You remember Lolly Dolly and Cholly Dolly Dolls from Fisher Price!

It seems to me that no child born in the 1970's or early 1980's didn't receive a baby gift of Lolly Dolly or Cholly Dolly. These cloth, washable dolls were made by the Fisher Price company. Lolly doll was pink gingham with with a plain pink romper with white ruffled collar. Her plain pink hat had a ruffled trim with light orange yarn hair peeping out from under it. Her eyes were sewn on leather-like buttons of blue and her other facial features were embroidered in floss.

One of the nicest thing for mothers was that these dolls were meant to be washed time and again. The truth is...babies just adored chewing away on these dolls as teething toys and they did tend to get a bit spitty! But, you could throw Cholly or Lolly into the washing machine and dryer and they came out just like new again...and fairly sanitary! I have a soft place in my heart for these cute dolls, and I thought you'd like to meet them again.

Here they are again - Cholly and Lolly Dolly!

Cholly and Lolly were 12" high and they each bore a different number. Lolly was #420 1975 and Cholly was #419 1977. Fisher Price first manufactured these dolls in 1975, and I am lucky enough to have a photo of a tag on an original doll here. I have been unable to find the exact date of when Fisher Price stopped manufacturing these dolls, but I know my youngest sister and several little cousins, born in the early 1980's had one, so I am assuming that these first dolls for infants were available for about a decade. It's a surprise to me that Fisher Price discontinued them, because they were popular to the point of being almost an expected gift at any baby shower.

Visitors to this site know that I'm a big fan of cloth dolls for children. Holly Hobbie Dolls, Raggedy Ann Dolls, and lovely old homemade Rag Dolls provided such tactile satisfaction for we children. Soft-bodied dolls are meant to be hugged and made such comforting bedtime companions for little ones.

Maybe modern people have become too dependent on everything being plastic at this point, but somehow, I think Lolly and Cholly Dolly might be well received if Fisher Price were to re-introduce them.

Collectors' Value of Lolly Dolls and Cholly Dolls

So many of these dolls for newborns were chewed and loved to death. Yet, I see a fair number available at auction, and recently came across one in like-new condition. It looked as though it had never been played with or washed. Price range for these Fisher Price baby dolls rests around the $20 - $30 range, so they are really quite affordable if you'd like to own one again for sentimental reasons.

I hope this article has brought back some happy memories for the mothers, aunts and grandmothers who picked up a Lolly or Cholly at the local drugstore or toystore for a loved child...or even for a child who played with one of these dolls a generation or two ago!