Name: Bizzie Lizzie
Made by and When: Ideal, ©1970
Material: Soft vinyl face, rigid vinyl body, synthetic hair
Marks: (Neck) 1970 Ideal Toy Corp HK-18-H-171; (upper back) 1971 Ideal Toy Corp HK-18
Height: 17-1/2 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Black short hair with bangs and hair ribbons on two top pigtails; the rest of the hair is loose in the back; brown sleep eyes with attached upper eyelashes and painted lower eyelashes, smiling mouth with pink lip color
Clothes/Accessories: Wears a pink dress, a white apron, pink vinyl shoes, and a heart necklace. Housekeeping accessories include a feather duster, a carpet sweeper, an iron, and a vacuum.
Other: “Bizzie Lizzie, a doll introduced by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1971, attempted to make housekeeping fun for little girls. The doll came with its own feather duster, carpet sweeper, iron, and vacuum, which concealed the batteries that powered her cleaning, dusting, and ironing” (Bizzie Lizzie, The Strong) function. The box also illustrates an ironing board.
Black versions of Bizzie Lizzie are rare. As shared by the current owner, “Ideal reportedly decided to release the black version of the doll first. An organization that fought against negative portrayal of Black people opposed the doll, calling it a maid. As a result of the protests, Ideal recalled the black dolls. It may not have been a problem if both dolls had been released together.”
Gallery (Photos courtesy of David Spurgeon)
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