1969 Dungarees

I just snapped some quick pictures of Hannah with my other 1969 Dungarees. Hayley, Hannah, and Harlow are in the back row, while Hedwig and Hester are in the front row. I had my flash on by mistake when I took this picture, but didn't get as bad a reflection from the eyes as I usually do with a flash.

Here are the three "dark" dungarees together. Hayley's vinyl is so shiny compare to the other two, that it was hard to get a picture without glare on her cheeks. Hannah's hair is still in the original braids, and thus looks quite sleek. Harlow's wider face is very apparent from this angle; she seems a bit aloof to me.

Hannah and Harlow both have nice matte vinyl, so I could get a good close-up of their faces without much glare. As you can hopefully see, they have lovely eyes. Harlow's are a darker brown, the darkest of the five I think.

If you were shopping for a Sasha doll back in 1969 and saw these two dolls on a shelf, which would you choose? I think that would have been a difficult decision.

Meet Hannah

I've introduced four 1969 redhead dungarees so far, five if you count my rerooted "sneak" (who started life as a brunette). I wasn't looking for any more, but couldn't resist this girl when she was searching for a new home. Like Miranda, she came from the collection of Audrey Femmer, though I purchased her indirectly. She is unique in that her dungarees have black snaps instead of the more common silver. Her face paint is perfect, as you can see in these pictures.

Hannah is a stunning girl, with her own unique look. I love how different all of my dungarees girls are from one another. Hopefully I'll have time to take more dungarees comparison photos soon.

1968-69 Dungarees

When I wrote a post comparing my Blue Cords, I noted that Audrey (my one 1968) looks delicate/dainty compared to the others (all from 1969). I feel the same way about Fiona when I look at her compared to my other Dungarees. She definitely stands out in all the groupings I tried, not just due to her wispy bangs, but also her eyes.

Here she is between my other "dark" Dungarees: Hayley (left) and Harlow (right).

Here she is between my Dungarees that have narrower faces: Hayley (left) and Hester (right).

Compared to my Redhead Quartet, I think Fiona looks most like Hayley. They might pass for cousins or even sisters, but certainly not identical twins.

Meet Fiona

This doll was an eBay gamble that worked out in the end. I knew she had white stringing in her arms and flecked in her legs, so she was a fairly early doll. The seller described her as having no bangs (which I doubted), and thought there might be a groove under her nose but wasn't sure (the pictures weren't clear enough for me to tell). It wasn't until she arrived that I knew for sure that she had both bangs and a philtrum.

I forgot to take a "before" picture of her tangled hair, but I washed it and uncovered her fine fringe. This picture was taken to show the seller ...

... because while she had beautiful hair now, she smelled awful!

I showed the seller that the doll had bangs, and also complained about her very smoky odor. She replied that the doll came from an estate sale and she hadn't noticed the smell due to a cold. After checking with her doll resources/friends, she concurred that the smell would be very hard to remove, if not impossible. She had a return policy, but instead we agreed on a nice discounted price.

I then set about trying to remove the smell from Fiona, my first 1968 Redhead Dungarees. First I aired her on my screen porch for several months, then I made a leap of faith. Instead of trying traditional odor removers -- baking soda, activated charcoal, kitty litter, coffee grounds -- I decided to use Biocide. We have a camper that was also in need of de-stinking, so I took Fiona apart and placed her inside it while the Chlorine Dioxide did it's thing. I consider the treatment to be a success; it does not appear to have damaged her in any way, and even to my sensitive nose she is nearly odorless!

Here are a few pictures of her in her original outfit, which cleaned up nicely with Perk. Now I just need to see if I can repair the straps on one of her sandals.

Comparison photos with some of my 1969 Dungarees will follow shortly.

Redhead Quintet

Here are a couple of pictures of Rowena (my "redhead sneak" who started life as a 1969 Brunette Gingham) along with four 1969 Redhead Dungarees. She fits in nicely with the group, adding another dimension to the original quartet.

Height perception is a bit distorted in this picture since they are standing in an arc; the two at the ends are closer to the camera.


I think she looks most like Hester (in the light dungarees and thin green hair ribbons).

Meet Rowena

I gave a Sneak Peek at Rowena almost a month ago, using pictures taken by Bettina during the rerooting process. She is a 1969 brunette who has been rerooted with saran hair, and given the hairstyle of a dungarees girl from that time period. Her clothes have arrived (I purchased her nude then ordered a Repro Dungarees Outfit from Ruths Dolls), and I've finally found time to take some photographs. As you can see, she looks spectacular!




She may have started life as a brunette, but she makes a stunning redhead. I just love her thick braids!


