D is for Dollikin

Ever hear of a fashion doll who wanted to do more than just model? D is for Dollikin is devoted to the smaller Dollikin dolls issued by Uneeda Doll Co. around 1970, the 11.5" Dollikin and the 6.5" Little Miss Dollikin. String construction and pin joints give these hard plastic dolls a flexibility and poseability far superior to that of Barbie and Dawn, the better-known dolls of this era. The Dollikin dolls, with their streamlined, yet funky, jumpsuit-and-sash outfits, are not mere clones of their more popular contemporaries. Instead, they are the relatively liberated female descendants of Uneeda's multi-jointed 19" Dollikin. Dating back to the 1950s, the larger Dollikin dressed and posed to embody that era's ideal of womanly grace and glamour. By 1970, the 50s ideal of passive feminine beauty was changing into one of emancipated femininity, with active womanhood in the offing. And Dollikin was there.

Although both Dollikin and LMD have wardrobes that include typically feminine looks, the dolls themselves debuted in androgynous high-collared, flare-leg jumpsuits, the larger doll's finished with a sash and the smaller doll's with a faux belt in white lace. In the opinion of humorist Erma Bombeck, the author of If Life is a Bowl of Cherries--What Am I Doing in the Pits?, the jumpsuit was one of the 70s biggest fashion disasters. "By actual count," Bombeck wrote, "there are only six women in the country who looked well in a jumpsuit. Five of them were terminal and the other was sired by a Xerox machine." While Little Miss Dollikin wears court-style pumps (which look completely wrong with a jumpsuit), the 11.5" Dollikin wears flat, short boots that complement her androgynous attire. Unlike other fashion dolls of the period, the highly flexible, flat-footed Dollikin was definitely designed for ACTION. It's no surprise that in 1973 Uneeda produced a variation on Dollikin called "Action Dollikin" (or "Action Donna" in the WT Grants store variation). Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, where swinging female super-agents were a key part of mod culture, Palitoy issued Uneeda's doll as "Action Girl." At left, an intrepid Action Dollikin looks for trouble on Pier 56.

You can navigate this site by choosing from the links listed at the bottom of each main page. To read more about the female action heroes of the 60s, click Forward to Dollikin's Day. Otherwise, skip ahead for details about Dollikin, Action Girl, Dollikin's wardrobe, Little Miss Dollikin, or her sibling, Triki Miki. Gain access to the ever-expanding mini-site about Dollikin fashion through the Dollikin Duds link, or through the sub-links Dressing Dollikin and Mod Modes.

Forward to Dollikin's Day Skip to Dollikin Details Skip to Disconcerting Dollikins Skip to Action Girl Attributes Skip to Dollikin Duds Skip to Dressing Dollikin Skip to Mod Modes Skip to Little Miss Lowdown Skip to Triki Miki Traits Skip to Triki Miki Togs Skip to Links page Back to Welcome page