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 We
all love a bargain, so it`s a bonus when one doll suddenly becomes
two! It`s a lot more common than you might think - many dolls
can be altered in appearance, giving extra play value, as well
as novelty interest. Children love it when a sad doll becomes
happy, or a doll in tatters is transformed into a princess, and
numerous people nowadays are building up collections of `transforming
dolls`.
There are several ways in which a doll can change its appearance.
Probably the most commonly-found are the topsy-turvy dolls, which
consist of two half-dolls joined at the waist, sometimes with
an extra doll attached at the back for good measure. Other transformable
types include two-or-three-faced dolls, dolls with interchangeable
heads, and dolls whose expressions change because their rubber
faces are moulded over a moveable wire armature.
 The
easiest topsy-turvy dolls to find are those made from cloth. Sometimes
they are dolls which tell a story, such as Cinderella in rags
turning into the belle of the ball with a flick of her skirts,
or maybe Red Riding Hood who changes to grandma. The wolf might
be incorporated too, giving even more value. The principle in
all these dolls is the same - they wear long skirts and beneath
them you`ll find another head and body, rather than a pair of
legs. Recently, Jellycat, produced a topsy-turvy Alice in Wonderland
doll who changes from Alice into the Queen of Hearts.
Jellycat dolls are beautifully and elaborately made, and their
other exciting upside-down dolls include the Frog Princess, Nursery
Rhymes, Cinderella and the Enchanted Garden. Another maker, the
North American Bear company, issue dolls which changed from witches
to fairies and from Goldilocks to the Three Bears, amongst other
innovative designs, while during the 1980s Peggy Nisbet made porcelain
topsy-turvy dolls. One was Cinderella, who turned from rags to
riches, the other was `My Fair Lady`, which altered from poor
Eliza Doolittle to posh Eliza dressed for Ascot.
 Souvenir
Topsy-turvys often seen, such colourful stockinette dolls from
the West Indies, whose costumes change when they are reversed.
Another form of costume doll has a moulded felt face with painted
side-glance eyes, and turns from a Spanish senorita into a peasant
girl. A few years ago, an Australian company called Milly Molly
brought out a rag doll which turned from white to black, the idea
being to promote racial harmony. Their slogan was 'We may look
different but we feel the same', and the marketing theme was a
'reconciliation doll for world peace' The idea behind these charming
dolls wasn`t new; the white to black theme has appeared many times,
not just in cloth dolls but those made from other mediums too.
 Topsy-turvy
dolls can be cloth, composition, plastic, china or celluloid.
The American Madame Alexander doll company made a composition
doll - a kind of plaster - in the 1930s, which consisted of a
pair of dolls joined at the waist, one sprayed black, the other
pink. The first had pigtails of black woolly hair, while the other
doll`s hair was moulded and painted. These early Madame Alexander
dolls change hands for around £150 in good condition. Plastic
topsy-turvys include a Roddy from the 1960s, with joined torsos.
This was possibly a prototype, as few are around. A simple way
of changing a doll`s appearance is to make a cloth doll with two
fronts. This method was used for an attractive doll, Bobby Snooks,
made by the US company, ToyWorks in the 1980s. On one side he
is a smart soldier, but turn him over and he`s tattered and torn
after battle, complete with a plaster on his nose.
 For
years, manufacturers have puzzled how to produce dolls which change
their expressions. Swivel-heads were often used in antique china
dolls; the doll`s head might have two, or even three, faces, and
a twist of a knob turned the head to reveal the desired expression.
During the 1970s and 80s, this method was revived and a number
of `cheap and cheerful` multi-faced bisque china dolls appeared
in the shops. These dolls are now becoming sought by collectors,
as the early ones are so expensive. The same technique has been
used with plastic dolls. In America, they were particularly popular
during the 1950s and 60s, and companies such as Ideal issued a
series of them such as a soft-bodied girl with a knob on her head
hidden by a bonnet. Her three faces changed from sleep, to smile,
to cry.
 One
of the most delightful two-faced dolls of recent times was made
by Falca in the 1980s. She was a sturdy, 22 inch baby and her
two faces - one happy, one miserable - were beautifully and realistically
moulded. In addition, she featured a crying/laughing sound chip
which, rather cleverly, would only operate when the correct face
was forward!
Various companies have made vinyl face-change play dolls from
time to time, such as a small, 8 inch, unmarked Hong Kong baby
dressed a blue floral hooded suit who featured a large knob on
top of his head which, when turned, allowed three expressions.
Another doll, `Toni Two`, was sold in packaging which boasted,
`Turn my head and I`m mad, turn my head and I`m glad`. Toni Two
was a toothy toddler wearing a red striped dress. Doll-designer
Marie Osmond has featured two-face dolls in her collector`s range,
including Missy, a beautifully-dressed doll in a turquoise gingham
frock and mob cap, whose expression can be changed from happy
to sad.
 Another
way of changing faces is to model the doll`s head on a wire frame,
using thin soft plastic, such as in the case of Mattel`s 1960
`Cheerful Tearful` or their later `Saucy` doll. Cheerful Tearful`s
expression changed from a smile to a pout when her arm was raised,
and she looked cute. In contrast, Saucy was hilarious. Operated
in the same manner, she rolled her eyes, grimaced and made the
most awful faces; she must have had a really bad influence on
her little owners, because they were sure to have copied her!
More recently, Famosa introduced Baby Expressions, a battery-operated
face-change doll, available as both boy or girl.
Occasionally, dolls are sold with spare heads. A French doll
maker called Le Tort patented the idea in 1849, and it was soon
copied. Decades later, a celluloid doll was produced which came
with three assorted girl heads, as well as a boy - and a cat!
It must have seemed strange having a cat-headed doll. During the
1960s, Teltoy made a teen doll called Brenda with three heads,
each with different colour hair. Today, several dolls feature
interchangeable wigs; the idea is particularly popular amongst
some of the teen dolls made for collectors, allowing the appearance
to be slightly altered, even if the expression is not. Dolls with
`hair-grow` mechanisms, such as Tressy, are another example of
a doll changing its style to suit the owner`s mood.
Perhaps one of the most unusual ways of altering doll`s face
can found in Mattel`s `What`s Her Face` dolls, which come with
totally blank faces so the owner can design them as she likes.
They have spare wigs and funky outfits, and can be given a new
persona almost instantly. Yet even that idea isn`t new; folk dolls,
especially the straw types, occasionally come with blank faces,
while play dolls are sometimes given bland or indistinct features
to allow a child to stretch the imagination. Highly collectable
Sasha dolls have neutral faces, which can look happy, sad, contented
or dreamy according to the mood of the viewer, and so, although
not `face-change` dolls as such, they do allow for imaginative
interpretation of expression.
Next time you see a long-skirted cloth-doll, a doll with a rubbery
face, or maybe a doll with a suspicious bulge beneath her bonnet,
examine them carefully. They might not be quite what they seem!
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