Patti Playpal, also spelled as Patti Play Pal, was an American line of dolls created by both

Neil Estern Neil Carl Estern (April 18, 1926 – July 11, 2019) was an American sculptor. Known for his public monuments, Estern's best-known works are his sculptures of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Fala (dog), Fala at the Franklin Delano R ...

and Vincent DeFilippo (creator of the "baby face" sculpt Patti) both versions were produced by the

Ideal Toy Company Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris Michtom and his wife, Rose. During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll-making company in the United States. Their most popular dolls included Bet ...

during the late 1950s to early 1960s. The dolls head, arms, legs and torso are made from

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

. The process used for the torso and legs is known as

blow molding Blow molding (or moulding) is a manufacturing process for forming hollow plastic parts. It is also used for forming glass bottles or other hollow shapes. In general, there are three main types of blow molding: extrusion blow molding, injectio ...

. A main selling point of the dolls was their size. At they were made and marketed as "companion dolls" to children, and thus are able to share clothing and play with its owner as if it were a real child.

Variants and similar dolls

Besides the original Patti Playpal doll, several variants were also released (a "walking" version and the non-walking version). The doll line had "family members" which included: Penny, Saucy Walker who also was sold in a 28 inch version, Suzy, Bonnie, Johnny and the Peter. A related line, the and Daddy's Girl dolls, were also released around the same time, representing a 12-year old girl. Special editions, including Playpals modeled after child actresses Shirley Temple and Lori Martin, were also produced. Owing to the popularity of the line, similar companion dolls and counterfeits were made and marketed by other companies under different names, such as those from Allied Eastern, Sayco, Madame Alexander and numerous other manufacturers.

Legacy

The line was briefly revived in the 1980s with new dolls, among them an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

Playpal, and in the 2000s by Ashton-Drake Galleries and

Danbury Mint The Danbury Mint is a division of MBI, Inc. that markets a variety of collectibles. Danbury Mint historically marketed high quality medals and ingots produced by others exclusively for them. The company also sold numerous other collectible offerin ...

, the latter of which released a reproduction of the Shirley Temple Playpal doll.

References

{{Doll-stub 1950s toys 1960s toys Doll brands