· 

Miss Suzette doll by Uneeda

Miss Suzette doll by Uneeda
Miss Suzette doll by Uneeda

Today I would like to introduce to you a doll, that is one of the prettiest vintage dolls ever made and she is as mysterious as she is beautiful. The doll is called Miss Suzette and she is my current obsession. 

In this article I will present to you this beautiful fashion doll and her exquisite wardrobe. When you have finished this article, you will be able to identify the doll, her authentic fashions, fashions that are believed to be authentic and you will know the history of this rare and unique doll.

 And when you have finished reading this article, I bet she will be your obsession as well!

 

 Disclaimer: many photos in this article were found on Worthpoint.com or Pinterest.com with no possibility to determine the originator. If you recognize a photo as yours, please write me a mail to lulemee-art@gmx.de and I will give full credit or remove, depending on your wish. Thank you for understanding!

Please click on the photos to enlarge and to see the describtions and sources!

 

 

 

The Background

Uneeda Doll Company

"For over 100 years, the Uneeda Doll Company has been putting smiles on children’s faces with its loveable dolls.(...) Our well-made dolls include baby dolls, fashion dolls, soft infant dolls, walkers, electronically functioning dolls, accessories and outfits, gift sets, and infant learning and play toys. "

This is what the Uneeda doll (spelled "You need a doll") company writes about themeselfs on their still existing webpage www.uneedadoll.com (extern link). Uneeda was founded in 1917 in Brooklyn, New York USA and is now owned by Deborah Wong with offices in USA, Hong Kong and China.

 

The company produced dolls that were “well-made and reasonably priced”. 

Till the late 50s dolls produced by Uneeda were baby, toddler or litle girl dolls, except for Carmen in 1939, which was supposed to be the Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth, but she also had a toddler-like body.

 The first fashion doll with a seemingly female body was Tinyteen (and Suzette for Grant department store), a 10,5" doll which was a Miss Revlon competitor in 1957. Uneeda also sold separate fashions for Tinyteen called Tinyteen Togs. These fashions are very rare and hard to find as opposed to the Suzette fashions, which were obviously sold in big quantities.

Shortly after, in 1958 Uneeda released Dollikin, a highly collectable doll of 19-20".  She was highly posable with 16 joints of articulation. There were no fashions sold seperately for Dollikin. Dollikin dolls are very popular amongst doll collectors.

In 1962 Uneeda produced Miss Suzette exclusively for Grants department store which is the protagonist of this article. In 1964 Uneeda was commissioned by Montgomery Ward department store to produce a fashion doll called Wendy, which was sold exclusively there. In 1969 Uneeda released another 11,5" doll with a slender body but with extra articulation like the big Dollikin, which was also called Dollikin or Miss Dollikin. There were fashions separately available, but they were produced by Mego for Dollikin, not Uneeda. 

 

In all my researches I was not able to find out, who manufactured the clothes for the Uneeda dolls (that were not sold exclusively at W. T. Grant department store, but more about this later). The only hint I have is that they close often with a big donut snap (no buttons!) and the fabrics used are often very delicate and of great quality comparable to fashions of Little Miss Revlon or Madame Alexander dolls.  But since many brands used donut snaps at these times, I sadly cannot specify the dressmaker. 

W.T. Grant department store

W.T. Grant Co. department store also called Grants was a chain of mass-merchandise stores founded by William Thomas Grant that operated from 1906 until 1976. Grants was usually located in downtowns. Besides other items, Grants had a large toy section and next to big toy brands they also sold toys of their own brand. These toys weren't produced by Grants themselfs though. They were produced by toy companies exclusively for Grants and the store sold them under their own name and brand.  Besides toys, Grants had also store branded electronics called Bradford and it's own record label called Diva. This is by the way a marketing strategy that is still practiced today. Dolls sold exclusively at Grants under the store brand were manufactured by a variety of toy brands, these were in the 50s and 60s Eegee, Uneeda, Horsman and Allied Eastern (AE), possibly others as well and later in the 70s also unknown clone brands from Hong Kong. The fashions, which could often be bought at Grants for these store branded dolls were all acquired by Grants and were not provided by the doll companies. One of the biggest wholesale manufacturers of doll fashions for Grants department store in the 50s, 60s and 70s were the Totsy Manufacturing Company. The first commissioned fashions from Totsy MFG could have been for the Suzy doll in 1956, but there might have been earlier commissions as well.  You won't find the companies name anywhere on the boxes though. Grants didn't credit the wholesellers and manufacturers in the products of their store branded items given the impression that store branded toys were produced by Grants. 

The dolls and fashions were sold in store boxes which were also provided by Grants.

Here you can see some of the exclusive dolls made for Grant department store. Click on photo to enlarge and see describtion (all photos from Worthpoint).

 

Totsy Manufacturing Company

It is not known when exactly Totsy Manufacturing Company was founded and by whom as the USA doesn't have a commercial register and to find out I would have to travel to Springfield, Massachustes USA, but it has to be somewhere around the 30s or 40s. 

