Current Mood : Once again, amazed !
Spent on doll history : 31¢
Spent on fabric (sigh) : $1.01
Goss, what a day. Rain and thunderstorms, and I had dozens of errands to run in it. At least I checked the weather in time to get Molly-car's windows up. I completely forgot it was Dearest Son's turn to provide a class snack, so I had to get it all done early. Plus, there was a sort-of birthday party for DMIL at Gramma's house at noon. So I grabbed a shower, secured snacks and drinks, delivered them to the school, did Beloved Hubby's banking - he's still sick - hit the thrift and picked up my expensive prescription. Luckily, I only need this $78. wonder every two months, and the other three I take every day are just $4. each.
I spent a whoppin' 31c, but I got something I kinda~sorta wanted for a long time. Read a lot of doll books and eBay auctions, and you see A Premier Product baggies, holding anything from Revlon doll clothes to Barbie shoes. Premier Doll Accessories, located in Brooklyn, NY, has been around a long time, but I can't find out much about the company. Several Premier items for sale have ‘40s-50s' in their descriptions, but the packaging isn't dated. Some of the ones I've seen listed as 50s have the same header card as mine, but the zip code is sort of a giveway - that wasn't established in the US ‘til the early 60s.
Premier is frequently described as a ‘jobber' - they didn't work for a doll or toy company. Rather, they made ‘aftermarket' products like doll shoes and jewelry to enhance dolls already for sale - or dolls in company catalogs. Their products were frequently sold to doll shops, catalog companies like Sears, and variety stores like Ben Franklin and TG&Y. Since they didn't have to worry about things that the doll manufacturers did, Premier's designs were frequently quite original and beautiful, and used materials that toy companies didn't. Check out http://crissyandbeth.com/Aftermarket.html and scroll down for some wild Crissy clothes made by Premier, in some fantastic fabrics !
I read that they went under in 1983, but that's about all I could find about them. In any case, today at the Thrift, I found a baggie with the never-opened black ankle-strap shoes inside, with three loose shoes in the baggie as well. They're too small for Leia and Jem, but they're also worn and frayed. So I'm gonna keep the unopened ones just as I found ‘em, and hang ‘em up in the Lab. I find that I'm really groovin' on the vintage packaging and graphic design. So, now I have some vintage Premier ! Doll history. I'll have scans up soon, promise !
It must've been Mystery Day for me, because the pink Barbie mailbox was gone when I got there. I asked around, and it turns out, yes, it was a ‘drop your used dolls off for charity' effort sponsored by Mattel. But, for some bizarre reason, it was Saturday only. I could have donated a dozen dolls, but darn if I knew about it, and ya'll know me, I haunt the Barbie aisle at least once a week over there ! Not to mention that the two store associates were still struggling to assemble the thing at 12:30 in the afternoon...
Got home, and Beloved was tossing his cookies, he was that sick. So I begged off DMIL's get together and stayed home with him. My poor guy ! I got him into bed where he slept nonstop for four hours - and he'd gotten a good night's sleep last night. He felt better when he woke up, and he and Dearest are watching a movie while I type.
Oh, and I did get some inexpensive pink broadcloth I liked while I was at Mal-Wart. Half a yard should last me quite some time for the $1.01 I spent on it ! Tomorrow, I hope to sew...