Apparently troll dolls were very popular in the 1960's, a little before my siblings and cousins and I arrived on the scene. But my aunt was the right age for them. She and a friend made all these little clothes for their troll dolls using Grandma's scraps. I think the dolls and their wardrobes must have been a favorite Grandma's House toy for all of us. Personally, I spent hours dressing them and re-dressing them with my sister.
The clothes are amazing. Grandma didn't know how clever they are until just the other day when S and I were making some repairs to the decades of Grandkid Damage that has accumulated. They're made mostly from felt, but you'll see some fur, French lace, and fashion fabrics mixed in there as well. Some of the outfits have hook-and-eye closures, others have buttons or snaps, and some have no closures at all. I've already found inspiration from several of them.
Rather than bombard you and the blog with troll photos, I'll just send you over the the Flickr set if you want to see more. I've added some notes to the photos that detail my limited knowledge of them.
Postscript: Ok, a quick Flickr search found this. I had no idea there was a sewing pattern for troll clothes! Love Flickr.
TROLLS! I used to collect trolls as a kid (in the early 90's!). How fun to see them all dressed up :)
ReplyDeleteKristin
Reclaiming The Home
when my oldest was born he looked like one of these dolls! 2 hours of pushing resulted in an elongated head + newborn wrinkly skin = 1 troll baby!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness!!! Trolls were about 5-10 years before my time as well, but I do remember playing with one leftover from a prior generation at my grandma's house, too! I don't know why, but the name "Wishnik" comes to mind - were they called this too? Anyway - what painstaking sewing for little Trolls . . . a lotta love for little girls imaginary play.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh they are darling. I had trolls in the early 90s and then they came back in the late 80s and my daughter had some. I wish I had kept them!
ReplyDeleteYes, we called them Wishniks in the 60's. I can't remember why. We had so much fun making clothes for them and dressing them up.
ReplyDeleteLin, does that mean that my aunt wasn't the only one making clothes for them? Oh, I'd love to see other people's creations. Will do a Flickr search immediately...
ReplyDeleteAw they are so adorable!
ReplyDeleteI came along at the end of troll craze of the 60's and so I had hand me down trolls that had been very loved... some missing hair... most naked... so when I was little I went about making little clothes for them out of the scraps in my moms fabric box... these pictures bring back great memories:)
ReplyDeleteI collect vintage trolls.
ReplyDeletein 1999 I was looking to dress them and couldn't find anything available ready made on line. after some research I started making them and selling on ebay. I must have started something, there are about 20 people making them and there is quite a variety available now.
I love the trolls. my first was in the fifth grade in the early 1960s and now, at age 60, i'm getting back into them. I even started a Troll Rescue of sorts...finding and rescuing them from thift stores, garage sales and the likes. My mission is to find, rescue and dress them to restore them to their rightful place among treasured toys. I even photograph them Before and After... great fun.
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