 The first base was in Springfield and the companies name was Totsy Togs at that time. Totsy was a manufacturer based in USA and produced doll fashions and accessories. The first doll fashions I was able to find made by Totsy, were clothes for Paperdolls which must have been in the 30s/40s.

They produced fashions for all kinds of dolls, babies, toddler and later fashion dolls.

In the late 50s or  early 60s Totsy moved to Holyoke, Massachussets, which is just 8 miles away from Springsfield.

Totsy was a wholesale manufacturer who produced fashions for their own brand but also provided fashions for other companies or stores like the Grant department store. The fashions manufactured by Totsy were of  great quality with love to detail. 

Source somethingabouttheboy.com
Source somethingabouttheboy.com

Even if found lose, vintage Totsy fashions can be identified  by some characteristics, that differentiate them from other doll fashions of that era.

One of the typical characteristics of Totsy fashions, were the buttons that they used as closures. It were small real buttons that were typically matching the colour of the fashion and were made in two sizes. Totsy fashions would also close with a tiny metal snap. Some few fashions closed also with big donut snaps, these were however used by many brands as well. Totsy fashions can also be recognized by repetively characteristic printed fabrics, special looped borders, decorative buttons and by the overall design.

In the late 60s/early 70s Totsy outsourced their manufacturing facory to Hong Kong and the quality of the fashions declined significantly. They also started to release dolls under their own brand, which were cheap clone dolls they bought from other factories. Totsy fashions from the 70s are made in Hong Kong and cannot be identified easily anymore as they resemble other generic clone fashions, that were sold at that time by various clone brands. 

Here you can see fashions manufactured by Totsy which were sold at Grants department store under their store brand or which were sold under their own Totsy brand in the 50s and 60s.

Click the photo to enlarge and to read describtion.

 

 

 

In the early 70s Totsy released their first fashion doll called Twistee. Twistee was a cheap generic clone and her appearance varied, depending which clone dolls Totsy bought to turn into her.  Some had facemolds similar to Davtex dolls, a clone brand located in Canada who acquired cheap dolls in Hong Kong, some similar to Petra by Plasty.  Totsy produced fashions and sold dolls untill the 90s, Flair beeing one of their most known dolls, also a cheap clone.

Suzette, Miss Suzette, Suzette and even more Suzettes?

When you search the internet for "Suzette doll", you will get various results showing different kinds of dolls, which can be very confusing, especially if you try to find out more about the authentic Miss Suzette.

Why are there so many Suzette dolls you ask? Read along!

Grants exclusive dolls

Suzy and Susie for W.T. Grant department store

In 1956 Eegee, a doll company founded in 1903 released a doll called Lil Susan, a toddler walking doll. In this same year, W.T. Grant department store bought Lil Susan dolls and released them  as "Suzy"  under the Grants srore brand, she was a Grants exclusive doll. It was the exact same doll as Lil Susan and still marked Eegee at her neck. So Susan became Suzy for Grants. Suzy got a new Suzy box and separate fashions commissioned from Totsy MFG which were sold exclusively at Grants. This was the beginning of the Suzy-ette dolls...Grants trademark dolls!

First Suzette by Uneeda for W. T. Grant Department store

In 1957 Uneeda released Tinyteen, a 10,5" Miss Revlon competitor who was sold as dressed doll in a carboard box. In the same year W.T. Grant department store comissioned Uneeda for a similar doll. Uneeda changed Tinyteen's swivel waist body to a straight waist and Grants released the first Suzette doll. She was supposed to be Suzy's older teenage sister (Suzy, the doll made by Eegee mentioned above), that's obviously the reason for the name choosing.  Suzette was sold for around 2 USD exclusively at Grants.

She was 10,5"  high with a straight waist and articulated arms, legs and head. She was marked with "Uneeda" at the back. Her body, allthough supposed to picture an adult lady, had still toddler-like proportions with chubby little hands, a wide neck and a huge head with sleep eyes.

Suzette doll by Uneeda for W. T. Grant department store. Photo from Worthpoint.
Suzette doll by Uneeda for W. T. Grant department store. Photo from Worthpoint.

But she wasn't a baby, she was supposed to be a real lady. Suzette was sold wearing white or black underwear in a blue cardboard box with her name writen on it in a very distinctive font. Grant's department store provided the boxes and not Uneeda. Additional to the doll Grants sold a big range of beautiful clothes specially designed for Suzette. 

Neither the box of the doll nor the box of the fashion is marked with another brand than Grant. We only know that Suzette is made by Uneeda, because the doll is marked. The fashions however, are untagged.

 Suzette  got a boyfriend called Bob (also made by Uneeda) and Bob has also a wide range of clothes that were sold seperately at Grants (also made by Totsy).

This Suzette by Uneeda was just the first Suzette doll sold at W. T. Grant. All following fashion dolls sold exclusively at Grants through decades were also called Suzette. It was kind of Grants trademark thing. 

 

Miss Suzette by Uneeda for W. T. Grant Department store

This is our gal!

