Little Londoners: strange & delightful dolls

Workout clothes Sindy costume, 1983

The Sindy dolls have been kept in their original packaging, showing exactly how they were presented to potential buyers in the early 1980s. ID no. 84.303/15

Our collection of Sindy dolls capture a moment in fashion, specifically the fashions of 1983-1984. Sindy dolls were first launched by Pedigree Toys in the early 1960s, a period that saw an increased array of fashionable clothing that was aimed at teenagers rather than adults or children exclusively.

The fashion-focused Sindy dolls echoed this trend, with ranges of teen clothing available to suit each Sindy style. Our collection includes a Pop Singer Sindy, who wears a bright yellow polka dot dress and chunky black waist belt straight out of the wardrobe of Cyndi Lauper or Bananarama. We have Sindy work-out clothes, Sindy casual attire, and a fabulous range of Sindy lingerie and nightwear. But perhaps best of all is an outfit that we call ‘Sherlock Sindy’; consisting of a calf-length brown tweed cape, matching fedora hat, and knee-high boots. Very Baker Street chic.

These dolls were collected by the Museum of London in late 1984 for an exhibition of toys and games. Some of the items were purchased from toyshops in Chelsea, such as Lafferty’s on the King’s Road and Toddler Toys on Harriet Street, just off Sloane Street.

Others were donated directly by Pedigree Toys at the request of a Museum of London curator, Amanda Herries. She was passionate about collecting contemporary toys to ensure that all periods were represented within the collections. She wrote to Pedigree Toys: “The more we study toys and games the more important we realise they are, since they so clearly reflect the ‘grown up’ aspects which may well be beyond our efforts.”

Doll made with corsetry wire

ID no. 74.370/267

These rag dolls were made for Alba Nisbet by her parents during the Second World War, when new toys were in short supply— so the grown-ups had to get creative with their materials. The coiled wire used for the limbs and body is spiral boning, primarily found in corsets and other supportive undergarments (like this 1923 corset from the Symington Collection). The caps that cover sharp wire on the ends of the boning resemble shoes or slippers, and have been creatively used for the dolls' feet by the makers.

Coiled or spiralled metal wire boning was used in corset manufacture from around the 1820s, when they were advertised as “Elastic” corsets because of their comparative flexibility. The spiral form, rather than flat strips of steel, means the boning can bend in two different directions. Corsets were still widely worn at the time of the Second World War, so it is possible the Alba Nisbet’s mother took the boning from a garment that she was no longer wearing.

Make Do and Mend poster, 1943

Imperial War Museum collection.

The heads are made from stuffed cotton, with hair and facial features drawn or painted on. The clothes for the dolls have been made from various scraps of fabrics, likely remnants from clothes worn by the Nisbet family. Three other dolls in the group were similarly made from left over materials including wire, paper, wool, and modelling clay.

Many materials were scarce by 1943-44, as production for the war effort was prioritised over civilian needs. Rationing controlled consumption of certain products including clothing and textiles. Propaganda campaigns such as the famous ‘Make-Do-and-Mend’ posters and booklets encouraged people to be resourceful and recycle materials they already owned. For many families this would have been a familiar practice, but these dolls demonstrate some of the inventive creativity that was commonplace in many London households during the war years.

Photographic postcard showing Lauri Wylie performing

These early twentieth century puppets are some of the more unusual objects found within the doll collection. No, they haven’t been cruelly decapitated: they were part of a music hall act in which the puppeteer placed his own head above the body to complete the puppet.

Their puppeteer was Lauri Wylie, a London actor and playwright who also wrote for the film industry. (He is most famous for writing ‘Dinner For One’, which is now the most frequently repeated television programme ever made after becoming a cult classic in Germany). The puppets represent the origins of Wylie’s career in entertainment, and also tell us something about how Londoners liked to spend their spare time in the years immediately preceding the First World War.

Lauri Wylie as "Little Titch" the soldier

The puppets are accompanied by photographic postcards which show the full effect of the act. From the postcards we learn some of the names of the characters; including the soldier ‘Little Titch’, and policeman ‘Mr Arthur Prince’. We have five of Wylie’s puppets, each in a different outfit.

Most recognisable are the policeman, a Highlander in kilt and velvet jacket and a Pierrot in white silk shirt, trousers and ruff. The puppets were controlled by wires inserted at the elbow and sticks at the back of the knees. The photos suggest that Wylie concealed his own body behind a curtain – Punch & Judy style. They may look a little unsettling today, but it seems these dolls were a source of much amusement in their own time.