Fleur bodies

This blog post is an overview about all the bodytypes that Otto Simon used for Fleur dolls. Bodytypes can help to identify a doll, if she's found not wearing her original outfit. However you should take into consideration, that Fleur dolls are very easy to decapitate, so it's possible, that your doll doesn't have her original body anymore.

Beware!!! This blog post contains doll nudity. If you feel offenden by naked dolls, you better not continue to read (but seriously dude.... dolls are toys made of plastic, you should relax!)

A big shout ot to my Fleur friend Angela from Vintage Fleur doll for correcting and completing the describtions!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

70s Fleur standart body

The first Fleur doll was released in 1978 and has the standart 70s body. The torso and hips are made of hart plastic and are hollow. They are very small compared to the head and the limbs, which looks funny undressed.

The arms of the early 70s dolls are made of hart plastic, they are straight and cannot bent, the hands are ridiculously small, rotated to the side. The later 70s Fleurs like Skatestar were also made with soft rubber arms, the hands were a tiny bit bigger.

The waist and legs are ball jointed and stringed with an elastic that is knotted to a small extra pin, which is pushed inside the torso from the bottom up through a small hole. The legs are made of a soft rubber material and can side split. The knees can bend. The feet are big with detailed sculpted toes.

Dolls that were made with this type of body are:

Basic Fleur, Belle, Disco, Flower Girl, KLM, Lente, Nurse, Skatestar and probably Volendam.

Gauntlet Fleur body

The Gauntler Fleur doll is a mystery. There is no documentation about a boxed Fleur doll with the Gauntlet body.

The Gauntler Fleur body is identical to the Gauntlet Sindy body and has a different shape than the 70s standart body.

The torso, hips and upper arms are made of hart plastic and are hollow. The arms, waist and legs are ball jointed and stringed with an elastic. The lower arms are made of a softer plastic and look like a gauntlet, hence the name. The hands are big and beautifully sculpted. The Ellbows are balljointed.

The legs are of a rubber material and the knees can bend. The feet are large, the toes are sculpted.

Dungaree Fleur body

Dungaree Fleur got a special unique body. It is similar to the 70s standart body, the waist and hips are made of hart plastic, are hollow and have the same shape like the standart body. The legs and waist are ball jointed and stringed with an elastic, secured at the neck knob. The legs can side split, the waist can rotate. The legs are made of a soft rubber material and have a similar shape like the standart body with bending knees. The feet however are bigger and the toes are less detailed. As a new feature bending ancles were added.

The arms are made of soft rubber and they are significantly longer than on the standart body. Also the hands are bigger.

Only Dungaree Fleur was made with this body type.

Ski Star Fleur body

The Skistar Fleur also has a body, that is unique. The torso and hips are exactly like the 70s standart body, the waist is balljointed and can rotate, the legs can side split. The legs aresimilar to the ones from Dungaree Fleur with bending knees and ancles, but the ancles click like the knees.

What is special about Ski Star are her arms, the shape is of the 70s standart body with the hideous little hands, but they are made of soft rubber and can bend in the elbows. No other doll was made with this body type. However one can say, that this body was the inspiration for the later released, popular Ballerina body.

Photos of the Skistar Fleur are borrowed with permission from Angela of vintage Fleur doll, this lovely doll is currently available for sale here.

Ballerina Fleur body

The Ballerina body was first introduced in 1980 and was very popular due to it's extended posing ability.

The waist and hips are made of hart plastic and are hollow, like the 70s body, however the shape changed significantly and the proportions became a little bit more realistic. The legs and waist are ball jointed and stringed with an elastic that is secured on the neck knob. The legs can sidesplit and the waist can rotate. The legs are made with a soft rubber material, the knees can clock 2 times and the ancles can bend. The feet are smaller and there were no details sculped.

The arms also got a new shape with finally bigger hands, both hands have the same size and the palms point to the back. They are made of soft rubber and and can bend in the ellbows to an angle of 50°.

Fleur dolls that were released with the Ballerina body are:

Rainy Day, Secretary, Kitties, Ballerina, Florida, Parade, Baby Nurse, Aerobic, Miss World, Popstar, My Fair Lady, Wedding, Shopping, Sunny Day, In Concert, Jazz Ballet 1985 and Jazz Ballerina 1986, Brides Happiness 1985 and 86, Colourstar and Sunshine.