In 1962, with the growing success of Barbie, following the fashion doll trend, Grants also commissioned a 11,5" doll from Uneeda with a more slender body and adult body proportions and called her Miss Suzette. Obviously her name continued the Suzette line of fashion dolls, and to tell her apart from the still selling 10,5" Suzette she got a "Miss" added to her name. But there might be also another reason for the "Miss"... 

To keep consistency, Miss Suzette also got a Bob (made by Uneeda), exactly like the first Suzette.  Bob was sold as Miss Suzette's Boyfriend....but was he really just that?  Remember it's the 60s and Barbie with her curvy body was already controversial. So Grants might have changed the narrative and gave Miss Suzette not only a boyfriend but a fiance! On her left ringfinger Miss Suzette has a molded ring. She is a real Miss now, enganged and not controversial at all... but that's honestly all made up by me. We don't know why Miss Suzette has a molded ring on her left hand and we probably will never know!

 

Miss Suzette seemed to be a success because she was sold for several years, before she was discontinued.

Although contemporary witnesses report, that despite beeing a respectable Miss, parents didnt like Miss Suzettes quirky expression, and she wasnt that popular as expected. 

Miss Suzette was sold wearing a bathing suit in a cardboard box with a window, so her face was visible for 1,97 USD. Exactly like her older self, Grants sold a buch of beautiful fashions exclusively made for Miss Suzette by Totsy MFG which would also fit other 11.5" fashion dolls as written on the package.  

 

Different than the first Suzette, Miss Suzette was never available outside of W. T. Grant by Uneeda under a different name.

Other Suzettes for W. T. Grant Department store

Untill their closure in 1976 Grants released several Suzette dolls after Miss Suzette was discontinued. There were also more Bobs. The Suzette dolls were sold in cardboard boxes with additional 3 or 4 outfits.

On my researches I have found several old listings and collectors claiming that they have old store storage. The dolls would be a generic clone doll made in Hong Kong, that resembles Totsy's Twistee doll. However, since the boxes aren't sealed, I have no guarantee, that the dolls pictured are really the Suzette dolls, which were sold in these boxes. We also have no date, when exactly they were sold. The swift waist is a hint, that it was probably in the later 60s. 

A very lovely doll collector whe is specialised in clone dolls has her doubts, that these dolls are legit and that these boxes are truly from the 70s, because of that outdated look.

I honor her opinion, but I still would like to show them to you, because you will stumble upon them on Google or elsewhere, when you try to find out more about Miss Suzette. So here they are:

These dolls would be marked with an U at the neck (U stands for Unique, not Uneeda!!!), marked Hong Kong on the back or be unmarked. The fashions possibly added weren't of that great quality anymore, but still probably made by Totsy. 

 

In the 60s Grants released another baby doll under their store brand called Tiny Susie, the maker of the doll is unknown. They released also fashions for Tiny Susie and sold them seperately.

Suzettes were not Grants only exclusive dolls throughout the years, but they were the only Barbie-like fashion dolls sold under the Grants store brand.

Suzette fashions by Totsy

In the late 60s/ early 70s Totsy also released fashions for a doll called Suzette which were sold at Grants department store. These fashions were obviously made for the store branded Suzette doll. Totsy did use the store logo of Suzette on their fashions. If the Suzette dolls sold at Grants in the late 60s and 70s are also provided by Totsy is unknown, as they are generic clone dolls and could have been provided by any Hong Kong manufacturer. Some of them however did look very much like Twistee, Totsy's first fashion doll.

This 70s Suzette is clearly not Uneeda's Miss Suzette, because Miss Suzette was discontinued already at this time.  

As you can see, these fashions lack the quality of the Totsy fashions of the 60s. These fashions didn't close with the signature buttons or tiny snaps anymore, but with regular snaps or donut snaps and were already produced in Hong Kong.

Suzette by Davtex for Simpson's Sears

Source Pinterest.
Source Pinterest.

To make things more confusing in 1964 the canadian department store Simpson's Sears released a doll called "Suzette" made by L. Davis Textiles Co. Limited (short Davtex), a canadian doll company specialised on selling cheap clone dolls. 

Source Pinterest.
Source Pinterest.

 

The Davtex doll was a generic clone doll. The doll head was one of the clone heads produced by a Hong Kong factory called "Unique" marked with an U at the back of the head. This leads people to believe, that these dolls were made by Uneeda. But this is not true. The U at the back of clone heads stands for Unique and not Uneeda.

Davtex released Suzette dolls also outside of Simpson's Sears. Some of these dolls are also unmarked.

The Davtex Suzettes were sold in cardboard boxes with a clear window at the front, so the whole dolls were visisble.

 

It is not known, why they decided to name their doll  Suzette. There isn't an obvious connection between Simpson's Sears and Grants or Davtex and Grants. Maybe Davtex simply cloned the name together with the box. 

