Dolls

This collection of 20+ 1950s miniature costume and souvenir Crolly dolls shows a wide array of clothing, fabrics, and materials. These dolls came to us in excellent condition and allow us to see the incredible handiwork of the factory workers who created them, the majority of whom were young girls and women.  Blonde piper girls Brunette piper girls Two girls with black hair Three… Continue reading Minature Crolly Dolls

Exploring Cultural Representation Through Souvenir Dolls For over five decades, Ann’s Hair Salon served as a beacon of warmth and hospitality in Shantalla, one of Galway’s oldest suburbs. From the graceful hula dancers of Hawaii to the intricate porcelain dolls of China, Ann’s collection spans continents and cultures, offering a glimpse into the rich tapestry of our world. Among her treasures are flamenco dancers… Continue reading 4.Ann Connolly’s Collection

1st-She serves as a maid to her step-mother and sisters 2nd- She goes to the ball! The upside down Cinderella doll came from our aunt in Winchester, England. A neighbour of hers made the dolls from scraps of material. One year, for each of our birthdays a doll arrived in the post to us in Ireland. I remember my sister and I acting out… Continue reading Angela Finegan’s Upside Down, Cinderella Doll

Maia grew up in SE London in the 50s. Her parents both hailed from Co Wexford. She was given the beautiful little Rosebud doll by her neighbour and always treasured it. A 7 inch doll, she opens and closes her eyes, has a fully jointed body, soft brown hair, painted shoes, and is dressed in a cotton sundress, with knitted wool underwear. Miss Rosebud.… Continue reading Maia’s little Rosebud doll, 1950s

Karol O’Connor “What you see here on display here at the Bank of Ireland in Dún Laoghaire for the Museum of Childhood Ireland are Action Man toys from my own childhood, toys that I received for birthdays and at Christmas-time back in the 1980s.  The toys were carefully put away in shoe boxes and stored in the loft of my family home for the… Continue reading Karol O’Connor’s Action Man Figures

Avril O’Reilly. “I grew up in County Cork. I had Sindy dolls and Anna and Happytime dolls, with horses. In secondary school I kept my dolls secret as many people did. The Barbie movie brought many collectors out of the closet!  Many collectors collect the doll that they did not have as children. As a child I always has ONE Sindy at a time.… Continue reading Avril O’Reilly’s Barbies

Mimi grew up in Co Wicklow in the 1960s. She received a Sindy doll as a 7th birthday present from her parents. For the following few years on birthdays in September, at Christmas, on getting her BCG vaccinations*, and during a spell in the children’s hospital to have her tonsils removed, she received further Sindy items, which were her main imaginative play items in… Continue reading Mimi’s Sindy dolls* and accessories

Máire-Anne as young girl growing up in 1950s/60s Mount Merrion, Co Dublin, was gifted by family friend Roberta Post ( USA and Ireland) her original Shirley Temple doll and steamer trunk, purchased in New York City in 1936. Máire-Anne , born 1956 and her sister Susan played very carefully with this toy, enjoying years of play, as had Roberta had before them. 20″ (51… Continue reading Máire-Anne Doyle’s Shirley Temple doll and books

A National Treasure, Aileen Sweeny and Family. “These are the ‘Bubbauns’ made by my granny Hannah approximately 90 years ago. My granny was a dressmaker and the family lived over a shop in Ballina, Co Mayo. Much loved and played with by my father Bob and his brother Paddy. The 3rd doll, Jack, is in worse repair. Jack in real life was Bob and… Continue reading Aileen Sweeny’s ‘The Bubbauns’

The first Crolly dolls were handmade with a soft-filled body, a strong head and arms and legs. Their clothing was made from local fabrics and knitted garments. The doll on the left is one of the original dolls dating to 1939. Her head was probably imported from Canada. The later dolls were made from plastic as in the second figure. Both dolls are in… Continue reading Anne O’Leary’s Crolly Dolls

GILLIAN CANTWELL, AGE 3 and 5, WITH CROLLY DOLL AND CHATTY CATHY DOLL Meet Gillian Mary Cantwell and her two favourite dolls from childhood. One photo with her Crolly doll when Gillian was three years old sitting outside her grandparents house and the other at five years of age, with her Chatty Cathy doll who talked by pulling a cord in her neck when… Continue reading Gillian Cantwell’s Dolls

The Ellen Worrall Collection: National costume / travel or souvenir dolls dressed in the traditional clothing of countries and regions around the world.  The majority of the dolls in the Ellen Worrall Doll Collection donated to the Museum of Childhood Ireland were produced in the 20th century. Many of the dolls are mass-produced, but others are cottage industry or artisan-made.  About Ellen Worrall Ellen… Continue reading Ellen Worrall’s holiday souvenir dolls

Handmade doll clothing and two dolls.  “I have ended up in the possession of some antique dolls, with handmade outfits from the 1900s.  The dolls and handmade doll clothing, have been passed down to me from my aunt Eveleen, who received them from a friend of her aunt Ita, called Miss A. Prentis, (not sure about the spelling, but this is what I interpreted… Continue reading Izzy Jones-McAuley Collection

Maya Sunario Collection. Born and raised in Indonesia, Maya Sunario’s love for dolls first began when she was given her first fashion doll, Sindy, a British fashion doll created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys in 1963. She then discovered Barbie dolls, made by its rival, Mattel Inc. In the 70s, playing with these dolls felt like a privilege as the import charges to Indonesia… Continue reading Maya Sunario’s Fashion Dolls

Homemade wooden wardrobe and hangers, and homemade doll clothes for her Crolly doll, made for seven year old Patsy Mc Guinney, from Seapoint, in Co Dublin by her mum and dad, as a Christmas gift in the 1970s.  The McAllister Collection, Museum of Childhood Ireland.