My Daisy Doll
Hi there and welcome to my website!
My name is Tanya (Tarns) from New Zealand and as there is little information about Mary Quant's Daisy Doll on the web, this is my site that showcases my very own Daisy Doll collection.
I received my first Daisy for my 5th Birthday - she was the fabulous Dashing Daisy Ice Queen and I took her everywhere! Now, I guess I'm reliving my childhood and have been collecting Daisy and her accessories since 2005. Since selling off most my prized collection I'm currently in the process of rebuilding. :)
GENERAL INFORMATION
Daisy is a 9" (23cm) tall, blonde doll (a brunette version was available for a short time). She was the creation of Mary Quant, the famous fashion designer and launched onto the market in 1973 with a fabulous wardrobe.
Daisy was manufactured entirely in Hong Kong by Model Toys Ltd, in connection with a Scottish based company, Flair Toys Ltd.
Daisy's range of furniture and accessories included Bean Bag furniture (Ref. 65510), Bedroom furniture, Hatstand & Mirror (Ref. 65507), Dining Table and Chairs, Lounge furniture, a Luxury Bath, Hairdryer, Sink Unit (Ref. 65513) and Cooker (Ref. 65512), Outdoor furniture, a Bicycle, a Scooter and even a plastic Daisy House and the Daisymobile (mobile home).
Her pets include Spot the Dog and two Horses (both called Archie - one appears to be an Appaloosa with black spots on his rump, and the second is tan with black tail and mane).
There were also a heap of additional Daisy items available for every young girl such as Daisy's Diary, Daisy's Dolly Brolly (Ref. 65506), an Annual Book, Paper Doll Book, Sticker Books and a Travelling Case.
THE DOLLS
There are generally three kinds of Daisy Doll - "Dizzy Daisy" who is the 'budget' model without bendable legs or twisting waist, the stiff bodied dolls that do have bendable legs and twisting waist, and the Dashing Daisy's with bendable waist (their limbs are connected with rubber bands), and curved hands to enable her to hold things.
In 1976 Flair Toys issued a special doll using the Daisy mould with differently shaded features such as green eyes and short straight hair. She was called "Havoc - Super Agent".
Daisy also has a best friend called "Amy" who was only available to English owners by sending in 22 daisy emblems cut from packs to Flair Toys office. Amy has short dark hair with a side parting and unbendable legs.
In 1978 Flair introduced a larger version of Daisy - 15" (38cm) in height. She was called "Daisy Long Legs" and came with her own range of clothing.
In 1979 the still popular 9" Daisy now wore centre-parted hair and featured rooted eyelashes. Daisy's Shop and Daisy's Boutique also first appeared in 1979, as did "3-Style Daisy" with only fuzz for hair but three wigs - "Star" (long blonde with fringe), "Bob" (brunette short style), and "Bunches" (chestnut curls).
In 1980 Flair Toys went out of business. From then on the name "Optimum Trading Ltd" appears on the packaging. Daisy also underwent a few minor changes - the pale turquoise eye shadow became brighter shades of blue. There are also differences in the colour of furnishings - bedroom furniture and bedding became a mossy green for example.
Some Daisy items also carry the Toltoys brand - it appears that they were in charge of the distribution in the Commonwealth countries. Everything continued to be made in Hong Kong until the end of the 1980s when some items were being made in Macau.
I hope you have found this information about "Daisy - The Best Dressed Doll in the World", of interest.
Kind regards
Tarns
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