Bébé Bain's Discoveries Part 4 of 4

Continued from Part 3

1967

Available from 1967-1968, Ideal’s Tubsy and her bathtub was a battery-operated doll that could be bathed.  

On the market in 1967-1968, Ideal’s Tubsy came with a bathtub.  The battery-operated doll splashed when placed in water up to her tummy, which certainly caused loads of giggles to erupt from the little bathing mommies.  Before they could giggle at her splashing action, two D batteries had to be placed in the doll’s battery compartment.  Tubsy was available to order through the 1968 Sears Wishbook as Playtime Tubsy.  This time she splashed in her bath or hit at her jingling mobile when she was placed supine underneath it.  Her plastic bathtub converted to a bassinet by adding a plastic top and a cotton skirt.  Accessories included a kimono and diaper.  Two D batteries were also required for the bathtub.

1968

In 1968, Bath Tub Baby had her own tub and layette while Baby Posie had her own nursery carrying case.

The 18-inch all-vinyl Bath Tub Baby in the 1968 Sears Wishbook had her own tub, several-piece layette, soap, hooded bath towel, and sponge.  This baby could be bathed squeaky clean and her rooted blonde hair shampooed.

Baby Posie (seen in the above image) with nursery carrying case was a Sears exclusive through the 1968 Wishbook.  This 9-inch doll with rooted hair had a completely posable and washable soft vinyl body.  Dressed in flower shift and matching panties, her portable nursery included a plastic playpen, bathtub, and shower cap.

1970s

 Rub-A-Dub Dolly and her tugboat shower provided loads of bathing-doll fun from 1974-1978. 

Described as being completely watertight with the ability to float, Rub-A-Dub Dolly came in a tugboat shower (1974-1978) as an all-vinyl doll with jointed arms and legs.  Available in white and black versions, she certainly must have been a fun bathing doll.  In 1979, the tugboat shower was sold separately.  Both versions (without the tugboat) are featured in a 1974 Montgomery Ward catalog along with separately-sold diaper bag and toilety sets for complete pretend baby care.

 A different Bath Tub Baby offered by Sears in 1976 was perfect for bathing and pampering.

Advertised in a 1976 Sears catalog, a 17-inch doll described as Bath Tub Baby, which differs from the doll of the same name in the 1968 catalog, was perfect for bathing and pampering.   Dressed in a white terry cloth towel, accessories included a yellow plastic bathtub with layette of robe, dress, sunsuit, booties, diaper, soap, sponge, and powder puff.

A Woolworth-exclusive doll made by Uneeda, circa 1970s, Little Sweetums, was the perfect size for the youngest little mamas to bathe.

Little Sweetums and Her Layette was a Woolworth-exclusive doll, circa 1970s.  Presented in a pink blanket, this approximately 7-inch all-vinyl doll’s layette included two yellow heart-shaped sponges and a yellow washcloth, marking her suitable for bathing.

MORE BATHING DOLLS BY HORSMAN DOLLS 1950s-1980s

From the 1950s well into the 1980s, the Horsman Doll Company manufactured several vinyl dolls in a variety of sizes designed for bathing and many that were suitable for bathing.  Several of these are featured in Horsman Dolls 1950 through 1970 by Patikii Gibbs as well as in Sears and other merchants’ catalogs.  

In 1955, Perma Nurser Bottle Baby, available in three different sizes, 13, 15 and 21 inches, came with unbreakable Perma Bottle with a nipple, large baby blanket, and/or washcloth, soap, safety pins, and sponge.  Horsman also offered Perma Nurser Bottle Baby with layette in 1955 with bathing accessories of washcloth and soap. 

In 1956, the 15-inch Pram Baby was ready for bathing and later storing in a snap-lock suitcase with a handle.  Soap, sponge, safety pins, clothes pins, wire hangers, diapers, and changes of clothing were included.

Cry Baby, available in 13- and 15-inch sizes, featured in Horsman’s 1957-1958 catalogs, came with wardrobe, nursing bottle with nipple, pacifier, clothespins, soap, sponge, safety pins, and washcloth.     

Also in 1957-1958, Pajama Baby with wardrobe, a 13-inch doll, included soap, sponge, washcloth, three clothespins, three safety pins, three wire hangers, and a snap-lock suitcase with handle available in two different sizes.  That same year, Baby-Bath Ruthie with a nursing bottle, polyethylene tub, washcloth, soap, sponge, three clothespins, and three safety pins, was ready for a nice warm bath.

Bébé enjoyed “leafing” through the pages of a Horsman doll reference book where she discovered several Softee bathing dolls and other bath-suitable dolls by Horsman.

In 1959, Ivory soap was included with Softee with wardrobe, Softee Baby with wardrobe, Softee Baby with layette, Softee Baby with molded hair, and Softee Tears.  Softee Baby was offered with molded hair or rooted hair.  A snap-lock suitcase was included with Softee with wardrobe, Softee Baby with rooted hair, and Softee Tears.  For this year, as Bébé and her adult noted, a black Softee Baby as a dressed doll with a bottle without bathing accessories was available.

