But for many children, the dream toy was Crissy. The 18-inch fashion doll with flowing red hair was first developed by the Ideal Toy Corporation in 1968. According to the Strong National Museum of Play, the doll’s hair was adjustable and could be worn short or pulled to a longer length. The hair would "rewind" to its shorter length via a small knob on the doll’s back. The original Crissy doll’s hair could be pulled all the way down to her ankles.
Crissy became even more popular in the early ‘70s when her slightly shorter, blonde cousin, Velvet, was introduced. The mechanism to adjust the length of Velvet and Crissy’s hair was patented by Ideal in 1972, per Toy Tales.
Crissy doll in 1973. (Photo by Kevin John Berry/Fairfax Media via Getty Images).Photo by Fairfax Media Archives on Getty Images
Crissy was no Barbie, but she had just as many friends
The initial Crissy line was available from 1969 to 1974, and, in addition to Velvet, later included new friends named Kerry, Brandi, Tressy, Mia, Cricket, Tara, and more.
Other versions of Crissy included “Movin… Groovin… Crissy,” and "Beautiful Crissy" with a Swirla-curler. In addition, Talky Crissy and Talky Velvet not only talked, but each came with their own set of curlers, ribbons, bobby pins, and a brush, as seen in a vintage commercial advertising the product. The Crissy and Velvet phenomenon was also promoted on The Dean Martin Show in a segment with young guest Laurie Ichino.
Dean Martin with a Crissy doll. (Photo: Frank Carroll/NBC) via Getty Images)Photo by NBC on Getty Images
After a series of mergers, Ideal became part of the Mattel family in 1997, per The New York Times, but by that time, Crissy was long out of production.
Fans still talk about Crissy decades later
More than 50 years after the Crissy and Velvet dolls were first introduced, fans still talk about them online. In a retro-themed Reddit subreddit, fans described the fashionistas as “very much the precursor to the American Girl dolls.”
“I got Crissy for Christmas when I was nine and she was my all-time favorite doll!” another wrote.
“I had Crissy and Velvet. Somehow Crissy’s hair got all raggedy, but Velvet’s stayed silky and shiny so I played with her most,” another wrote.
A few fans recalled misunderstanding how to play with the dolls.
“I got a Crissy doll from Santa Christmas morning, and by noon had cut off all her hair, then got upset because all the commercials said she had ‘hair that grows’ so was expecting it to all grow back,” another admitted.
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