You probably noticed that the name "Suzette" is written in the exact same way as the Suzette for W. T. Grants, so obviously cloned.  It wasn't unusual for clone brands  to copy logos, illustrations and other things from toy brands in the 60s. Not only the logo was copied, also the box that was a very obvious copy of Miss Suzette's box. Design wasn't as protected in the 60s as it is now.

Simpson's Sears sold also fashions especially for their Suzette doll,  the maker remains unknown.

 

The doll Miss Suzette by Uneeda

And now we will finally talk about this beautiful little fashion doll called Miss Suzette by Uneeda, the reason why you are here.

So let's start! 

Straight leg Miss Suzette

As mentioned already above the department store W. T. Grant released a Barbie sized fashion doll in 1962 called Miss Suzette. The first version of Miss Suzette is called straight legs Miss Suzette or Y-body Miss Suzette. She was sold between 1962-1965 exclusively at Grants. Her item number was 1600.

She was sold in a slim cardboard box with a cellophane window that only showed her head. The box pictures a photograph of a redhead prototype Miss Suzette doll with never mass-produced blue eyes that were forward glancing. Additionally many shadow silhouettes of dressed Miss Suzettes were on the box. The doll company Uneeda isn't mentioned on the box as Miss Suzette was sold as a store branded item. 

Miss Suzette was wearing a strapless swim suit made of thick stretchy cotton fabric with a white trim. The colours of the swim suit were dark blue, light blue or red. These swimsuits weren't made exclusively for Miss Suzette but were also sold as fashions for other dolls by different toy brands, like here for example pictured  Supreme Fashions and Shillman. There are many colour variations, uni colour and patterned fabric of this swim suit out there and most are probably not of Miss Suzette.

Miss Suzette was wearing white open toe mules that were marked with Hong Kong at the upper part of the shoesole at the front (see Miss Suzette accessories for a close up photo).

Miss Suzette was about 11,5 high with a slim body and a bit of oversized head. Some webpages call her "Bighead Suzette" for this reason. I find that quite confusing, because the 10,5" Suzette has a much bigger head. 

Her body was a bit shorter and more slender than Barbie. Here you see her next to other fashion dolls for size references. Please click the photos to see the describtions.

Miss Suzette was the first of Uneeda's dolls with the so called Y-body. The legs are prolonged and attached to a plastic circle, that is part of the bottom torso  with a plastic pin, so they can move freely back and forth and won't spread when Miss Suzette is sitting. She doesn't have a real molded butt  which makes her look strange when undressed. The bottom part of the torso has the shape of an Y, hence the name. Her legs are straight made of hard vinyl. Her arms are also hard vinyl and move back and forth. Her right hand is pointing more outwards, which gives her a less static pose. Her head is attached with a spring mechanism which is quite unique and her head can move freely in any direction.

Miss Suzette has exceptionally beautiful detailed molded feet. Barbie would be jealous! Her hands are small and she has a molded ring on the ringfinger of her left hand. It looks more like a wart than a ring if you ask me, beause it is the same colour as her skin. She has no nailpolish. 

Her torso is made of hard plastic and is marked at the back with "c Uneeda doll co. inc. 1962", the year the body was patented. Her head was marked with NF, which is also a marking other Uneeda dolls have.

Some Miss Suzettes had a completely airbrushed face or body for unknown reasons, maybe to cover vinyl flaws, maybe to correct the color of the vinyl. 

Click the photos to enlarge!

Miss Suzette's facial features were stenciled. She has almond shaped eyes that look asian with thick black eyeliner and no extra painted lashes. She doesn't have heavily molded eyelids like Barbie or Lilly. Her eyes are completely black with a white dot in the middle clearly inspired by the facepaint of Bild Lilli. Her eybrows are thin and curved. Most Miss Suzette dolls have red lips and heavy blush on her cheeks which is sturdy and remained on many dolls untill today. The facepaint was varying in boldness, her lips could be fuller or smaller, which makes every doll look really special.

Some Miss Suzettes had nude  pink lips and a softer pink blush. They are super rare. 

Look the photo examples to see the variety of facepaints.

All Miss Suzette dolls had a ponytail hairstyle with a fringe. The hair was rooted only around the perimeter and she had a hole in the middle of her head for unknown reasons.  She was available in three haircolours, dark brunette, tizian or ashy blonde. The ponytail was styled into a corkscrew curl. The lengths of the hair was very variable, from short and curly to long and wavy.  Also the fringe varied a lot, some were short, some were long a wavy, some straigt and some curly.

The straight leg Miss Suzette was sold for 3 years, which explains the variety of facepaint and hair.

 

 

Bendleg Miss Suzette

The second and much harder to find version of Miss Suzette was released in 1965 with a new bendleg body exclusively at W. T. Grant.  

She was sold attached to a cardboard at her waist and legs in a sitting position. The cardboard was inside a clear cellophane bag. Her item number was 6121.

 

Miss Suzette was wearing a light aqua blue bathing suit made of polyester that looked similar to Barbie's Helenca swimsuit and white closed toe pumps. The same bathing suit was also worn by Wendy by Elite creations, so it's not made exclusively for Miss Suzette.

