Many of you are familiar with Sharry – she is a frequent commenter and contributor to the Doll Diaries community, has her own YouTube channel,  she is a teacher, and she is a collector of 1970′s toys and dolls. Sharry will be sharing more photos and insight into her 1970′s  treasurers throughout the year.

I’m sure  most of you are familiar with Julie (Springfield Collection), and some of you have seen my 1970s Crissy doll. I bought these groovy identical 70s outfits from Carpatina called Summer Chic that these two best friends can wear together. The shirts fit fine, but the pants need to be pinned in back, as they have smaller waists than American Girl and Carpatina.

Don’t they look just too cute? I really love that classic (Crissy) can meet current, (Julie), and be friends in spite of their differences.

Later this month I will be telling you all about Crissy, and throughout the year, some of my other classic 70s dolls. Have fun!

- Sharry

Created by Johnny Gruelle in 1915, Raggedy Ann was one of the first, if not the first, doll to be marketed with a line of story books. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll known for having red yarn hair and a triangular nose. She was created for Gruelle’s daughter Marcella who died at the age of 13 after getting a small pox vaccine. Shown to the right is the original Raggedy Ann doll – you can get even more information on the doll and the story behind Raggedy Ann at the Raggedy Ann Museum site.

In celebration of Raggedy Ann’s 95th birthday, there are quite a few anniversary editions of her doll being released. My favorites include:

Marcella Loves Raggedy Ann Doll – An adorable doll, inspired by Raggedy Ann creator Johnny Gruelle’s daughter. Little Marcella was a sickly child, and to keep up her spirits, Johnny Gruelle entertained her with tales he spun starring her beloved doll, Raggedy Ann. The 8″ fully articulated vinyl Marcella doll has blonde hair, blue eyes and wears a pretty in pink coat over a white skirted outfit. Ensemble includes matching pink hat, white socks, black shoes, and her very own Raggedy Ann doll, too! Limited quantities are available.

Raggedy Ann Cloth Doll 18″ by Madame Alexander – Raggedy Ann by Madame Alexander is an 18” cloth doll that has a molded face covered in cloth and dazzling red yarn hair. She wears a pale blue cotton dress that features a floral print that’s so unique it’s specially licensed. This classic doll’s dress has a white pique collar and is worn beneath a white apron which has been given a top stitching detail. Raggedy Ann ‘s look is complete with white bloomers and attached black felt shoes on the feet of her red and white striped legs.

Raggedy Ann 95th Anniversary Doll – Special edition Raggedy Ann® takes us back to the time when the little rag doll first captured our hearts. This long-time friend celebrates her 95th year of love and friendship. She’s 12″H and still as huggable as ever. Her facial features have been recreated to closely resemble creator Johnny Gruelle’s original hand-drawn illustrations. Includes display box and commemorative certificate.

Raggedy Ann 95th Anniversary Edition by Russ Berrie – Raggedy Ann is a timeless classic character spreading values of generosity, compassion, and love to generations of girls and boys around the world. This special doll commemorate the 95 years of friendship celebrated with Raggedy Ann and take us back to a simpler time when the little rag doll first captured our hearts. The Raggedy Ann 95th Anniversary Edition Doll is packaged in a window box and include a special commemorative certificate. This long-time favorite doll is 12″. Includes commemorative certificate, window book style box 1 plush doll (surface washable).

If you want more Raggedy Ann fun, here are some cute Raggedy Ann coloring pages and crafts:

• Raggedy Ann Coloring Pages
• Raggedy Ann and Andy Coloring Sheets
• Make a Raggedy Ann doll pin cushion
• Make a Raggedy Ann Clothes Pin Ornament
• How to make your own Raggedy Ann doll

And even more Raggedy Ann goodness:

Raggedy Ann Child Halloween Costume Child Rag Doll Costume – Raggedy Ann Guidecraft Raggedy Ann and Andy Toy Chest Raggedy Ann And Andy Blue Patch Fleece Raggedy Ann And Andy Stripe Flannel Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Read-aloud Treasury How Raggedy Ann Got Her Candy Heart Raggedy Ann and Andy Postcard Book The Real-For-Sure Story of Raggedy Ann

One of our readers, Madeline, recently rescued an antique Susan Strollers doll. She sent us the before photos (click here to see the before pictures of Susan Stroller) and now that the doll has had some TLC from Madeline and her Dad she looks so much better!

Madeline and her Dad did a great job and now this antique doll will have many more years of love coming her way! For more resources on restoring and identifying dolls, check out:

• Tips for Successful Doll Restoration
• Tips on Doll Repair and Restoration
• Just Magic’s Doll Restoration Tips
• The Handbook of Doll Repair & Restoration
• All About Doll Repair & Care: A Guide to Restoring Well-Loved Dolls
• From Worn to Wonderful: A Step-By-Step Guide to Fashion Doll Restoration

One of our readers, Madeline, recently rescued an old doll her Dad found and of course, we all want to see the pictures. As you can see from the first pictures, she is a little scary now but Madeline is going to try to fix her with her Dad’s help.

Here is a little about the doll in Madeline’s words:

Yesterday me and my mom were looking online to find out what kind of doll she is, she did not come up but based on the dolls we saw she is probably from the 1940′s or 50′s. She belonged to an older woman who collected dolls but when she died and her children came and got all her stuff, they apparently left this doll. My dad found her and showed her to me and hopefully we can fix her again. I don’t know why she has holes in her stomach, she wasn’t a speaking doll or anything. At least, she has no batteries. I am thinking about naming her Maggie, but I am still looking for suggestions.

Hello Again! It is Madeline. A little after I sent you the doll pictures, my mom did a little investigating and found the doll she was. Here is the link to a photo album of some of them. She is an Original Susan Strollers Doll by “Eegee” and she was supposed to walk, crawl, cry and things like that. I didn’t think the holes were for talking but I guess they really are! They don’t have any markings or things on their actual bodies, they came with tags that apparently came with hair curlers on them. The main thing you can identify them by is their holes in their stomachs.

Here are a few photos Madeline found when doing the research to identify her doll:

Susan Strollers doll tag

Susan Strollers doll advertisement

Original Susan Strollers doll

View of Susan Strollers holes on stomach

Thanks again Madeline for sharing these with us!! Please send in more pictures once you have her all cleaned up!