I am grateful that Bettina gave her a new life, and feel very fortunate to have Rowena in my home. She may not be a "true" dungarees, but she looks great with my Redhead Quartet, as you'll see in my next post.

Redhead Quartet

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming ...

I promised to post comparison photos of my dungarees girls after the festival, and here they are. I took these pictures on an overcast day, so the brightness varies depending on whether the sun was behind a cloud or not. Here they are all lined up together (l to r): Harlow, Hester, Hayley, and Hedwig.


So similar, and yet so different.


Here are the two "dark" dungarees girls, Harlow (green ribbons) and Hayley (blue ribbons). They both have fairly deep bangs, though Harlow's are deeper. She also has a wider face than Hayley.


Here are the two "light" dungarees girls, Hester (thin ribbons) and Hedwig (wider ribbons). Hedwig has deeper bangs and a wider face, similar to Harlow.


Here are the two wider faced girls, Harlow (dark dungarees) and Hedwig (light dungarees).


Here are the two narrower faced girls, Hayley (dark dungarees) and Hester (light dungarees). Hester is the shortest of the four.

Meet Hedwig

No, I didn't take out Hester's braids. I own a second redhead wearing the lighter blue dungarees.


Hedwig came to me from Shelly's UK website, and is not grubby or in need of restringing. :-) According to a tag around her neck, she is from 1969 and was called Pippa by a previous owner. She has obviously been well cared for.


Even though they are from the same year, my four redhead dungarees all look subtly different (a bit like my three blue cords). Look for comparison photos in a post after the Festival.

UPDATE: I braided Hedwig's hair, but she's still very distinct from Hester. Hedwig has deeper bangs and slightly longer braids, plus her lips are a lighter color. It will be fun to see my Dungarees side-by-side in comparison photos.

Meet Hester

Hester is the third doll that traveled to Florida for a visit to Pat's spa. I bought her from another collector, so she was not grubby like the other two (from eBay). Her arms wouldn't hold a pose, so I sent her to be restrung. Pat recommended she be cleaned and have some spots removed as well, so Hester also received the full spa treatment. I think it was a wise decision; she looked good before, but even better now.


From her original stringing colors, I believe she is from 1969. She wears the lighter blue dungarees, giving her a slightly different look than Harlow and Hayley.

Meet Hayley (after)

My three dolls are back from their trip to Florida, where they received the full spa treatment from Pat in addition to restringing. She did a really nice job cleaning them up, and they returned looking fresh and wholesome with ribbons in their hair.

Hayley is no longer a grubby girl. She was washed inside and out, and had some small marks removed. She can also hold a pose again, which makes her much more fun to photograph.


She will probably return to her original braids eventually, but I am continuing to keep her hair down for now. She looks so sweet with it pulled back -- thanks Pat!


UPDATE: I braided Hayley's hair for some Dungarees comparison photos. Here's how she looks with braids:

Hair Care

I'm getting ready to send Hayley off to Pat Pellerito's Sasha Spa in Florida for restringing. She already looks a lot better now that I've washed and conditioned her hair. I used products from Wiggin' Out which are formulated for synthetic fiber wigs and hairpieces, and am quite pleased with the results. Her hair is still a bit dry at the ends, but so much nicer than it was before.

Meet Harlow

Harlow is my second Redhead Dungarees, also from 1969. She was purchased shortly after Hayley, and came to me in far better condition. Her hair was down, so I re-braided it and added dark green ribbons. Her clothes could do with a good cleaning, and her hair should probably be washed and conditioned as well. Still, I'm enamored with her just as she is.








I think I'm going to put blue ribbons on Hayley's braids so I can tell them apart. Perhaps I'll even get motivated and buy some alphabet beads to make them little ID bracelets.

Meet Hayley (before)

I wanted a Redhead Dungarees for quite some time before I managed to acquire one. Whenever I found one online it was already 'sale pending' or I was outbid at auction. I finally managed to purchase this doll, from 1969. She's far from perfect, but I think she'll clean up nicely. She has all her original clothing which is in good condition. Since this picture, I've cleaned them in a perk/boost solution from Twin Pines of Maine. Her stringing is loose so she doesn't stand well, but I know that's a simple fix (now I have two dolls who need to head out for some Sasha spa TLC). Her hair is a mess, but fortunately it doesn't look like it has been cut anywhere. I think it will be much improved with a good wash and her original braided hairstyle. I just purchased some shampoo and conditioner designed specifically for synthetic wigs, so hopefully I'll find time for that project soon.


UPDATE #1: Here she is with washed and conditioned (but not braided) hair.