ROSEBUD DOLLS

Collecting Miss Rosebud 

ROSEBUD DOLLS

Introduced in the early 1950s, Miss Rosebud proved popular through the following 10 years for its manufacturer, Rosebud Dolls & Toys. The dolls were publicised as having a distinctive personality and they could be dressed in a fine collection of clothes.



As well as every  day shorts and dresses, the outfits available included skiwear, National Costumes, a fairy, the Four   Seasons and a June bride. Each ensemble was made in the best fabrics and trimmings, was correct in every detail and exquisitely modelled and proportioned.


 Pretty, plump little dolls, Miss Rosebuds were made from the strongest lightweight hard plastic and stood 7'/2 inches tall. Each had five joints and detailed limbs, fingers and toes; the face was enlivened with blue- painted or Glassene-type sleep eyes and painted lashes, lips and rosy cheeks.




Prices were from 3s nd and 4s 6d. On the standard models, glued wigs came in blonde and brunette, in a short style and with bunches tied over each ear. More expensive models had elaborate curly wigs (piled high, in the case of Cinderella), with more unusual colours too, such as pale blonde and pale auburn.

ROSEBUD DOLLS

But after 10 years of hard-plastic doll production, the major manufacturers were turning to other materials: new rooted-hair vinyl dolls filled the catalogues by 1961. (These were virtually indestructible and their hair could be brushed, combed and even 'permed* without damage.)





As a result of this switch, the moulds that had been used for hard plastic were no longer required and often relegated to the back of factories for disposal at a later date. However some of these redundant moulds were purchased and used by smaller firms such as Amanda Jane, Roddy and Faerie Glen, which were emerging in 1961.







They produced short series of dolls just 7'/2 inches tall and which had a wardrobe of clothes created for them.Rosebud Dolls & Toys let some of its moulds go and discontinued Miss Rosebud but it introduced junior Miss Rosebud in 1961, priced at 3s ud and 7l/2 inches tall. One of the company's booklets of the time describes 23 different extra outfits available, costing from 2s 6d to 5s each, plus furniture and accessory packs.

ROSEBUD DOLLS

 All Junior Miss Rosebud's clothes were available in distinctive blue and pink boxes, from 2s 6d to 17s 6d. The range included  dresses, nightwear, casual and playwear, sportswear (including outfits for swimming, ice skiing and hockey), party dresses and even a bridal gown. Among the accessories were a bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, table and chairs.







The first company to take up a mould from Rosebud Dolls & Toys was Amanda )ane, synonymous with dolls clothes since 1952. Named Jinx, the Amanda Jane doll looked very much a cousin to Miss Rosebud, with the same moulded features, Glassene-type sleep  eyes, rosy cheeks, painted lips and eyelids. A glued-on wig, in one of three colours (blonde, auburn, brunette), completed the delicate look. These Jinx dolls were marked 'England' across the small of the back, whereas Miss       Rosebud was marked with a signature-style logo and 'Made in England' underneath.

Amanda jane's jinx was priced 4s 6d, while her packs of clothes cost is to 10s during the mid 1960s. Similar to the larger sizes the company made, the jinx clothes all had a tiny embroidered label sewn into them. Among the items available were dozens of dresses, underwear, casual outfits and coats, as well as the uniforms of nurses, Brownies, Guides and schoolgirls.

 There was a superior set which included a tiny hand-knitted twinset, in a choice of four colours. To complete the look, there were berets, bonnets and hand-blocked hats, and 10 styles of shoes in many colours and materials, including leather, gold and silver lame, canvas, linen and plastic, jinx accessories included a bed, wardrobe, handbags and luggage, jewelry, belts and even a real mini hot-water bottle.

ROSEBUD DOLLS

Another of the Miss Rosebud moulds wKit to Faerie Glen, which issued twin dolls Tonie and Sally, similarly available at 7'/? inches tall. They had the same cute features, Glassene-type sleep eyes with painted lashes, lips and rosy cheeks. Similarly plump with five moving joints, they had over 40 different fashion clothes designed especially for them.

 The company's booklet depicted a wardrobe and carrycase for the clothes, while special items included a fur coat and hat, and outfits for a Scottish piper, a cowboy and Robin Hood. There were Brownie and schoolgirl uniforms and clothes for riding and skiing. The Tonie and Sally dolls were unmarked at first, but then inscribed 'Roddy' after Faerie Glen purchased mouldings from H. Stone & Co .

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