From the 1961 catalog, Horsman’s Tynie Baby with layette included Ivory soap and washcloths.  Baby Buttercup, a doll available in black or white in 12-, 15-, 18- and 22-inch sizes had accessories that included three powder puffs with bowl and sponge for bathing. 

Drinkee Baby, available in black or white, was among the company’s 1967 bathing doll-offerings.  A rubber ducky, sponge, brush, and mirror attached to a gold heart-shaped card along with extra clothes and a bottle provided little ones with a baby to care for and keep clean.  Both versions had rooted hair. 

Lil Softee with wardrobe as a white doll with layette and sponge for bathing, and in black, as a dressed doll only, were offered in 1968.  Also in 1968, little caregivers could provide Teensie Baby and Mini Thirstee Baby with a full bath with the sponge these dolls’ accessories included.   In this same year, Mini Thirstee Baby, available in black or white, came with layette, nursing bottle, blanket, sponge, comb, and brush.  In 1968, Thirstee Baby, Mini Thirstee Baby and Mini Thirstee Strutter with layette were drink-wet babies available in black or white with layettes that included sponges for bathing and other baby-care accessories. 

The 6-inch Mini Thirstee Baby with and without layette and Mini Thirstee Strutter were reissued in 1969 and 1970 without an indication that black versions were available. 

In 1970, a 9-inch Teensie Baby was available as a black or white dressed doll with accessories of rattle, sponge for bathing, and nursing bottle for the doll’s drink-wet feature. 

Tub ‘n Shower Baby was an ultimate bath baby in 1975 and 1976.

The 12-inch doll with tub and shower advertised in a 1975 and 1976 Sears catalog as Tub ‘n Shower Baby appears to be a Horsman Softee.  Accessories, according to the catalog, included “pink plastic tub and shower, spray nozzle, water pump, soap, sponge, and bottle.”

Baby Softskin with layette was offered in a 1979 Montgomery Ward catalog.

Advertised by Montgomery Ward in 1979, Baby Sofskin with layette appears to be a Horsman doll.  Layette for this 14-inch dimpled-knee doll included “pajamas, jacket, diaper, nursery tray, soap, bib, washcloth, sponge, and bottle.”

1990s

La Newborn Moments by Berenguer (1998), a 17-inch baby with For-Keeps Shampoo and For-Keeps Baby Powder was ready for bathing.

Berenguer’s La Newborn is another life-size baby from 1998 that little ones could bathe.

Before her exploration of bathing dolls concluded, Bébé learned about two additional contemporary dolls.  During the late 1990s through early 2000s, doll manufacturers such as Berenguer produced anatomically correct dolls.  These dolls, with lifelike facial features and soft vinyl exteriors, were advertised by the manufacturer as water resistant.  La Newborn Moments is a 17-inch baby by Berenguer/J. C. Toys Group, Inc. from 1998.  The doll’s box illustrates a real baby being bathed.   La Newborn, another 17-inch all-vinyl baby from 1998 by the same company, was another lifelike doll ready for bathing.  Both dolls included bottles labeled For-Keeps Shampoo and For-Keeps Baby powder.  Manufactured to encourage little ones to actually bathe or pretend to bathe, powder, and shampoo the dolls’ molded hair, these dolls and others like them were also used by reborn doll artists to refashion into more lifelike dolls for adult collectors.  The addition of facial screening, blushing, rooted hair, manicures and pedicures, weighted bodies, and other enhancements provided the desired realism. 

DOLL BATHING ACCESSORIES, BATH TOYS, AND ITEMS PAST AND PRESENT

 A doll layette for 10-1/2 to 20-inch dolls could be ordered through a 1932 Sears catalog.

In the 1932 SR&C Catalog, for baby dolls 10-1/2 to 20-inches, a doll layette only cost forty-nine cents and included “a dainty lace-trimmed dress, underwear, diaper, shirt, washcloth, soap, and sponge.”

Girls could pamper themselves with Miss Merry’s Beauty Bath Make Believe Cosmetics, circa 1960s.

 Dolly’s Guest Closet, 1960s, encouraged a child’s personal hygiene.  

Miss Merry’s Beauty Bath Make Believe Cosmetics, especially developed and tested for young children, circa 1960 by Merry Manufacturing Company, included shampoo, soap, bubble bath, cologne, sponge, play bath powder, and a powder muff.  Dolly’s Guest Closet (same manufacturer, circa 1960s, encouraged a child’s personal hygiene.  This set included a hot water bottle, pillow, brush, cup (to rinse mouth after brushing teeth) and a mini plastic Samsonite suitcase.  Other sets by this manufacturer included Miss Merry’s Powder ‘N Perfume and Mister Merry’s Slick Shave.

In 1961, Sears offered a battery-operated spray bath for bathing dolls and shampooing their hair.

