| Barbara
Ann Scott is jointed at the shoulders, neck and hips. The composition
head has blue sleep eyes, lashes and painted brows. her cheeks and knees
are tinged with red; she appears to be wearing her "stage" make-up, ready
to go onto the ice at any moment.
Her hair
is honey blond - just like the real Barbara Ann Scott's - and her open
mouth reveals teeth. She wears a large smile. Markings on her head read:
"Reliable/Made in Canada."
Variations
in Costuming
Though
the doll was always composition, her skating outfit did change. In 1948,
the first doll wore a blue lace skating outfit trimmed with maribou
feathers, a pearl coronet had and figure skating boots - the boot type
which can be taken off, put back on, and laced up. The metal skate blades
are attached to the bottom of the skate boots with little rivets.
The other unique item is a small skate tag which hung from her hand.
It reads "Barbara Ann Scott" (printed in red), then "Doll"
(printed in blue) and then "Barbara Ann Scott" again (again
in red). On the skate blade, "Reliable Toy company Limited, Toronto"
is printed in red.
The 1949
version wears a blue costume and a tiara.
The 1950
version also had a hat and a velveteen skating costume. It should be
noted that each of the costumes was nicely trimmed with maribou feathers.
The 1951
Barbara Ann Scott wears a blue outfit with gold dots and the maribou
trim. A second version is pink with gold dots.
As befits
an outfit for skating in the cold outdoors, all of her costumes are
long-sleeved.
The doll's box is not elaborate. On the side panel is printed "Barbara
Ann Scott Doll" with the Reliable Toy Company information. On the
right side of the label panel is Barbara Ann Scott in a skating pose,
looking up. The label also has the color stamped on it.
Canadian
Winter Athletes as Dolls
Canadian
skaters and dolls excel!
Given
the long winters, it is no wonder that winter sports are so very popular
in Canada. It should not be surprising, then, that outstanding winter
athletes have been honored as national heroes.
Canadian
toy companies have a long history of honoring their nation's winter
athletes. From the late 1940s to the 1980s, manufacturers produced several
dolls representing famous female competitors. The most famous was Barbara
Ann Scott doll, modeled after the renowned figure skater. She was marketed
by the Reliable Toy Company of Toronto from 1948-1954 as mentioned earlier.
Reliable's
Anne Heggtveit
But besides
Barbara Ann Scott, several other dolls were produced. In 1961, Reliable
manufactured the Anne Heggtveit doll. The doll's namesake won fame during
the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, Calif., when she won Canada's
first gold medal in alpine skiing.
The Anne Heggtveit doll is 16" tall. she has a plastic body and
legs and vinyl arms. She is jointed at the hips, neck and shoulders.
Her vinyl plastic head has saran hair, and like many Reliable dolls,
she has blue sleep eyes with painted lower lashes and a closed mouth.
Reliable's
mark is on the doll's body. An original Anne Heggtveit should have a
tag which reads, "Canadian Olympic Ski Champion/ Anne Heggtveit
Doll - made by Reliable in Canada."
The most
important aspect of this doll is her wardrobe. Two outfits were available
for the Anne Heggtveit doll. She came wearing a zippered print ski jacket,
gloves, slacks, ski boots and the nice accessories of sunglasses and
tiny skis.
A second outfit, no doubt designed for walking around the Olympic Village
after the day's events, included a blue pullover with matching pants,
gloves, black felt boots, and a white headband.
The key
to this doll's value are these two outfits which set her apart from
other dolls. The tag is an important consideration as well in determining
the doll's mint condition.
Karen
Magnussen from Regal Toy
Toronto's
Regal Toy Company produced a Karen Magnussen doll in 1974, honoring
the world-famous skater. The real-life Karen Magnussen wowed audiences
in Canada and around the world from the late ‘60s though early
‘70s, winning the Canadian Women's Championship in 1968 and a silver
medal at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, before winning
the World Championship in 1973.
Regal
was a younger company than Reliable, founded in 1959 by the Frank Samuels
family. The company produced plastic and vinyl dolls.
Their
plastic Karen Magnussen doll stands 18" tall. her vinyl head has
rooted blond curls, blue eyes and a closed mouth. The body is jointed
at the neck, shoulders and hips. Her permanently affixed eye shadow
is a nice extra touch, giving her the appearance of being ready to set
out onto the ice at any moment.
The doll
is stamped "Regal Toy/Made in Canada."
Her box
reads, "Karen Magnussen World Champion, Star of the Ice Capades"
and "Every little girl loves a Regal doll." The same information
is also printed on the box in French, befitting the bilingual nature
of Canada's population.
A picture of the real Ms. Magnussen in a skating pose graces the middle
of the box.
Elizabeth
Manley
The most
recent female skater doll of a collectible nature was manufactured following
the the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics when Elizabeth Manley doll was
produced by the Star Doll and Distinctive Dolls of Canada.
Stands
17" tall, and her plastic body has jointed hips, neck and shoulders.
Her vinyl head has short, rooted, curly blond hair, and brown eyes with
lashes.
She is
marked, "Elizabeth Manley - 1989/Star Doll."
Her white
Stetson hat is the most important feature of her outfit. Every member
of the Canadian olympic team wore a white Stetson as a part of the national
uniform for the Calgary Olympics. It served as a fun reminder of Calgary's
long heritage of western tradition, and its role as host of the annual
Calgary Stampede, an enormous rodeo festival.
Dolls
of Canada - A Reference Guide by Evelyn Strahlendorf. Book Lore Publications,
1986, Ottawa, Ont. Comprehensive history of Canadian dolls.
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