Also the shoes, that Miss Suzette is wearing are generic clone shoes that were available for many doll brands and produced in Hong Kong.

 Miss Suzette no longer had the Y-body but attached legs to a butt in a V-Shape, like many fashion dolls of these times. The legs would now spread when she was sitting.  The legs weren't made of hard vinyl anymore but of soft rubber. Inside the legs there was a wire, so the legs could be bended. However there wasn't a knick-mechanism inside and the legs bended in an unnatural way. The wire ended just above the ancles leaving them soft so the doll didn't have a good stand anymore. Although beeing made of rubber, the feet of Miss Suzette were still beautifully shaped and very detailed, exactly like the straight legs doll.

Also the waist of the doll changed into more Barbie-body proportions and wasn't so tiny anymore. The body didn't have any markings.

She also got new arms. Her arms were still made of hard vinyl, but she didn't have a molded ring at her left hand anymore. I guess she and Bob split up...or she got a wart treatment... 

Some of them had her right arm pointing a bit outwards like her previous version, some had now two straight arms.

 

Source Worthpoint.
Source Worthpoint.
Source Worthpoint.
Source Worthpoint.
Photo by Petra Becker.
Photo by Petra Becker.

The headmold of this version was the same as the first one also marked with NF at the back. Her facial screening was bolder and more colourful, her lips are a bit wider and her blush stronger.  Her fringe was fuller and curlier in various lengths.

She was also available with three haircolours, as the first Miss Suzette. She also had the ponytail hairstyle with bangs and was only rooted at the outer perimeter. However her ponytail was significantly shorter than the previous version styled into a hard curl, comparable to the Ponytail Barbies.

But there were also transitional dolls like the pictured brunette, who has a longer curlier ponytail.

Miss Suzette Wardrobe

Which fashions are really authentic made for Miss Suzette?  And how can they be recognized?

This is a questions that keeps doll collectors busy. 

I have researched a lot, studying journals, articles, books and internet pages, looking countless hours through Worthpoint and Pinterest listings to find authentic fashions for Miss Suzette.

 

We know, that the fashions for Miss Suzette were manufactured by the Totsy company, exactly like all other Grants exclusive doll fashions. But not all fashions made by Totsy are made for Miss Suzette!

As a hint we have the adverts and the illustrations of Miss Suzette from the doll  case and her box.

 

The following list will show you authentic fashions made for Suzette, fashions which could be made for Miss Suzette but we have no proof and fashions who are not made for Miss Suzette, allthough often believed to be.

Authentic Fashions for Miss Suzette

Miss Suzette Buttons

The fashions made for Miss Suzette had mostly buttons as closure as opposed to other branded 11,5" vintage doll fashions, which used mostly snaps.  These buttons were typically matching the colour of the fabric. There were two sizes of buttons used for closure. The buttons are often referred to as "Uneeda buttons" but Uneeda didn't made the fashions, so more accurate woud be "Totsy buttons".

Small metal snaps could also be found on some of her fashions. It is debated if big donut snaps are also used for Miss Suzette fashions, which  are often associated with fashions by Elite for Wendy doll or Ideal for Mitzi doll, but also many other clone brands. We know that Totsy did in deed use donut snaps on some of their fashions, but not quite often.

 

Miss Suzette fashions had also two kinds of decorative buttons, mostly found at the front of the outfit, one in the shape of a flower and one round with a circular pattern. These buttons seem to be used exclusively for Miss Suzette fashions as other Toty fashions have rather rhinstones as decorations.

Typical buttons used for Miss Suzete fashions, but also other fashions made by Totsy.
Typical buttons used for Miss Suzete fashions, but also other fashions made by Totsy.
Typical Totsy button used for Miss Suzette fashions.
Typical Totsy button used for Miss Suzette fashions.
Decorative button in the shape of a flower found only on fashions made for Miss Suzette.
Decorative button in the shape of a flower found only on fashions made for Miss Suzette.
Decorative round buton found only on fashions made for Miss Suzette.
Decorative round buton found only on fashions made for Miss Suzette.
Typical small metal snap found on many fashions made by Totsy, also on fashions made for Miss Suzette.
Typical small metal snap found on many fashions made by Totsy, also on fashions made for Miss Suzette.

Theater Goer

The most famous one is the swinging coat "Theater Goer". It is a very elegant thickly woven swinging coat underlined with a colourful patterned fabric. It has a round collar with a decorative button and underneath is a second buttons that is used as closure. Typically both buttons are identical. 

The coat was available in at least three colours as far as we know, in dark blue, orange and very rare in light brown.

The orange coat had white flower buttons, the blue coat had white round buttons with pattern, the brown coat dark brown buttons. There are several variations of the inner lining.

Totsy also released swinging coats under their own brand, but they are very different and easy to tell apart from Theater Goer.

Theater Goer matching ensemble: Cocktail Hour?

