $8 each.  I'm happy with what I got and now I'm going to resist the temptation to buy anymore!  Wish me luck.  Betty

The Last Days of Summer...

 The kids are getting ready to head back to school soon so they went to the park one last time for a little old fashion fun.

Ginny and her friends always have a good time playing when they get together.

There's nothing like having fun building something in the sandbox.  Little JJ Watt is paying close attention so he can build something next.  (Somebody better tell the cat that this isn't a kitty litter box!)

Playing miniature golf is always challenging.

One of the cats wanted a ride!  He's waiting for Ginny to push him around.

Playing on the see-saw is always lots of fun.

It's time to get the croquet game started.

The kids always like to climb.  They better be careful!

Those lazy days of summer will soon be gone.  Betty

(The playground equipment was from a Fire Flies Convention.  The miniature golf I got at Dollar Tree many years ago.  The Little Tikes Car was found on eBay.  The Croquet Set was made by Cherie Kaiser.  She was a very talented woodworker and made some cute things for Ginny.) 

Just A Little Pokemon Fun!

 The kids are keeping busy playing Pokemon this summer.

 Everyone is getting into the act and chasing Pokemon.

I'm not crazy about them spending so much time on their mobile devices but you know how it goes nowadays.

Miss Jill is supervising the activities and getting a suntan at the same time.

Do you play Pokemon?  I used to play but lost interest somewhere along the way.  Betty

The Annual Easter Parade

 I grew up in the 50's and 60's in a suburb of New York City.  Every year I would see the New York City Easter Parade on TV.  That was back when everyone got all dressed up for Easter in new dresses, shoes, hats and gloves.  Anyone else remember?  Here's a trip down Memory Lane.  I'll never admit which one is me!

I recently wondered if New York City still had the Easter Parade and decided to google and find out.  Yes, the parade still exists but has definitely evolved over the years.  I guess when people no longer dressed in fancy outfits and wore gloves and hats the event had to change with the times.  Now it's more like a costume party with crazy outfits and elaborate home made hats.

This year my dolls decided to have a more traditional Easter Parade.  They put on their Easter outfits and lined up behind the Easter Bunny for a march down the main street of town.

My Vogue Ginny dolls, Nancy Ann Muffie, and Vogue Jill all wore seamstress made outfits that I've collected over the years.  After the parade they all had a chance to pose for photos with the Bunny or Chick and show off their outfits.

I was able to find dresses for Ginny and Jill made by different seamstresses but with the same fabric.  I bought one on Etsy and one on eBay.

A few of their friends wanted their pictures posted too!

A good time was had by all!  Betty

One Of My Moods

For many years I had one of my childhood Vogue Ginny dolls and most of the clothes from my childhood stuck away in the back of a closet.  I didn't realize that people collected dolls and thought others would think I was nuts if I put my Ginny on display.  While living in Oklahoma in the 80's I purchased a Vogue Jill doll, but I still wasn't really collecting.  She joined Ginny in the back of the closet for safe keeping. From time to time I'd ask acquaintances if they had ever heard of Ginny dolls and the answer was always no. Then the Internet came along and my kids introduced me to eBay.  I wondered if there could possibly be any Ginny dolls up for auction. Not really expecting to find any I did a search.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  There were lots and lots of Ginnys!  The rest is history.  Through eBay I bought from collectors and before you knew it I had Ginny doll friends.  My dolls were out of the closet! That was around 1998.

I am not a mint collector.  For example I don't care if I have an outfit from 1953 on a 1953 doll.  I just want my dolls to look cute.  I also make changes to outfits if I think something doesn't look right.  I have actually always enjoyed "playing" with my dolls and acquiring furniture and accessories for them and setting them up in little scenes more than just collecting dolls.  I've always said that there are many different kinds of collectors which I think is good for the doll collecting world.  

Unfortunately, I'm running out of new ideas for different holidays though.  I also get in moods from time to time where I find that I need to give my dolls a little break.  I've been in one of those moods lately so I thought I'd post some pictures from Valentine's Day 2020.  Fortunately, my dolls haven't grown or changed much in 2 years.

Do kids today still have Valentine's Day parties at school?  Back in the 1950's we always did so my dolls continued that tradition.

Happy Valentine's Day a little early!!!  Betty