I have three plastic dolls with flat shoes. One comes off but the other are part of the doll. Their eyes close and open. Their arms move but not their legs. One can move her head. They are in old fashioned clothes.
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How tall are they?
You said the eyes open and close? Can you show them laying down with the eyes closed? Most sleepy dolls the lashes go down, but these look painted--can you confirm?
Are the dolls plastic or celluloid? Plastic is harder, celluloid is brittle.
Can you tell if the hair is real (or mohair) or is it synthetic?
Do any of them have AE on the back--whichis Allied Eastern?
There are a lot of possibilities of who they are depending on the answers.
They look a lot like what are called Grocery Store dolls, but those are usually 18 inches and up. These look smaller, which may mean they are carnival dolls.
Value will depend on who they are.
Can you tell if the clothes are handmade? They look handmade--the lace on the one that is read looks like 60s lace, as does the funky fabric.
Hoping I can give you more info with more details! Thanks for sharing!! They are fun!!
I think the dark haired one is from a collection by Arco called "Dolls of the World". You could collect a new one when you filled your gas tank. I had a bunch of them when I was a kid and she looks very familiar. The fancy one at the bottom might be too but, as PGHgirl says, there were a lot of these type of giveaway dolls. The first doll looks more different so is probably from a different source.
My dolls had movable arms but the legs were straight and the shoes were painted on, I think. More decorative than a plaything, with fancy outfits from across the globe. I hope someone else can help with possible value but I imagine these aren't worth much unless they are in very good condition and you can find a collector.
Good luck!
Great eye, Jess! If it is the right height, I think you are spot on:
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I am trying to find photos of all of the Arco gals!
It is true, They are Arco dolls. These dolls were produced in the 70's as a promotion for sales when you fill up for gas , you are able to get the promotion for 99 cents or sometimes free. There was a different doll every month often dressed in a outfit from different cultures .- www.collectorsweekly.com/
Look for markings in the back of the neck, back or bottoms of feet. If there are no markings, the doll is provably not worth much.
From the pictures, these dolls look mass-produced and inexpensive
These are so cute.
I'm only guessing here because PGHgirl's questions when answered could change everything that I'm thinking about.
If I'm guessing correctly your little dolls will be a hard plastic and measure anywhere between 5-9 inches.
The dolls I'm thinking of had painted eyelashes, synthetic hair, eyes closed when laying down, arms were movable but legs were straight and they had removable shoes (of a sort). They were dressed in all types of clothing according to where they were being sold and many that are seen now will have handmade clothes - particularly hand crocheted dresses.
I remember receiving my first one when we went to a local carnival (but mine could have been celluloid) and I believe they are sometimes called carnival dolls, souvenir dolls, dime store dolls, drug store dolls and more because they were sold in all these places plus many stores on the highways (such as Horne's & Stuckey's) because people stopped at these stores to buy souvenirs on their way home from visiting other places.
If I'm correct you will find quite a few listed for sale but they may not be exactly the same 'face, hair, dress' as yours because there were several companies that made these dolls and sold them to stores, etc in boxes of maybe one hundred or more just like they do with similar items today. Some of the same companies are still in business today but most now buy from China.
Here are a few of what I believe are similar dolls listed for sale so check some to see what you think;
www.ebay.com/
www.ebay.com/
www.ebay.com/
www.ebay.com/
www.ebay.com/
As to value; if these are similar to your dolls then not many have sold but as you can see from the asking prices; the sellers are asking very low prices so if any sold it looks like the value would be between $5-$16.
Celluloid dolls are usually a little lighter in weight than plastic but just feel different than your usual plastic. The value of unbranded celluloid dolls run about the same as the plastic dolls; sometimes a few dollars more but it still does not appear that many are selling.
I could be all wrong about these but when thinking about celluloid dolls some of these were made in the same manner as the plastic dolls and sold in the same way and at the same type of stores as celluloid was just as inexpensive as plastic.
I have listed a few celluloid dolls to show how similar the two compositions look.
Most sellers are very lazy when posting items for sale and rarely show enough pictures and descriptions are just hit and miss so you really cannot always tell if the doll is like yours or not.
www.etsy.com/
www.etsy.com/
www.etsy.com/
www.etsy.com/
www.etsy.com/
This is great!
I did not think these dolls were from that collection but it's possible that someone made new clothes.
All 3 dolls are different and one has removable shoes which the Arco dolls did not.
Also, from my understanding, Dolls of the World were 8" tall with open/close eyes but had movable arms and legs.
These dolls do not have movable legs.
It's possible that other collections like this did not have moveable legs but most sellers never provide enough information about their items so it's difficult to know for sure.
Some dolls have marks on their backs that can be easily overlooked because it is so small but brand name dolls usually sell for a little more money.
They are all cute.
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