Daisy (doll)
Encyclopedia
Daisy Doll was a famous 1970s doll designed by fashion designer Mary Quant
.
Daisy was manufactured in the 1970s in Hong Kong
by Model Toys Ltd, in connection with Flair Toys Ltd. Flair Toys Ltd went out of business in 1980 but Daisy continued to be manufactured until 1983.
Mary Quant's 'symbol' is a Daisy flower, hence her doll's name.
The doll is 23 centimetres (9 inches) tall and there are three different versions of her: Dizzy Daisy, who has a stiff body and unbendable legs,with just her arms and legs swinging up and down from the hips and shoulders, basic bodied version with bendable legs, as well as the swivelling arms and leg joints, and an active version called Dashing Daisy, whose body is the most bendable. Her hair colour has ranged from different shades of blond to brunette and red.
Other dolls were manufactured from the same moulds. Havoc, Super Agent was released in 1976 and Daisy's best friend Amy, who was only available by redeeming daisy tokens from Daisy packages.
and there are hundreds of different models. The doll and its accessories were sold in ordinary local shops and children had easy access for their fashination to grow on her.The clothes were cutting edge 70s design, which would be expected of Mary Quant, one of Britains leading fashion designers and inventor of the mini skirt and hot pants. Materials included satin
, for long evening dresses
and flared pants, stretch jersey nylon
/polyester
for T-Shirts, Fake 'Fun Fur' for jackets and matching hats, and denim
for jeans
, waiscoats, hats, skirts and even a 'boiler suit' which was very fashionable at the time. Cotton
was used extensively for all manner of outfits, long gypsy style
dresses, again highly fashionable, blouses, tabbards, mini dresses etc. And patterns, again, were cutting edge fashion with great use of flowers, stripes and polka dots. Footwear was just as fashionable with platform clogs and sandals in every colour, and Go-Go Boots
with the Quant daisy on the side.
'Tulip' chairs
and table, it had a complete set of crockery and cutlery, plus a bowl of flowers, napkins and two paper table cloths. Daisy also had a kitchen sink with orange doors a 'tiled' white back splash and hot water boiler, a stove, again white with orange bottom drawer and set of pans. In the bedroom there is a 'Victorian
' range of furniture: a bed made of brass look plastic with two sheets, a pillow and eiderdown in white nylon with pink roses all over, a dressing table with swivel mirror and working (battery) oil lamp,and a wardrobe. These items were originally in brown plastic to represent wood, and then went on to be manufactured in a rich green, the doors of the wardrobe papered in a tiny flower print. The range also included a light pink chaise lounge, a chevral dressing mirror and 'bentwood
' style coat and hat stand, a 'Chesterfield
' style arm chair with pedestal side table and an 'oil lamp'.
.
Later fashions after these booklets) were named The Optimum and Flair Ranges. Each fashion book took you on a journey in Daisy's busy life, they were very educational: Round The World Diary having brief descriptions of the countries Daisy visited, they added immense play value to Daisy as children could emulate her travels etc. with their own Daisy doll and outfits.
were produced in the 1970s including:
A book, Mary Quant's daisy chain of things to make and do (ISBN 0001033514) was published by Collins in 1975.
Mary Quant
Mary Quant OBE FCSD is a British] fashion designer and British fashion icon, who was instrumental in the mod fashion movement. She was one of the designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants. Born in Blackheath, London, to Welsh parents, Quant brought fun and fantasy to...
.
Design
Mary Quant's Daisy doll was released in the UK in 1973. With the tag line 'Mary Quant makes Daisy the best dressed doll in the world'Daisy was manufactured in the 1970s in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
by Model Toys Ltd, in connection with Flair Toys Ltd. Flair Toys Ltd went out of business in 1980 but Daisy continued to be manufactured until 1983.
Mary Quant's 'symbol' is a Daisy flower, hence her doll's name.
The doll is 23 centimetres (9 inches) tall and there are three different versions of her: Dizzy Daisy, who has a stiff body and unbendable legs,with just her arms and legs swinging up and down from the hips and shoulders, basic bodied version with bendable legs, as well as the swivelling arms and leg joints, and an active version called Dashing Daisy, whose body is the most bendable. Her hair colour has ranged from different shades of blond to brunette and red.
Other dolls were manufactured from the same moulds. Havoc, Super Agent was released in 1976 and Daisy's best friend Amy, who was only available by redeeming daisy tokens from Daisy packages.
Clothes
Daisy's clothes are designed by Mary QuantMary Quant
Mary Quant OBE FCSD is a British] fashion designer and British fashion icon, who was instrumental in the mod fashion movement. She was one of the designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants. Born in Blackheath, London, to Welsh parents, Quant brought fun and fantasy to...
and there are hundreds of different models. The doll and its accessories were sold in ordinary local shops and children had easy access for their fashination to grow on her.The clothes were cutting edge 70s design, which would be expected of Mary Quant, one of Britains leading fashion designers and inventor of the mini skirt and hot pants. Materials included satin
Satin
Satin is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibres such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is...
