Over the weekend I tidied up three big dolls. They are all vinyl dolls and while they are old, I would not call them vintage. I know on eBay anything more than ten years old seems to be called vintage but to me vintage is something that is at least fifty years old. As a matter of interest, I looked up the definition of vintage and this is what my source said:

Relative Definition of Vintage

Because vintage means last season, and last season is relative and ever-changing, the term vintage often changes according to one’s perspective. For example, 1980s décor and fashion is often referred to as vintage style. However, if you grew up during that era, those items were of a contemporary nature. Given that, these 1980s pieces are certainly not vintage from your perspective. That makes it harder to solidify the difference between vintage and antique items.

https://www.truelegacyhomes.com/vintage-vs-antique/

Follow the link above to read the rest of the article. Basically, what they are saying is that what is vintage to a Millennial for example, would not be vintage to me because I am older.

The dolls didn’t need a lot of work as they were mostly dusty from storage. I just wiped them over with a damp cloth to make sure they were clean. For the first two dolls I sprayed diluted fabric softener on their hair and combed it out. They are all curly haired girls. I did the same for the last one but the next day her hair felt rather stiff so I decided to wash it and condition it properly.

Unmarked doll:

I think this doll may have been a bride doll as she has a shapelier figure than the other dolls. Most of Annie’s dolls were dressed but this one came naked. However, as she had given us such a lot of doll’s clothes that was not a problem. I found the pink dress in one of the crates. It was unfinished but all it needed were some snaps so I sat down and sewed those on. It looks quite nice on her although later I may try and find her something more close fitting. As she is unmarked, I have no idea where she is from or what she ought to be wearing. I’m thinking that she might be from the 1970s or 80s but that’s just a guess. As you can see her body has faded a little but she is really quite pretty.

Doll Marked “Singatore”

The next doll is probably a similar age. I thought that she was marked “Singapore” but when I examined her closely it said “Singatore”. Was that a mistake? Was there a company called Singatore? I don’t know. I didn’t find anything when I searched.

Estrela Doll:

The last doll I’m going to show you today is an Estrela doll from Brazil. I am sure most of you know that company. Estrela have made a lot of dolls over the years, their own designs and under licence for other companies. I managed to find a similar looking doll to this on eBay and that seller said that the doll was from the 1980s.

This was the doll whose hair I decided to wash and condition as I didn’t like the way it felt after my initial treatment. I hadn’t really wanted to do it because I didn’t want to spoil her curls but she was quite dusty as I discovered from the state of the rinsing water.

I had to wait a day to photograph her but as you can see, she turned out quite well. I combed her hair with my rat’s tail comb and curled it around my fingers. It was very easy to style. I decided to give her a change of dress. I may give her a different one later or maybe I’ll see if I can find a little pinafore or some embellishment for the front of it. I just thought she would look nice in blue again. I’ll look out for some socks too. Her sash is just some ribbon I had on hand.

The girls have all gone downstairs now and I’ll try to take some photos of the doll displays soon.