Member Myrna Loesch did a program on vintage Elise dolls by Madame Alexander. Her source of information was The Elise Files by Kiley Ruwe Shaw. Myrna told the club that in 1955, Madame Alexander introduced Cissy, the first American fashion doll with an adult figure. Two years later, in 1957, Madame Alexander introduced Cissette, a miniature 10-inch tall version of the 20-inch Cissy, and the 16-inch Elise. Elise was a softer, more youthful version of Cissy with a teenage body. Madame Alexander knew that the popular dolls of the day were brides and ballerinas. Elise was the first doll produced by Madame Alexander that had jointed ankles, which allowed the doll to pose in numerous ballet positions. At FAO Schwartz, an Elise dressed as a ballerina retailed for $12.95 and as a bride for $15.95. By comparison, a Sweet Sue 14-inch walker with jointed ankles like Elise sold for $8.97 to $11.97 at Sears. A trunk set at FAO Schwartz for Elise sold for $42.50 while a trunk set for a comparable doll at Sears sold for $17.95. A basic Elise doll in a chemise sold for $8.50 in 1957.
Elise was sold from 1957 to 1964. The early Elise dolls had wide or saddle hips as they were walkers. Later Elise dolls had narrow hips and were completely strung with elastic. Madame Alexander used several different molds. All of the vintage Elise dolls had the multi-jointed bodies. The earliest version of Elise had a painted head with a softer blush. In 1957, the company transitioned away from painted heads to infused plastic heads with the skin tone mixed into the plastic and a “high color” blush. In 1959, a new face was introduced for the Sleeping Beauty doll, which was made for only one year. Around 1960, the infused plastic heads appeared a bit more translucent, almost waxy, and had a softer chin. The 1961 infused plastic head had a more mature look, but as the company was using up their stockpile of heads, many of the previous variations can be found with the “1961 look”. The Maggie Mixup doll used the 1961 Elise face, but came with a red wig with straight bangs and always had freckles. In 1962, the vinyl “Marybel head," a smaller version of the Kelly doll head, was introduced. The 1963 to 1964 vinyl head Elise was the last head produced for the vintage Elise doll.
The vintage Elise dolls had saran wigs with a cloth wig cap. The early dolls largely had a curled bob or hair from the sides pulled back and held in place with a metal spanner bar in blonde (tosca), brunette, or redhead. In 1961, a short-styled bubblecut wig was used. The 1962 Marybel head had a blonde or brunette wig styled in the manner of Jackie Kennedy’s hairstyle.
As Elise was a teenager, her wardrobe contained fewer evening gowns and focused more on a wide range of day wear. Elise’s clothing was beautifully constructed of the high-quality materials that Madame Alexander is known for. The wardrobe included bridal, evening, and garden gowns, ballerina outfits, an assortment of dresses, and various lingerie items as well as an assortment of separates. Elise portrait dolls included Sleeping Beauty, Godey, Queen Elizabeth II, Renoir, and Scarlett. Elise’s clothing is identified by a label sewn into the clothing; however, not all pieces are tagged. The printing on the tags is red, yellow, or blue, with “Elise” in script. It is not known if the color of the tag was random or if it was tied to distribution. The type of script used in the last tags from 1960 is different and Elise is followed by an asterisk with no quotation marks.
Original shoes for Elise came with spike heels for when her feet were arched and kitten heels for when her feet were not. The spike heels were used under formal and bridal gowns, as well as with some dolls sold in day dresses. Shoes are hard to find for Elise as she was often sold as a ballerina wearing dancing slippers; however, reproductions are available on eBay and Etsy. Elise also had a wide variety of hats which either came with an outfit on the doll or were sold separately. Madame Alexander’s hats were largely made of synthetic straw with flowers and ribbons attached with small staples instead of glue. Hats for Elise are approximately 6 inches across with the crown opening measuring 3 inches or less; the outer brim measures 17 inches around.
Elise’s size of 16-inches made her a tricky sell in the doll market as most inexpensive clothes were designed for the 14-inch or 18-inch tall dolls. The 20-inch Cissy could wear clothes that fit Sweet Sue, Miss Revlon, and numerous other dolls. Patterns were also readily available for 20-inch dolls. Ultimately, it was the entrance of the 11-inch Barbie fashion doll with a price tag of $3.50 that was the demise of Cissy, Cissette, and Elise. 1964 was the last production year for the vintage Elise.
(Thanks to Ann Meier for the photographs!)
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