 Holly Hobbie was an artist specialising in drawing greetings cards,
lending her name to the characters she drew, which were later
issued in doll form.
Pictured right: 1975 Knickerbcoker
Holly Hobbie doll
During the 1960s, people became intrigued by her designs featuring
a little girl, facing sideways, dressed in a long patchwork frock,
with a large bonnet totally obscuring her face. This pose tended
to create an urge to see the expression which lurked beneath the
brim. Grannies, especially, adored this nostalgia theme, imagining
it was their granddaughter lurking under that floppy bonnet, and
the whole concept happily coincided with the fashionable look
of the day - long, floaty dresses, small prints, Laura Ashley,
country style, femininity and pastel shades.
 Holly
Hobbie created her designs for the American Greetings Card Company
for many years, featuring children in idyllic settings, each illustrated
by a motto such as 'Life's greatest blessing is a happy heart',
'Happiness is found in little things' or 'Start each day in a
happy way'. The designs appeared not only on stationery items,
but on products such as kitchen towels, oven gloves, plates, cups,
aprons, bed linen, china ornaments, trays and, of course, as dozens
of different dolls. Many of these were rag dolls, as befitting
the nostalgia theme. Today, Holly Hobbie lives in Conway, Massachusetts,
and is a successful author/illustrator of picture books featuring
the adventures of two pigs called Toot and Puddle.
Pictured left: Tomy Party Days
Holly Hobbie
 Dolls
representing Holly Hobbie have been made by several companies
over the years, including Knickerbocker, Tomy and, most recently,
Ashton Drake. During the 1970s a Holly Hobbie made from a very
soft thin rubbery vinyl was issued by the American Greetings Corp.
This doll had barely-there features, a round head, straggley hair
and tiny eyes. She looked rather strange. Knickerbocker created
a whole range of rag dolls in various sizes, and, as well as Holly
Hobbie, there were friends such as Amy, Heather, Carrie, Robby
and Grandma. Amy tended to wear green, Heather pink or beige and
Carrie, red. Robby was a little boy in blue striped dungarees,
while Grandma, naturally, was an old lady doll.
Pictured right: Ashton Drake Holy
Hobbie doll
As well as the rag dolls, vinyl types were available - one unusual
one stood just 6" tall, but wore an enormous skirt. Underneath
the skirt was a three-roomed dolls house, complete with Holly
Hobbie-style furniture and accessories, such as a gramophone with
a horn, a rocking chair, a butter churn, a kitchen dresser and
a round table.
Tomy introduced a range of Holly Hobbie dolls in
1989, featuring some beautiful rag types 16" high, dressed
in pastel-coloured dresses, each bearing a message such as 'Make
each day a sunshine day' and 'A gift from the heart is the best
gift of all'. The box stated 'Every day is a Holly day'. During
the 1990s, Holly Hobbie was revamped again, this time by Knickerbocker,
appearing as a vinyl, soft-bodied doll with a snub nose, cheeky
smile and masses of curly hair. She wore a long patchwork frock
and matching bonnet, available in several colourways. Smaller
versions were sold too.
The recent Ashton Drake issue of porcelain Holly Hobbie dolls
was probably the most delightful representation of the character
ever produced. Created by Dianna Effner, and standing 16"
high, they represented the four seasons. Autumn, the first to
be released, showed the little girl in her famous patchwork dress
and bonnet clutching a flowering twig. The next in the series,
Summer, had Holly dressed in patriotic red, white and blue, holding
the American Flag, while Winter had her in a red dress and Spring
wore green. These dolls had delightful expressions - a combination
of a shy smile and a cheeky grin - and the detailing on the costumes
was excellent.
Greetings from Holly, Sarah &
Betsey - feature on Holly Hobbie, Sarah Kay and Betsey Clark |
