Sixty-three and still in great shape!

No. Not me!
I mean Cindy, my doll I received her for Christmas when I was five.
 I gave you a hint about her at the end of last week's post. Cindy is a Mary Hoyer doll. The doll and her outfits could be purchased or the home sewer (my MOM) could purchase kits or patterns to make the clothes.



Glinda the Good Witch outfit



1946-1950s Mary Hoyer doll, 14" tall, all hard plastic, jointed body, mohair wig many colors & styles, some with molded hair beneath, usually blue sleep eyes. closed mouth. Doll marked: Original Mary Hoyer Doll inside a circle.

http://www.dollreference.com/mary_hoyer_dolls.html 

As you can see, dolls back then were not exactly built like Barbie.

The wig was replaced with a bad one that is turning into dreadlocks!

When I took her down from on top of the tall bookcase in my sewing room where she has resided for the last ten years she seemed fine except for the dust on her brunette locks. But then I noticed her head was bit wobbly. Stupidly, I twirled her head a number of spins thinking I could tighten up the heavy rubber bands that hold this type of doll together. The band snapped and OFF WITH HER HEAD!Her left arm also appears to have suffered some weakening...perhaps a stroke. But she still seemed agreeable to pose in her mutitude of outfits.

The Early Years

These are a few of the clothes my mother made for her. Some are knitted and some sewn. I remember having lots more but I think the knitted ones didn't age as well as the fabric ones. I do know that I favored the fabric ones and perhaps was not as careful with the knitted. Very few accessories from the early years exist. My friend in the neighborhood though seemed to aquire things about the same time as I was losing them. hmmmm.



This chartreuse balleina tutu was a particular favorite and still is. It has probably held up better than all the older apparel. Just fluff the tulle and she's ready to dance.

This is the Alice Blue Dress shown in the ad. No idea where the perky white pinafore went. I have no idea how Mom got those teeny little sleeves set in.



The Southern Belle is a delight of detail in dotted swiss, ribbon and lace. However, it was way more glamourous in the day when she actually had a matching PARASOL! 

But Cindy wasn't always into finery. She also is quite athletic. Here are two of the knitted garments. She's a real Sonja Henie in this angora trimmmed number. Again her footwear is lacking. The skates were replacements at the same time as the unfortunate hair  and even one of those is lost. The riding boots rode off long ago. As did the buttons on the top. She is sewn into this but they do that photo shoots in real life, too.

Marriage put Cindy on the shelf (literally) for many years with two boys.

But in the 90's she had a rebirth due to a later in life daughter (on my part).

Now Grandma was again ready with the sewing machine when I came across a book.

The Later Years

Cindy really comes into her own as a fashion icon in her forties. The fabrics and syles are flashier and more diverse. They range from the demure

Miss Muffet

to the dramatic

A few more of the later outfits

Crochet skirt and wool knit swimsuit 

Notice the rubber bathing cap on the lower right.

The coat and lounging pajamas are corduroy.

There is ONE skate and ONE wooden shoe!

Here are the two trunks containing the wardrobe. The one on the left was mine and is made of metaland the other is my daughter's. I bet you could have figured THAT out. I love the nursery rhyme decals I put on mine. The outfits portrayed on the other do not look like anything I remember anyone wearing.

Did you play with dolls? Do you still have your doll?