Grants also released a matching sheath dress with a cute short jacket made of the fabric, that was used as the lining of the swinging coat "Theater Goer". It can be found in many colour variations. The dress and jacket were probably sold together, although we haven't seen them NRFB. The dress closes at the back with two colour matching small buttons.

The advert illustration shows the outfit with a hat. In many listings of this ensemble there was a hat and a purse included, which I haven't seen sold by any other brand. It's a small pillbox hat made of flocked plastic with a bow at the front and a small rhinstone. There are several colour variations of this hat. I don't know if the hat and purse are original though.

The exact same purse of flocked fabric was sold by Totsy as an accessory pack. The hats however look different.

Evening Ensemble

Swinging Easy

A dress that is easily recognizable is "Swinging easy". It was available in several colour variations and would close at the back with a small or big button which matched the belt. It has a V-neckline and is very slim around the waist.

Similar flapper dresses were released by various brands, the most similar one beeing made by Totsy as well for their own brand. Only the Totsy dress can close with a button, the others close with snaps. It has a round neckline and three rhinestones at the collar, so it's easy to tell apart from the authentic Miss Suzette one. It is also a bit wider around the waist and would fit Barbie better than the dress made for Miss Suzette,

Daytime Sheath

This dress is all buttons! At the front there are four round decorative buttons with pattern. The back closes with either two small or two big butons. It was availble in lilac or a light blue.  The hat on the photo isn't original. We don't know if a hat was included in the fashion, although the illustration pictures one.

I have seen a brown one with black buttons at the front, but I cannot tell if it was authentic for Miss Suzette. It closes at the back with buttons, so it's most likely made by Totsy but since it doesn't have decorative butons at the front, it might be a variation for the Totsy brand.

Sheer beauty

This beautiful set of underwear was avilable in pink and baby blue.

Hot Pink

This cute business outfit is easy to identify. It's a two piece ensemble, the jacket closes at the front with either round or flower shaped decorative buttons. The skirt closes at the back with a small metal snap. This outfit was availlable with pink, red or black stripes. The hats on these photos aren't original and added by the originator of the photos.

Grants released a similar ensemble for their 10,5" Suzette doll before. It is easy to tell them apart. The Suzette variant has a shorter jacket, because Suzette had a shorter torso than Miss Suzette. It is also wider around the waist and it has typically a white collar. The closing buttons aren't decorative.

There is also another similar variation made by Totsy probably for their own brand. The Jacket has two non decorative buttons. The skirt closes with the tiny metal snap like the Miss Suzette variant.

Sweater Girl

I'm pretty sure that this set is called Sweater Girl, because it is so matching! 

The red jacket closes at the front with two small  buttons. The skirt closes at the back with a white  button. I don't know how the sleeveless shirt closes. The grey skirt here on this photos isn't part of this set but also authentic for Miss Suzette.

The set comes with open toe shoes and a red purse.

There are very similar fashions sold by Totsy for heir own brand. The sweater of Totsy is unicolour while Miss Suzette's is patterned. The Totsy shirt has sleeves. The skirt sold by Totsy is a simple circle while Uneeda's skirt has a seam at the front. There is also a sweater made by Elite creations with buttons at the front. A closer look shows, that these buttons are not the same as on the Totsy fashion and it closes with snaps as it doesn't have button holes.

Sheath with jacket - Lounge Abouts ?

I am pretty sure that this elegant ensemble is the one pictured in the advert.

The sheath is made of two fabrics, a patterened skirt and a unicolour bodice.  It closes at the back with two colour matching  buttons. The bodice was found in yellow and green. The jacket has the same pattern as the skirt, it has a small collar and closes at the front with a colour matching non decorative button. The white plastic hat has a border of the same patternded fabric.

Totsy sold a similar ensemble in unicolour blue under their own brand. The dress also closes at the back with two colour matching buttons.

Nighttime Fantasy

This beautiful nightgown was at least made in two colours, a light mint green and a dark red. I haven't seen it sold under any other brand yet.

Slim Skirt

This skirt was sold as an accessory for Miss Suzette. There are several fabric variations. It closes with a button at the back. I don't know if the blouse from the last photo is authentic, it matches the fabric though perfectly.

Pleated pants

Short and long pleated pants were sold for Miss Suzette. 

Totsy sold identical shorts in other colour variations under their own brand, as a set or alone. Such little plastic bags could be found added to many clone fashions and were bough wholesale in Hong Kong.

Accessories

There were shoe paks available for Miss Suzette. She was wearing either open toe mules, similar to Barbie's open toes (which would also fit) and closed toe pumps. These shoes weren't made especially for Miss Suzette. They were clearly random clone shoes that were packed in Suzette packaging. The closed toe shoes wouldn't even fit Miss Suzette with straight legs. The shoes were bought in Hong Kong and are marked as such on the sole.

There were three cases sold for Miss Suzette so the doll and her wardrobe could be stored propperly. The cases were made of vinyl and looked quite similar to the Barbie vinyl cases of that time sold by Mattel. The  cases were available in black, white and turquoise and have cute illustrations of dressed Miss Suzettes at the front. The  illustrated fashions could be Theater Goer and Cocktail Hour. The other two fashions aren't very clear. The white swinging dress could be a hint to a fashion that is believed to be authentic Miss Suzette (see below) and the dark red ensemble hasn't been seen yet.

