Kripplebush Kids are 8" dolls that were created by Robert Tonner in the 1990s. They have hard plastic bodies and heads, are strung, and have sleep eyes. Some of the dolls produced wore modern little girl clothes, but the ones in my collection all came wearing antique fashions.
I don't know why that middle picture turned out darker. I tried taking pictures again, and they were still dark. I had problems getting this photo shoot together, so after two tries I just want to get this post up. First I forgot my mini SD card downstairs. Then I had to find my mini SD card somewhere on my desk. Then I realized that I had another Kid tucked away in a drawer (the one with the hat and croquet mallet and ball.) Then I realized that she had accessories, and had to remember where I put them. Fortunately for me, I remembered that all my Kids' accessories and extra clothes were put away neatly in this Ginny wardrobe. I kept dropping things (that's a part of every photo shoot, to be honest.) Argh.
Here is a Kid with some of my similar size dolls for comparison: Eden Madeline, Madame Alexander Travel Friends Ireland, and mini American Girl Samantha.
Speaking of Madame Alexander, I see a resemblance between these dolls and the ubiquitous Madame Alexander 8" dolls. I don't know the story behind the creation of the Kripplebush Kids at all, though. There were some Kids dolls that were pictured in a Tonner catalog and never produced. The Kripplebush Kids body was supposedly later used for the bratty child star Merli Stimple character in the Gowns by Anne Harper 16" doll collection by Tonner. However, Merli appears all vinyl, with a new face mold and painted on eyes.
Lastly, since one of the dolls above has that really cute croquet mallet and ball as accessories, I though this was as good a place as any to show a picture of my treasured 1/4 scale Ashton Drake croquet set for the Gene Marshall collection. It featured in a story about Gene playing croquet with some of the Hollywood set and talked about her grandfather Gene teaching her to play croquet (if I remember correctly.) Since croquet was so popular in the mid-1800s into the early 1900s, someday I want to dress some of my 16" dolls in antique gowns (maybe 1860s) and pose them playing a game. Of course, I should get some male dolls to play as well, since part of the popularity of croquet way back when, I have read, was the chance to mingle with the opposite sex. When has that not been popular?
Sydney contemplates how to challenge the handsome young Lord Dawlish. And how to win the croquet game as well.
The BTEG family is going to a restaurant for Thanksgiving. If I don't get any kind of Thanksgiving doll diorama up, I will at least be taking a doll to the restaurant, I think.
Total dolls: 76
Oh! I'm so far behind on my my collection posts! I need to get back to it!
ReplyDeleteI love the first little Kripplebush girl in the teal with the brown checks.
I think maybe 1870s-1890s might be better for croquet? I imagine in the 1860s the hoop skirts got in the way.
I'm enjoying the My Collection series because the pictures are *generally* easy to take and post. It's also help keep up my interest for all of the dolls I own.
DeleteI understand what you mean about the hoops, but croquet mania seemed to be at its highest in the 1860s. At least, I have a lot more images saved of people playing croquet during the 1860s than at any other point, in my saved folders of fashion images.
These dolls are so cute. I didn't realize that Tonner made them. They do look very much like the vintage 8 inch Madame Alexander dolls. They might also be similar in size to vintage Barbie's Stacie.
ReplyDeleteThey don't necessarily stand out as Tonner dolls on their own, but when they're with other older dolls of his, they do have a certain similarity. They are about Stacie size, too.
DeleteThe dolls are cute, but I think the fashions are what make them really stand out. I'm glad that you like the croquet set. I miss seeing those unique doll props available. You should start a doll collection series! It's helped me get my dolls more organized, and appreciate the ones that I maybe haven't "played" with in a while.
ReplyDeleteI saw this first on my phone and, for a second, I thought the first dolls were Licca Chan. I think it was the eye shape that got me confused. I never heard of these dolls before, but they are very cute. I like the last two with the tartan dresses, maybe because Christmas is coming, and I associate tartan with Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI think that your photos turned up fine. Maybe it turned out darker because they're wearing lighter colored dresses? I don't know if you edit your photos before posting, but I sometimes make up for those things with editing tools. Nothing too complicated, just things like contrast and straightening up my crooked photos.
Wish you a lovely Thanksgiving with the rest of the Evil Geniuses.
Yes, these dolls aren't very well known. They were made in the mid- to late-90s and might have only been available at doll stores initially, when those were still a thing. I think the doll in red with the white and gold hair ribbon was definitely meant to be a Christmas doll. She is wearing holly leaves and berries, which are associated with Christmas here, and came with the teddy bear that she is holding.
DeleteI always crop and resize the photos that I post, but I don't always edit the lighting. At the time I posted, I was just so frustrated with all of my delays that I just wanted to get something up.
Thank you for the Thanksgiving wishes!
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving dinner! These dolls are so adorable. I've been on a period clothing kick myself lately. I really love Sydney's dress too. From what I've seen, Tonner fashion seems to be mostly stuck in the 50s, unless they portrayed a specific character from a franchise. That's a pity - period clothes suit them so well.
ReplyDeleteWe had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, went to an Amish restaurant. I made Sydney's dress! :) I originally made it for Gene, but the Tonner dolls wear it well too. A lot of Tonner fashion was modern, too, at least what was in style at the time. Then he introduced a doll that was reincarnated throughout various time periods, but a lot of people didn't like her face, me included. I do love period clothes on Tonner dolls too. I'm reorganizing the space around my sewing machine to make it easier for me to get back into sewing again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these photos Barb, it's hard to find any Kripplebush Kids now. Love the Croquet set, it's a great prop and probably wouldn't be too difficult to duplicate in a different scale.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs,
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I can imagine how hard it must be to find Kripplebush Kids. Didn't know that you'd heard of them! I could probably duplicate the croquet set, except the grooves cut into things like the balls. But then in 1:6 scale that might not be as noticeable.
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