Name: Soul Sister
Made by and When: Fun-World, Inc., ca. 1970s
Material: Vinyl, plastic, synthetic hair, paint
Marks: (Head) REG DESIGN NO. / 915/562 / MADE IN HONG KONG; (Back) MADE IN / HONG KONG
Height: 8 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouths: Black rooted bubble cut hairstyles, oversized brown-painted eyes, closed mouths
Clothes: Dressed in original clothes, the dolls wear a variety of casual or Afrocentric fashions with head wraps. One featured doll wears a white long-sleeve blouse, black and white belted checkered pants, and white vinyl shoes. The other featured doll wears an orange-yellow-and blue full-length dress over navy-blue pants, a head wrap that matches the dress fabric, red boots, gold hoop earrings, and a gold chain necklace. See the last two gallery photos for more clothing variations.
Other: Soul Sister is Fun-World, Inc.’s answer to Deluxe Reading Corporation/Topper Toys’ 1960s Susie Sad Eyes doll. The featured boxed doll is item number 9547-0. “Fun-World made Soul Sister dolls during the early to mid-1970s (10+ years after Deluxe Reading’s Susie Sad Eyes). These dolls were part of a broader movement at the time to create toys that reflected diverse cultural identities and were notable for their oversized eyes and stylish clothing reminiscent of the era’s fashion trends. Because of their unique design, Soul Sister dolls became a collectible item” (OpenAI edited for style and content).
Susie Sad Eyes and later Soul Sister dolls were on the market after Margaret Keane’s “big eyes” paintings of children rose to fame during the early 1960s. The dolls’ oversized eyes undoubtedly were inspired by Keane’s work.
“Margaret Keane began painting her iconic ‘big eyes’ style in the late 1950s. These paintings, characterized by figures—mostly children—with disproportionately large, expressive eyes, were an extension of her artistic interests and defined her career. By the early 1960s, her work gained significant attention and became commercially successful” (OpenAI, edited for style and content).
Gallery (The last two photos are courtesy of Black Legacy Images Collection.)
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Reference
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
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