The 1961 Sears Wishbook advertised a battery-operated spray bath that could be used to bathe dolls and shampoo their hair.  It had a battery-driven motor.  Its water recirculation feature eliminated the need for a faucet attachment.  Three D batteries were required to operate. 

 Bathing doll accessories through catalogs of Wards (1973) and J. C. Penney (1974), respectively, included a folding doll bath and baby care set.

A folding doll bath and a baby care set were advertised in a 1973 Montgomery Ward and a 1974 J. C. Penney catalog, respectively.  The folding doll bath, which could be used for bathing dolls or as a nursing table, could hold water and had a storage pocket for sponge, soap, and washcloth.  The bathing accessories in the baby care set included a doll-size bar of Ivory soap, bath toy, talc, brush, and washcloths.

The traditional rubber duck inspired these individually-sold rubber ducks dressed as professionals and the 10-piece set of colorful floating bath toys.

Found on the website, Aliexpress, a choice of individually-sold rubber ducks with painted-on clothes, representing a variety of professions, adds a new twist to this old-time favorite bath toy.  Choices include police officer, fireman, doctor, cowboy, sheriff, among others.  Children can aspire to become any one of these professions as they bathe.  Also found on Aliexpress, a 10-piece set of colorful floating bath toys is a modern staple for children’s bathing fun.  Made of PVC, these are molded after different aquatic creatures.

Today’s girls can enjoy giving their American Girl dolls a pretend bath with the American Girl Bubble Bathtub.

Owners of American Girl’s popular 18-inch dolls can enjoy pretend bathing and allowing the dolls to unwind in the Bubble Bathtub for Dolls.  The website description indicates the set includes a “claw-foot bathtub with turning faucet knobs and an adjustable showerhead, pink plastic bubbles to fill the tub, pretend soap that fits in the soap dish, a bottle of faux shampoo to ‘wash’ [the doll’s] hair, a terry bath mat for the bathroom floor, and an embroidered washcloth and hand towel” for ‘drying’ off.

Bébé experienced great pleasure throughout her discovery of other bathing dolls and bath toys.  She remains thrilled to be among past and present dolls fashioned as a fun way to develop a child’s ability to care for and nurture others.  She better understands her role in developing and promoting a young child’s personal, social and emotional development through teaching both boys and girls the importance of hygienic habits and dressing practices for themselves and others.  Her only wishes are that more dolls like her were available today and that more children were interested in playing with them.  Bébé’s adult made one final note:  When a child learns to care for and tend to the needs of others, such mannerisms follow them into adulthood, resulting in lifelong empathy and acceptance of others. 

Photo Credits:

• Aliexpress seller, Jackson Yuan (modern floating bath toys)
• American Girl Customer Service and Susan Jevens, Associate Manager, Public Relations American Girl (American Girl Doll and bathtub)
• Doll enthusiast, Dawn Spears (Woolworth-exclusive Little Sweetums and Her Layette by Uneeda)
• eBay seller, Ddranerustysworkshop (J. C. Penny, Sears, and Ward catalog ads)
• eBay seller,  Gdawg (Sears ad for Bathtub Baby and Horsman Tub 'n Shower Dolly ad)
• Etsy.com seller, Missy Scordino of Vintage Nona (Miss Merry's children's bath and hygiene accessories)
• Mattel Customer Service and Corolle Dolls (graciously supplied Bébé Bain Graceful's stock images and the actual doll).
• RubyLane.com shop owner, Kate Eaton of Dollyology Vintage Dolls & Antiques/Collectibles (Dy-Dee Louise and black versions of American Character Tiny Tears)

Book and Website References:

Adams, Margaret (edited by).  Collectible Dolls and Accessories of the Twenties and Thirties from
     Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalogs.  (New York:  Dover Publications, Inc., 1986).

Axe, John.  Effanbee a Collector's Encyclopedia 1949-Present.  (Cumberland, MD:  Hobby House
     Press, Inc. 1983)

Gibbs, Patikii.  Horsman Dolls 1950 through 1970.  (Paducah, Kentucky:  Collector Books, 1985).

Holland, Thomas W. (edited by).  Doll and Teddy Bear Catalog Pages from the Legendary Sears
     Christmas Wishbooks of the 1950’s and 1960’s.  (Sherman Oaks, California:  Windmill Press,
     1997).

Izen, Judith.  Collectors Guide to Ideal Dolls Identification & Value Guide.  (Paducah, Kentucky:
      Collector Books, 1994).

Ranson, Anna.  “Baby Doll Washing and Caring Activity.” The Imagination Tree, June 15, 2015.

     [http://theimaginationtree.com/2015/06/baby-doll-washing-and-caring-toddler-activity.html]

Scott, Sharon M.  Toys and American Culture:  an Encyclopedia. (Santa Barbara, California:
     Greenwood, 2010).

Smith, Patricia R.  Effanbee Dolls That Touch Your Heart.  (Paducah, Kentucky:  Collector Books,
     1983.)