The 1970s were known for some of the most iconic toys in history. Barrel of Monkeys, Stretch Armstrong, G.I. Joe’s adventure team, Easy-Bake Oven, and Lite-Brite were just a few of the toys that defined the decade.
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
Doll historian Beth Colvin, author of Crissy and Her Friends: A Guide for Collectors, shared on her website that when the Crissy doll was created by Ideal, it wasn’t meant to compete with Mattel's already successful line of 11.5-inch Barbie dolls, thus its larger size.
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
A few other incarnations of the beloved dolls came out in the late 1970s and early 80s, including a Country Fashion Crissy.
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.
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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 loved my Crissy! A redhead, like me! That’s the first doll with red hair I remember seeing,” one fan wrote.
“I got Crissy for Christmas when I was nine and she was my all-time favorite doll!” another wrote.
“I had Velvet! My mom would sew outfits for her!” a third chimed in.
“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.
“I had them both, I used to practice braiding on their hair,” added another fan.
A few fans recalled misunderstanding how to play with the dolls.
“My sister and I had these dolls. My sister cut Velvet's hair and thought it would grow back, lol!” another Reddit user recalled.
“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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