Meet Opal

I know I said I was going to introduce my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, but I decided to save the one I'm keeping for last. The other three will be sold, but Opal is going to become one of my "Amigos" -- an assortment of late 80's girls who I dress and display.

It wasn't easy to choose, and there isn't a solid reason why she is my choice. I like the rose pattern on her red, white, and blue sari, yet I think the color is the least flattering of the four. I like the shape of her bangs, yet they all have nice hair now that it's been washed. Perhaps it's that she appears to be more petite than the others, though appears is the operative word here. I even hesitate to say she is my "favorite". They all call to me in different ways, yet she spoke to me the loudest.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Opal seems the most reserved.

Meet Ruby

Since I'm introducing my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, third up is Ruby.

Ruby wears a red sari with a black, white, and blue pattern that looks somewhat Oriental (both the color and the pattern). I think she has the straightest bangs/fringe of the four, though she also has a piece in the center that wants to stick up.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Ruby seems the most serene.

Meet Iris

Since I'm introducing my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, second up is Iris.

Iris wears a purple sari with a black and grey floral pattern. I love this vivid shade of purple, and think it looks lovely with her black hair. Speaking of her hair, it looks slightly longer than the others, though that may be because it has slightly less curl.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Iris seems the most aloof.

Meet Beryl

It has been so long since I bought my Sasha Saris that I don't recall the order in which they were purchased. I've decide to introduce them in alphabetical order, so first up is Beryl.

Beryl wears a blue sari with a pink and white floral pattern. I think she has the thickest bangs/fringe of the four, and also appears to be slightly taller than the others. Her sari is damaged, with a piece missing along one edge, but it isn't particularly noticeable when wrapped.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Beryl seems the most feminine.

Sasha Saris

I currently own four Sasha Saris, each wearing a different color sari. I have been holding out on introducing them on my blog because I wanted to wash their hair first, and with four of them that's a time-consuming project. Each of them had bangs that stuck out in several directions, and their hair seemed clumpy in back. I finally dug out my mild shampoo last week and made time to wash and dry their hair. Wow, what a difference! I was planning to sell all four as part of my consolidation, but they look so lovely now that I've decided to keep one as my sixth Amigo.

When I redressed them I wrapped their saris differently, to go over the shoulder and not the head. This is more in keeping with how I've known people to wear their saris, plus it keeps their hair from getting so mussed.

Isn't their black hair gorgeous?!

They are from 1986, the final year of production for the English Sashas, and only around 400 were made before the factory closed. That means these are roughly 1% of all the Sasha Saris made. They lack the hand painting of the earlier dolls, but they still look slightly different from each other.

I will introduce them individually shortly.

Meet Cleo

After seeing all the lovely dolls at the Sasha Festival, I added two new dolls to my wish list. One was a dark black baby girl. Not long afterward, I managed to find what I was looking for on Ruby Lane. She came in her original box with a styrofoam cradle; using Susanna Lewis' charts, I was able to date it/her as being from March 1972-1974 (a type II-A box). Her arms don't want to stay up, but I know that's easy to have fixed. Otherwise she is just perfect!




I have lots of clothes for her, and will take more pictures when the weather cooperates. She needs good sunlight or her features get lost (I have similar problems when taking pictures of Chloe). I followed the same naming tradition as my other "dressing" dolls (who are from the 1980's) -- starting with C, Greek origin -- but she has four letters rather than five since she's smaller.

Meet Yamka

It's been a while since I've posted about a Later Gotz doll. Yamka is the final addition to that portion of my collection (I know, famous last words). Like Ira, Yamka is a limited edition doll from 2001 with an outfit modeled after one of the old studio dolls (shown on page 100 of the book Sasha-Puppen). She was not easy to come by, due to both her limited edition status and the fact that she seems to be on many people's wish lists. I can understand why, as she has quite a unique look.


I believe she's the only doll with jewelry as part of her original outfit: she came with five beaded necklaces, and a bracelet spiraled around her right arm (which I've removed temporarily as it left green marks on her vinyl).


She came with a certificate denoting her limited edition status and number. In addition, she is marked on her torso with her number (268 of 500) and the year 2001.

Meet Chloe

As I stated here, I was originally looking for a Sasha doll for my daughter to play with. I found Chloe (nee Cora) on eBay. When I saw her curls I knew she was the perfect choice. Boo often wishes she had straight hair, and I was concerned that a Sasha with long straight locks would reinforce that as the ideal of beauty. A doll with hair that matched hers might convince Boo that curls were beautiful too. Chloe came to us wearing a blue gingham Sasha dress (with added lace), matching panties, and her original brown sandals and wrist tag. I do not know her year of production, but I'm assuming sometime in the 80's.


Chloe is a lighter-skinned Cora with very pink lips and dark brown eyes - an attractive combination.


UPDATE: Since my original post, I've learned a bit more about the lighter-skinned Coras. They were produced wearing a flowered dress with brown sandals (118) from 1980-1984, and a corduroy dress with black lace shoes (119) from 1985-1986. Given that my Cora was still wearing her brown sandals, I believe she is a Cora Flower Dress (118).