I just recently started collecting Crissy and dolls in the Crissy Ideal family. Does anyone else here remember the grow hair doll from the late 60's and 70's? I was lucky enough to put in a winning bid on ebay for a lot of dolls and one was a hair to the floor Crissy. They only made one issue of that doll, all the others have hair fingertip length. I was working on that one tonite, and really enjoying it. I can't wait to learn more, and acquire more Crissy's and other dolls in the Crissy family. (Ideal is no longer in existence, they were bought out by Mattel)

I had a couple of Crissy's. I remember her well.

Dolls? let's see pictures!

Congrats on the Ebay win too.

cheers
Gren

OH OH OH!!! I had a Chrissy doll!!! Did you get her green plaid dress??? I loved that doll. I got Chrissy and my sister had the blonde other doll.

I have a couple of them too. There is a book about Ideal Dolls available now, that lists the entire "Chrissy Family".
Hugs,
Teechia

OH OH OH!!! I had a Chrissy doll!!! Did you get her green plaid dress??? I loved that doll. I got Chrissy and my sister had the blonde other doll.
I think the blonde doll's name was Velvet.
Hugs,
Teechia

Yes, and I am sorry to say that being a shorthair at the time who got regular haircuts, I gave poor Chrissy a haircut a couple days after I got her. After all, what else did you do with long hair but cut it?

I have a Crissy doll and I even have her original box. I use to have a Velvet but I think she got thrown out. :rolleyes:

I have my Baby Chrissy (she does not have her original clothes anymore and I have my adolescent Chrissy, she has her red plaid dress still.)

Both still have their hair in tact.

I have a Tiffany Taylor too. The one whose scalp turns around and then she's a brunette.

I have a red-headed Chrissy doll, an African-American Chrissy (with stick-straight hair, no less, how authentic is THAT?) and my sister had "Velvet", the blonde-haired Chrissy-cousin with lavender eyes and she looked like Sally Struthers. They were a lot of fun, and mom always made us take good care of them. Mom never had her own dolls, so they were all hand-me-downs and well-loved by the time SHE got them; she always had us take KINDA good care of the best dolls. There were some we could really PLAY with, and others were to be played with carefully. The Chrissy dolls were "carefully played with" dolls....... My Chrissy dolls are still in my room at the farm.

Wow, thanks everyone for sharing all your memories and thoughts about Crissy and other members of the Crissy family! I tried to do a response post last nite, it was all set to go and my PC crapped out on me.

The first Crissy I have now I had for 15 years, I found it in a collectible shop years ago. This 2nd one I just got from an auction in ebay. I do have a third that I got from the auction and also a Velvet. The 3rd Crissy is in the process of being fixed up - her hair is an awful mess! But never fear, she will look just as good as the other two!

Thanks Grenwich! I'm posting the pics at the bottom of this posting.

Hey Notjomomma, the Crissy in the green dress was called "Lookaround Crissy." So pretty! They sell the clothes for the dolls on ebay too, I've seen that one being auctioned off a couple of times.

You're right Teechia, that was probably Velvet! I see there are a few books out right now about Crissy and the Crissy Family. I can't wait to get them!

Terri, how funny! That would explain why so often Crissy or one of the other dolls are found with a haircut. LOL

Galadriel and Speedqueen - hold onto those dolls! Original dress and box - good for you! I bet they look great.

LisaJaney - wow, your dolls sound beautiful! The African-American doll is considered rare, those dolls go for quite a bit more than the others on ebay. I had to laugh about the stick-straight hair - you're right, not too authentic! I always played with mine carefully too - it was too easy to mess up all that hair.

The pics below: the first is the hair to the floor Crissy just before I gave her a 'bath' and conditioned her hair. (sorry about the naked doll pic, she's dressed in the other one) The method I used I got from one of the links at Yahoo's Crissy Doll Club. You don't want to get the doll wet really. I used conditioner to clean her face and body and wiped it off with a damp rag. Then I had to be super careful not to get water in her tail hole and eyes. If water gets inside the doll, it can get mildew. If the eyes get wet, they can rust. Anyway, the after is the 2nd picture. This rejuvenated Crissy is on the left in the turquoise satin dress. The Crissy I got in the 80's is on the right in a outfit I made for her. One of Ideal's slogans: She's beautiful, she's Ideal! Thanks for reminiscing about Crissy with me!

http://members.aol.com:/KathyKatLover/CrissyBath.jpg




http://members.aol.com:/KathyKatLover/Crissy1and2.jpg

Hey, she's NEKKID!!!! That little face is so pretty on those dolls. MY Chrissy's hair only goes down to her thighs, as I recall. And I THINK her dress is green? Oh, it's all such a blur......