Bighead Ballerina body

The Bighead Ballerina body was used only for the early Bighead Fleur dolls (see here a blog post about them). It is very similar to the Ballerina body.

However the rubber used for the arms and legs is more translucent and softer. It tends to react with the inner wire and discolour, especially on the knees.

The ellbows are able to bend into 90°, the knee click 3 times into an angle of nearly 90°. The ancles can bend equaly to the Ballerina body. The hands are a bit bigger.

Left Ballerina body, right Bighead Ballerina body.

Special Offer 83 Fleur body

This kind of body was released in 1983 with Special Offer Fleur. The torso, hips and legs are exactly like the Ballerina body with balljointed waist and legs that are stringed with the neck. The legs can sidesplit, the waist can rotate, the knees and the ancles can bend.

The arms are made with soft rubber, they are straight and cannot bend. They stick out with an odd angle, the left palm points to the back, the right hand is a bit rotated to the side. The right hand is a bit smaller than the left one.

Special Offer Fleur 1983 was the only doll made with this bodytype.

80s Fleur standart body

The standart body was first introduced in 1984 and preferably used for dolls released in the later 80s.

The torso and hips are shaped similar to the Ballerina body, also made with hart plastic that is hollow. However they are not balljointed and not stringed anymore. The waist can only twist to the side. The legs are connected with a small round knob to the hips and can only swing, not side split.

The legs are made of soft rubber, the knees can bend, the ancles cannot bend. The arms are straight and made of soft rubber, they cannot bend.

There are two types of hands used for this body. The difference is very subtle.

Type one: the left palm points to the back, the right hand is a bit rotated to the side. The right hand is a bit smaller than the left one.

Type two: The right hand is as big as the left and both palms point to the back.

Dolls released with the 80s standart body are:

Famous Fashion, In Concert, Jeans, Amazone 1985 and 86, Jogging 1986 and 87, Tennisstar, Special Offer 1986, Surfing, Animal Doctor, College, Grand Gala, Amazone, Travel, Mount Everest, Jogging, Country Walk, My First, Sweet Dreams, and Tennis.

Logo Fleur body

The Logo Fleur body goes always with dolls that have the Fleur Logo raised at the back of their head, hence the name. The shape of the body is the similar to the Ballerina and 80s standart body, but it is a bit shorter. The waist is not balljointed and can only twist. The torso and hips are made of hart plastic and are hollow. The plastic is usually darker and more orange than the Ballerina or standart body. The dolls is not stringed. The legs are connected with a plastic strip to the hips. They are made of a soft rubber material and can side split, the knees bend.

The arms can be made of hart plastic or soft rubber. They are straight and cannot bend.The soft rubber hands are the same size and the palms point to the back.

Dolls made with the Logo body are:

Bermuda, Snow Fun, Alpine, Special Offer 1986, Beach Time and Promotion Polka Dot 1987.

New Look Fleur standart body

In 1988 Fleur doll got a completely new look and also a new body, that however only differs subtle from the 80s standart body. The color of the material is more brownish and less pink. The torso and hips are made of hart plastic, the torso is hollow and has a cheap feel to it. The neck is thicker than of the 80s Standart body. The waist can only twist. The arms are soft rubber and straight, the ellbows don't bend. The hands are slightly angled more inwards, the hands are a little bigger.

The legs can swing, they are made or a rubber material, the knees bend. The feet are the same as standart or Ballerina body.

Look Around Fleur body

1988 another New Look Fleur was released with a special body. The torso and hips have a similar shape like the standart New Look Fleur, however the split between them is more angulated. She has bended arms and sort of grip hands. There is a hinge in the shoulder so her arms can also lift sideways. But the most special feature is if you move the right arm up and down, her head will twist half a circle.

Her legs re made of rubber and can side split and the knees can bend.

A big thank you to Angela from vintage Fleur doll for providing the photos and information about this body!

I know that this blog post was a bit dry, but it's important to know the bodytypes for my upcoming Fleur Identification chart. So please come back soon! If you enjoy what you read, please leave me a comment!