Name: First Love
Made by and When: Attributed to Pedigree Dolls and Toys, Ltd., ca. 1970s
Material: String-jointed vinyl, synthetic hair, acrylic eyes
Marks: Unmarked
Height: 16 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Short black rooted wavy hair, hazel sleep eyes with applied upper eyelashes, slightly parted lips
Clothes: Pink-lace-trimmed white top, cotton diaper with side snaps, bare feet
Other: First Love is fully posable with a swivel waist. The string-jointed arms and legs can hold various positions. Black Dolls 1820 to 1991 an Identification and Value Guide by Myla Perkins documents Louis Marx’s First Love Dolls with head marks, MARX / ©1978. The doll in this installation is unmarked. Pedigree of England also made First Love dolls, which were unmarked.
“Louis Marx and Company was an American toy manufacturer in business from 1919 to 1980” (Louis Marx). “While the company primarily operated in the United States, it had a global presence, with products distributed in Europe and other regions. The extent of First Love’s availability in Europe is less well-documented compared to its popularity in the U.S.” (Open AI). However, this doll’s unmarked neck is attributed to European distribution by Pedigree Dolls and Toys, Ltd.
Gallery
References
“KIZZY BLACK VERSION OF FIRST LOVE DOLL PEDIGREE 70S |
#167955924.” Worthpoint, www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/kizzy-black-version-first-love-doll-167955924.
Louis Marx and Company. (2024, December 3). In Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Marx_and_Company
“Louis Marx” (prompt) ChatGPT, 22 Mar. OpenAI.
ChatGPT, 22 Mar. 2025, https://openai.com.”Edited for style and content.”
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