Hey, she's NEKKID!!!! That little face is so pretty on those dolls. MY Chrissy's hair only goes down to her thighs, as I recall. And I THINK her dress is green? Oh, it's all such a blur......
LOL! I know, the first time I saw one on ebay that was naked I was like - Hey! She's NEKKID! I do love the look of Crissy too, she's such a beautiful and well-made doll.
You are right, the African American Crissy was in a green dress. It was just like the orange lace dress but apple green. Here's a link to one like it being auctioned on ebay. The dress is a repro but looks identical I thought. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2430&item=4166164914&rd=1

Cool! Another doll collector! I've collected dolls for years, and I have everything from Barbie, to Lee Middleton, to porcelain, to vintage...you name it!
I have a Crissy doll. She's dressed in an orange dress and orange boots. :)
You did a fabulous job on reconditioning her, by the way!! She looks great!

Cool! Another doll collector! I've collected dolls for years, and I have everything from Barbie, to Lee Middleton, to porcelain, to vintage...you name it!
I have a Crissy doll. She's dressed in an orange dress and orange boots. :)
You did a fabulous job on reconditioning her, by the way!! She looks great!
Thanks, funnybunny668, I was real nervous about how she'd turn out. I collect other dolls too. 70's and other vintage dolls, porcelain, Barbie and other 11 1/2" fashion dolls, character dolls, etc. Isn't it fun?! Cool that you have a Crissy too, every collection must have at least one! Careful though, you may start buying another, and another........:-)
I was recently going to sell some dolls on ebay I bought at a nearby local Kaybee's closeout sale but then I thought better of it. I wouldn't make much on them, and then I'd have to ship them out. I think I'll just keep them! Happy collecting!

Oh cool;Crissy lovers!!!

I had the Crissy with the orange lace dress. My two cousins & I all wanted her for Christmas. I was the only one to get her. Took her to my cousins' to "show her off". They grabbed her & permamently teased her hair! :shocked:
My mom tried everything to get the tangles out. :cry:
I still played with her, though.

Fast forward to about 5 years ago. My aunt was going through the last of my grandmother's things (she died in 1986!). She found my cousin's Crissy doll, with the box, and asked me if I would take it to her. Sure aunty, anything you say... :twisted:
Did I mention Crissy never made her way back to my cousin? heheheh

I also had Tiffany Taylor; both the "large" version, and the 12" version. I also had her penthouse. She was so cool!

How funny!
I also have a Tiffany Taylor! The large one. :)

I had a Crissy an absolutely adored her. I hope my daughter has a girl so I have an excuse to buy (and play :rolleyes: ) with dolls again. I love to make doll clothes :flower: !

I hope my daughter has a girl so I have an excuse to buy (and play :rolleyes: ) with dolls again.

Oh well, that's easy!! Just start collecting them!!
I have a roomful!! :cloud9:

I HAD A CRISSY DOLL!!!!!

I loved her so much. I think my doll had a red dress and cool white boots. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I've loved red hair since I was a little girl-all my favorite dolls had red hair!!!

I had a Mrs. Beasley doll too. Does anyone remember her? From "Family Affair"? I used to take off her clothes and put them on our cat.

edited to add:

I just looked up the Crissy doll and it reminded me of how the short parts of her 'do bothered me so much as a kid. I had to have BALANCE. Can you believe I was that compulsive even then? :silly: :silly: :silly: The asymmetrical '80s hairdo's bugged me too!

Oh, my goddess above, Crissy dolls. You know, those dolls are probably the single most significant reason why my hair is as long as it is. They were immensely popular when I was little. I had a Crissy and a Velvet; friends of mine had others, the Mia and the Kerry.

I still remember getting a Velvet doll when I was six, from my aunt and cousin. I was floored. Then, when I was thirty -- what? Thirty-six? Maybe a few years back, I can't recall -- my oldest brother surprised me with a mint-condition one for Christmas. Floored the hell out of me. Of course, I promptly hit eBay and got myself a Crissy, a Mia, and a Kerry in top condition as well. I don't remember Tara (we lived in a pretty white neighborhood, so none were sold in the nearby stores) or the other ones with the non-mobile eyes.

The other doll sets I remember clearly from when I was little were Dawn dolls, those little half-sized Barbie doll clones from Topper. They were enormously popular. I know they're making 30th anniversary ones; my brother surprised me with those as well. :-)

Sometimes I feel like the only strange woman who collects Hibben knives and dolls both. *chuckle*