Taswegian1957

Doll Detective Mailbag: Canadian Dolls


This week I received a request from Charles who has been given the task of selling three dolls from a relative’s estate. Charles wanted to know a bit more about the dolls to help with the sale.

Two of them I learned a bit about but the third one has eluded me so far so I am hoping that Naomi will take a shot at it but if any of you out there can add anything as always I would be delighted to learn more as would Charles.

If you would be interested in purchasing any of these dolls you can contact Charles directly at greatwilderness@shaw.ca to discuss a price.

The first doll is made by Regal and is a really cute Inuit doll which I believe was made in the 1970’s. She is 18 inches tall and NRFB.  Regal has made a few different Inuit dolls but this is the only one I have seen with pursed lips.

.

Doll in Inuit costume by Regal- Canada
Inuit doll by Regal circa 1970’s

Next we have a pair of hand painted porcelain clown dolls also NRFB. These guys were originally sold at Zellers which I understand went out of business some years ago.  As far as I can tell they are circa 1990’s. I think the larger clown is 12 inches and the smaller 6 inches.

Clown doll box back info
Century Collection hand painted porcelain clowns circa 1993

This last one is a 16 inch doll who is also NRFB but with a damaged box. Despite the excellent photos Charles has provided me I have not managed to ID this girl yet. She looks to be vinyl with painted eyes and her box says “Collectibles par Reliable” so I am thinking that she was probably made by Reliable. I must say that although she does not look like a Shirley Temple her smile reminds me a little of the Ideal Shirley’s look.

back of box.
16 inch vinyl dol by Reliable of Canada crica 1983

I hope you have enjoyed seeing these pretty dolls. I know that a lot of Canadians check out this blog so I am hoping that there will be someone out there who can add a bit more information to this piece. As I mentioned previously you can contact Charles on the email address above if you are interested in buying one or more of them.

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Published by Taswegian1957

I was born in England in 1957 and lived there until our family came to Australia in 1966. I grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, where I met and married my husband, David. We came together over a mutual love of trains. Both of us worked for the railways for many years, his job was with Australian National Railways, while I spent 12 years working for the STA, later TransAdelaide the Adelaide city transit system. After leaving that job I worked in hospitality until 2008. We moved to Tasmania in 2002 to live in the beautiful Huon Valley. In 2015 David became ill and passed away in October of that year. I currently co-write two blogs on WordPress.com with my sister Naomi. Our doll blog "Dolls, Dolls, Dolls", and "Our Other Blog" which is about everything else but with a focus on photographs and places in Tasmania. In November 2019 I began a new life in the house that Naomi and I intend to make our retirement home at Sisters Beach in Tasmania's northwest. Currently we have five pets between us. Naomi's two dogs Toby and Teddy and cats, Tigerwoods and Panther and my cat Polly. My dog Cindy passed away aged 16 in April 2022.

2 comments

  1. Re: Charles’s doll-The 3rd doll is definitely by Reliable, made around 1983/84, during the company’s last production years. There is a doll called “Gloria” with the same face and hair in the book “Dolls of Canada” by Evelyn Strahlendorf.

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