The 1974 Outfits by the Ideal Toy Corporation,
That Were Never Made

Here are my replications of the Cinnamon's Cute 'N Cuddly Outfits Assortment.

I decided to create these to better illustrate the detail on the outfits. Without a magnifying glass and the original 1974 buyers catalog in front of you, it is very difficult to see that the shorts set (called "Aqua Dress and Panties" in the catalog) has a dachsund dog on it. I have to assume that it actually wraps all the way around the back of the dress, so I handpainted the dog all the way around. The little fleece sleeper (called "Pink Fleece Pajamas") sports a sleepy little white bunny on the front. I think the giraffe outfit is my favorite ("Two Piece Playset"). The giraffe's body goes around the back of the leg. This one, and the doggie outfit, are very nearly identical to the pictures in the catalog. Even the style of the original artist was copied (like the pointy nose on the dog). The white coveralls have a monkey on the front ("White Overalls"). Monkeys apparently aren't my forte' but it is a close second to the original. I think the Ideal artists created his ears way too big, but I wanted to be authentic, so I copied their work. Strangely, the monkey in the catalog doesn't appear to have a tail.

Note: the green and yellow shoes are not some weird prototype Cinnamon shoes. They are handpainted to match the catalog illustrations. Even the hairstyles that I chose for each Cinnamon doll are copied from the catalog.

Above are the replications of the 1974 wardrobe offerings for Velvet. They were known as Velvet's Soft 'N Smart Fashions Assortment. As you can see, the fabrics aren't "dead-on" but then, I spent about a month just hunting high and low for even a close match. There is a very sweet pea-green one-piece swimsuit under the sheer white cover up on the far left ("Bathing Suit and Top"). Since I have no idea what it really looks like, I recreated the Beachnik white swimsuit in green. Instead of tying behind the neck, I created a neckband that snaps in the back. Next is an outfit that I as a fabric artist had to take quite a bit of creative license with ("Overalls and Blouse"). Simply put, there is no fabric even remotely close to Ideal's in existance today, but at least it does have cherries on it!

I really like the long cherry print gown ("Long Evening Gown"). It's very "little girly" without being too informal. Perfect for a pool party! To the right of this dress is a sweet and soft fleecy pink coat trimmed in ruffles ("Coat Outfit"). To "top it off" Velvet has a sweet little triangle scarf on her head that matches the polk-dot print found on the ruffles of her coat.

The next outfit made of a yellow and orange madras print ("Pajamas") as they were found in the Ideal catalog are made of a white and orange madras in my version. This was the last piece I made. It took over two months to find a fabric this close. The same little teeny-tiny ruffles at the top of the PJs are also found at the ankles. And lastly, Velvet is adorable in a little white frock topped with a peach print apron ("Apron Dress").

I had to take much artistic license with these outfits. Without the real prototypes in my hands, I had to imagine how they closed, or how the inside was finished, or even how the apron was contructed in the back. I was able to use the same color shoes that the Ideal visual artists used in this layout. I even tried to reproduce the hairstyles. I think my favorite in this grouping is "Overalls and Blouse." What is your favorite?

Now for my favorite set of clothing from this collection... This is the Crissy's Friendly Fashions Assortment for Crissy herself. For the first time in this author's opinion, the Ideal's designers chose colors that all worked well with the Caucasion Crissy doll's coloring (no orange lace here!).

These were stylish outfits, a bit more mature, with no juvenile overtones. Other than the floor length nightgown, all of the outfits had 'interest' at the throat. And the designs themselves were well-tailored and featured high fashion detailing.

Notice the lovely red flower at Crissy's throat on her "Party Dress." There is very minute pintuck detailing on the sheer bodice. On her "Lavender Dress," though difficult to see in the original picture in the buyers catalog, there is a full white collar. I personally love the pintucks that dress up the front of this dress. Borrowing from a design element found on Crissy's "Blazering" outfit (1972), this artist opted to create a full, lacy-collared dickey for Crissy to wear under her dress. It is quite difficult to see how Ideal created this feature originally in the Ideal layout. Since these are prototypes, it's quite possible that the final designs could have changed somewhat before they went to the factory, as we have seen in other production years. Another collector pointed this fact out to me, and I think she is quite right! This is why I decided to borrow on Ideal's ideas from the past. Both "Party Dress" and "Lavender Dress" have coordinating panties.

The demure "Nightgown" is sweetly modest and quite a contrast from 1972's "Feminine Fancy." As you may recall, it was a questionable design for a pre-teen with its provocative sheerness. This 1974 gown has pretty pale pink bows at the wrists and a soft, pale pink sash, situated just below the bustline. I was unable to tell how it tied in the back as it was not pictured. However, I made it so that it ties in a nice medium sized bow in the back. It has matching panties.

The "Grey Suit" outfit is my favorite! I love how Ideal created a high neckline for this exceptionally stylish outfit. I created it in three pieces, with the flounce attached directly to the sleeveless blouse. The fabric is pretty close on this reproduction, though it's black and gold instead of gray and gold. Ideal spelled gray with an "e" for this outfit.

What do you think if this maxi-length pink satin coat ("Satin Coat")? Do you remember maxi-length garments? I do! I loved them. But then I was only 12 years old in 1974. I loved everything! Our pre-teen Crissy, however, looks to-die-for-cute in it. The details are amazing on this piece. There are self-ruffles at the sleeves and a hot-pink satin contrasting collar to really set off this cute coat. Additionally, the front of the coat is constructed in four pieces, and flat-fell seamed together.The original coat was presented with a scarf at the neckline. My version also has a scarf.

Can you see why I love this set? It's truly a shame that they never made it into production. There is so much detail in the outfits in the collection that I am wondering if perhaps, in itself, it was too expensive to have manufactured even overseas. The maxi-coat took 3 hours to make. It makes one wonder if the designs were deemed too expensive and that perhaps they realized they couldn't make any money off of them.

I hope that you have enjoyed my presentation of 1974 outfits for Crissy, Velvet and entire collection of dolls. I had fun creating it for you.

Thank you for visiting!

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All text and photography, © March 2007, by Beth-Ellen Colvin
Updated June 26, 2007.