Baby-Boomer Dolls: Plastic Playthings of the 1950's and 1960's a Reference and Price Guide [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

More than 400 colour photos illustrate this important reference and price guide to dolls from the post-war era. Baby boomers have come of age, and toys from the era of their childhood have experienced a tremendous surge of popularity. This full-size book includes background information on more than 50 companies manufacturing dolls during this time, from well-known firms like Mattel, Ideal and Madame Alexander to smaller, lesser-known producers. The cast of characters includes legendary dolls such as Barbie, Ginny, Tammy and Miss Revlon as well as film and television-based favourites like Shirley Temple, Patty Duke, The Flying Nun and Pebbles and Barn Barn. Author Michele Karl, collector and expert in the field, presents her extensive research and shares her enthusiasm for the vast array of dolls available during the 1950s and 1960s.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Press (NY); 1st edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942620399
• ISBN-13: 978-0942620399
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,656,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven Coverage--Except for Terri Lee, Slights the 1950s, September 30, 2001

By A Customer

This was strong on Terri Lee dolls (9 pages) and on Mattel (13 pages). Though 16 pages were devoted to Madame Alexander, I felt that just two small pictures of "Cissy" were not enough; and there were no pictures of the Winnie or Binnie Walker dolls. Most of the MA coverage was of the child-dolls and Alexanderkins.
There were only two pages devoted to "Ginny"--and there were no pictures of Ginny with painted eyes, molded lashes, or bent knees. All were of the painted-lash version.
Karl offers less than 1 column (about 100 words!) on the prolific and highly collectible Virga dolls, offering no pictures at all.
The quality of the pictures is excellent, and this is a nicely produced book. But I feel that it does not offer full enough coverage, especially of the hard plastic dolls of the 1950s, to be considered a comprehensive guide.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An awesome book great pictures and reference, October 11, 2000

By	Marlene Grant (Newberg, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews

If you collect dolls of the 50s and 60s you should buy this book. It has hundreds of full color photos with descriptions and prices. It's a great reference guide. I enjoyed looking at so many of the dolls I grew up with.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very complete. Nice photos and desciptions, December 28, 2001

By A Customer

To try to fit all the Baby Boomer dolls in one book would be impossible. This book gives a good overview about dolls from this time. Good pictures, lots of company info. In its second printing so that should say something right there. My favorites were the TV related dolls like Jeannie and Pebbles and Bamm Bamm.