Such shoe paks were sold also by other clone brands, here pictured Totsy, Plasty for Petra and Elite for Wendy. 

Fashions that are believed to be for Miss Suzette which actually could be

The adds of Miss Suzette say, that there are many more fashions for Miss Suzette than shown and collectors believe so too.  For example which outfit is "Beau Catcher" or "Evening Ensemble"?

 

There are fashions which were found repetitively in Miss Suzette doll lots, which fit perfectly her tiny waist and which have the typical Totsy characteristics but weren't found yet boxed, so could be made for Miss Suzette, but could also be sold by Totsy under the Totsy brand.

Summer Ensemble

This three piece summer ensemble is believed to be made for Miss Suzette. Only the blouse closes with a button, the skirt closes with a donut snap and the trousers with small metal snaps that can often be found on fashions released by Totsy but also on authentic Miss Suzette fashions.  

This  ensemble can be found in many colours. Could it be the one pictured on this silhouette?

 

Grants  has released comparable 3 piece ensembles for the 10,5" Suzette doll, which are often confused for Miss Suzette fashions. A similar outfit can be found by Totsy, however different enough to not be a variation.

 

Evening dress with fur jacket - Evening Ensemble?

This beautiful orange satin dress with organza overlay comes with a brown fake fur jacket. The dress closes with small golden buttons and fits perfectly Miss Suzette.  Could it be this dress from the Miss Suzette case illustration?

There is a variation of this dress with striped overlay. This variation is much bigger at the waist and looks sacky on Miss Suzette. Maybe the bigger version was originally made for the 10,5" Suzette and repurposed for Miss Suzette, but that's just a theory. 

A very similar fur jacket was already produced by Totsy for the Grants exclusive Suzy doll.

Totsy also released a similar dress under their own brand. The Totsy dress however has no organza overlay and closes at the back with one big button. It has a flower attached at the waist.

Black Peignoir

 This beautiful black nighttime ensemble is believed to be made for Miss Suzette. I haven't found proof  but also didn't see it by any other brand or for any other doll, so it might be real. It closes with two big black buttons.

It is mentioned in an article about Miss Suzette that appeared in a doll magazine. But this article was not very well researched, so this is not a good source for verification.

Ballgown

This beautiful ballgown is believed to be made for Miss Suzette. I don't know if this is true. 

What I know is, that it was released for the 10,5"  Suzette previously by Grants.  However, it wouldn't fit Miss Suzette as well as it does on these photos, the waist would be too high and it woud be bigger around the waist, if  it was the earlier Suzette version. So maybe Totsy repurposed this dress design for Miss Suzette as well. It closes at the back with two big buttons.

Wedding Gown

The same for this weding dress. It is a 10,5" Suzette design. But there are variants of this dress with a smaller and longer bodice and different details, so this designs might have been repurposed for Miss Suzette. It closes at the back with two big white  buttons.

Cocktail Dress

This cute cocktail dress with big white colar and a black bow is available in at least three colours. It closes at the back with buttons or tiny metal snaps. Stylewise it reminds very of a dress made for the 10,5" Suzette doll, so it's possible that it is also an authentic Miss Suzette fashion. There is this silhouette illustration, which shows a not identified sheath dress yet...maybe it's this one? However it can also be a fashion sold under the Totsy brand.

Fashions that are believed to be for Miss Suzette...but we have no clue

The following fashions are probably all made by Totsy as they have the same characteristics and the typical closures. I haven't found them NRFB till now, so we don't know if they were released under the Totsy brand or if they were made for Miss Suzette. Some of the fabrics can be found by other Totsy branded fashions, so it's likely they are also sold under the Totsy brand. Some of these dresses don't fit MIss Suzette very well, so might be made for a bigger doll.

Maybe time will tell...

Fashions that are not made for MIss Suzette

Some sources like articles in journals, but also internet pages fell for some myths about Miss Suzette with the result of spreading false informations.

That's why I would like to present to you also outfits here, that are believed to be made for Miss Suzette but which actually aren't. 

Doll fashions for 10,5" Suzette

The 10,5"  Suzette doll for Grant department store came with a huge fashion wardrobe, that could be bought separately. The fashions are beautifully made and close all with the big buttons and since they are also manufactured by Totsy like the Miss Suzette fashions, they can be confused easily. Some of these fashions might have been repurposed for Miss Suzette, as the shape of the bodice looks like to be made for a slimmer doll. But most of these fashions never were meant to be worn by Miss Suzette and also wouldn't really fit her well.

Totsy branded doll fashions for 11,5" dolls

As we already know, Totsy was the manufacturer for store branded doll fashions of Grant department store and therefore also made the fashions for Miss Suzette. However, Totsy made clothes for many other companies and also sold doll fashions under their own Totsy brand, so not all fashions made by Totsy are authentic Miss Suzette fashions. 

