The year 1969 was a big one for Ideal toys. That's when they first introduced their Crissy line of dolls. Uncommon for a main "character" in a doll line, Crissy had long, flowing red hair. The uniqueness of her hair didn't end with the color--you could choose what length you wanted her hair to be. With just a turn of a knob on her back, Crissy's hairs could grow from shoulder-length to down to her ankles. Ideal changed this distinctive feature by the end of the first year of production, and the length of her hair was cropped to just above her knees. All of Crissy's family members were then given the same length of hair. While Crissy stood an impressive 18" tall, her friends, who were introduced in the 1970s, were either the same height or slightly shorter (15" or 12"). The dolls and accessories were marketed through several large catalog companies--Sears, JC Penney, and Montgomery Ward. The fashions for the dolls were constantly changing--they were very fashion conscious and responded to the hip styles of the day. They never wanted to be seen in anything that was "so last year." On top of the popular basic doll (which included an African-American version of Crissy), there were other versions of Crissy and her friends--Moovin' Groovin', Talky's, Look Around, and Swirla-Curler, just to name a few. The design of the face remained the same throughout, though the body and clothing options were different for these dolls. Ideal found a real treasure in the Crissy collection, and there are many avid collectors of it today.
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