, for long evening dresses
Evening dress
Evening dress may refer to:* White tie, the most formal civilian dress code in Western fashion* Black tie, a semi-formal dress code for evening events and social functions in Western fashion...
and flared pants, stretch jersey nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
/polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
for T-Shirts, Fake 'Fun Fur' for jackets and matching hats, and denim
Denim
Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century...
for jeans
Jeans
Jeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...
, waiscoats, hats, skirts and even a 'boiler suit' which was very fashionable at the time. Cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
was used extensively for all manner of outfits, long gypsy style
Gypsy style
The term gypsy style refers to the typical way East European music is played in coffeehouses and restaurants, at parties, and sometimes on-stage, in European cities. Music played in this style is known by the general public as "gypsy music"....
dresses, again highly fashionable, blouses, tabbards, mini dresses etc. And patterns, again, were cutting edge fashion with great use of flowers, stripes and polka dots. Footwear was just as fashionable with platform clogs and sandals in every colour, and Go-Go Boots
Go-go boots
Go-go boots are a low-heeled style of women's fashion boot worn since the mid-sixties when fashion silhouettes focused on accentuating the leg...
with the Quant daisy on the side.
House and furniture
Daisy has her own house, a fold up country cottage with one room divided by a split level floor for the bedroom area, and a sloped roof, printed inside with windows and wallpaper and outside with stone walls, windows and greenery. Furniture included round 1970s-style kitchen table and chairs, white with pedestal bases which were based on the Eero SaarinenEero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
'Tulip' chairs
Tulip chair
The Tulip chair was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1955 and 1956 for the Knoll company of New York City. It was designed primarily as a chair to match the complementary dining table. The chair has the smooth lines of modernism and was experimental with materials for its time...
and table, it had a complete set of crockery and cutlery, plus a bowl of flowers, napkins and two paper table cloths. Daisy also had a kitchen sink with orange doors a 'tiled' white back splash and hot water boiler, a stove, again white with orange bottom drawer and set of pans. In the bedroom there is a 'Victorian
Victorian
Victorian may mean:*Of or relating to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom*Victorian era , a term derived from the lengthy 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria and particularity various styles, ideas, and trends associated with that era:...
' range of furniture: a bed made of brass look plastic with two sheets, a pillow and eiderdown in white nylon with pink roses all over, a dressing table with swivel mirror and working (battery) oil lamp,and a wardrobe. These items were originally in brown plastic to represent wood, and then went on to be manufactured in a rich green, the doors of the wardrobe papered in a tiny flower print. The range also included a light pink chaise lounge, a chevral dressing mirror and 'bentwood
Bentwood
Bentwood is a term used to describe furniture made by steaming wood, bending it, and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns, and is most often used in the production of rocking chairs, cafe chairs, and other light furniture. The iconic No...
' style coat and hat stand, a 'Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
' style arm chair with pedestal side table and an 'oil lamp'.
Pets
Daisy's pets are a dog called Spot, a dalmatian, a black labrador retriever and a horse called Archie, which can be found in three colours: white with black spots, brown and a palominoPalomino
Palomino is a coat color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a "red" base coat...
.
Booklets
Every year a new fashion booklet was issued, showing any new Daisy dolls, and all her latest fashions for that year. Each booklet had a theme; the first, in 1973, being called My Fashion Diary, telling all about Daisy's year and the various outfits she wears each month for various occasions. The 1974 booklet is called My Round The World Holiday, in which Daisy travels the world, showing off more wonderful outfits designed by Mary Quant. 1975 'My Exiting Life As A reporter', 1976, I'm Having Fun As A Travel Courier, 1976, All About My Gift shop, 1977, My Glamorous Life As A Ballerina.Later fashions after these booklets) were named The Optimum and Flair Ranges. Each fashion book took you on a journey in Daisy's busy life, they were very educational: Round The World Diary having brief descriptions of the countries Daisy visited, they added immense play value to Daisy as children could emulate her travels etc. with their own Daisy doll and outfits.
Associated items
Sets of Daisy paper dollsPaper Dolls
Paper Dolls is an American prime time soap opera which aired for 14 episodes on ABC from September 23, 1984 to December 25, 1984. Set in New York's fashion industry, the show centered around top modeling agency owner Racine , her conflicts with the family of cosmetics tycoon Grant Harper , and the...
were produced in the 1970s including:
A book, Mary Quant's daisy chain of things to make and do (ISBN 0001033514) was published by Collins in 1975.