Here are some Totsy fashions that are often misinterpreted for Miss Suzette fashions by collectors or auction listings. These fashions would either close with buttons or with little metal snaps and are often available in many fabric variations.

 

Here are more Totsy fashions which can close either with button or snap.

Lorna and Horsman doll fashions

Lorna was a Tammy clone made by AE company exclusive for W.T. Grant and Lorna also came with an exclusive wardrobe sold only at Grants. You may already suspect, Lorna fashions are also manufactured by Totsy and close with the same buttons and use the same fabrics. However they aren't a good fit for Miss Suzette as they are too wide around the waist. But I have seen them often being listed as Miss Suzette fashions on eBay. 

 

The Horsman company produced all kinds of dolls in the 50s and 60s with additional fashions. They had a similar doll like the Tiny Teen/ Suzette doll called Cindy and a Tammy sized doll called Patty. All fashions made for their dolls have small buttons as closure, and can be confused for Miss Suzette fashions. 

Wendy/Bonnie fashions by Elite Creations

Some of these dresses are often falsely identified as Miss Suzette dresses. The dresses mady by Elite Creations for their Wendy and Bonnie doll close usually with a big donut snap. Many manufacturers used the big donut snaps at the times, some few fashions made by Totsy also close with them, but they weren't exclusive to any brand. Brands which are ususally associated with donut snaps are Elite Creations, Ideal and Reliable. Elite creations did not produce fashions for Miss Suzette.

Fun Facts

  • In 1964 Uneeda released a 11,5" fashion doll exclusive for the Montgomery Ward department store called Wendy. Wendy had the exact same Y-body as the straight legs Miss Suzette but with possibly different, more straight arms without the moded ring and also her facemold reminds of Miss Suzette, but Wendy had sleep eyes. Wendy was available with moulded hair into a little bun inspired by the Fashion Queen Barbie with seperate fashions available at Montgomery Ward department store only. Wendy's fashions are very different stylewise  from Miss Suzette fashions and were not made by Totsy. Outside of Montgomery Wards Uneeda also released a doll called Miss Debutante, which was the same doll as Wendy but with rooted hair around the perimeter with a ponytail hairstyle and bangs. Later Uneeda sold dolls which are called "Children of all Nations United" by collectors but their real name is actually "The Worlds Findest Fashions Dolls" . These dolls could have the Uneeda Y-body with the arms of the bendleg body or a cheap hollow hart plastic body without markings. They had rooted hair with different hairstyles and haircolours and they were dressed in follklore fashions. All these dolls are very hart to find.
  •  In 1968 Uneeda released 6" small toddler dolls dressed in a flower costume called "Petal People" and these cuties had slanted eyes that kind of remind of Miss Suzette's exotic appearance!
  • As a hommage to Miss Suzette doll artist Julian Kalinowski released a Solange doll, which has a similar facemold to Miss Suzette, but comes with various hairstyles and a different body. Her face is handpainted and each doll is unique. In my opinion she's a must have for every Miss Suzette collector.

 

Please click on the photo to expand and to see the describtions.

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my article and I bet you are now obsessed with Miss Suzette too, am I right???

If you have anything, that would add to the article, please let me know. Any new information is highly appreciated!

 

 

 

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sources of research:

Doll magazines and blogs, webpages about america's history, doll pages, doll books, Wikipedia, Pinterest and Worthpoint, contemporary witnesses, Uneeda doll company , FB related groups and Miss Suzette, Uneeda and vintage/antique doll collectors.

Also: Haute Juniors, Antique Dolls, Pouppées, Doll Magazine, Dolls of the 50s and 60s, Pinterest.com, Worthpoint.com, Wikipedia, Antique doll magazine, Die Puppe der 60er, Uneedadoll.com, mainehistory.org, dollreference.com, nyshistoricnewspapers.org, archive.org , our Sindy museum (written by Billy Boy), chroniclinggAmerika, mass.gov, masslibsystem.org, Fashion doll Weebly, fashion clone dolls, vintagedolls.biz, planetofthedolls, Dollsmagazine.com, malepatternboldness.com, preadorned.com, Stadtbibliothek München, theloveofvintage.com, bukowskis.com, D is for Dollikin, prillycharmin.com,  www.goantiques.com, toy museum of seal, history of massachussets, wtgrantfoundation.org, WT.Grant FB group, clickamerikana.com, Val's Dollikin collection, VK.com, dollyology.com, antique doll collector magazine, somethingabouttheboy.com, live auctioneers.com, Martha's Fashion dolls, bizzapedia.com, dollsdollsdolls.net, yellow pages.com, toy directory.com, mainhistory.wordpress.com, theguardian.com, capegiradeau history, Tias.com, thesprucecrafts.com, artsandculture.com, Naples Florida Weekly, dollpeddlar.com, reports of contemporary wittnesses, reports of doll collectors (Dollikin FB group, Antique doll and doll groups FB, doll forums USA; doll Forums Germany)