Body Construction
Miss Joan is one of the few glamour dolls that is 12" tall. She was made in three versions. The earliest version was a shiny hard plastic with a glued-on mohair wig. The second version (advertised in 1956) was also all hard plastic, but with a matte finish and synthetic wig. The third version (advertised in 1957) had a hard plastic body and vinyl head with rooted hair. All three versions were jointed at the neck, shoulders, hips, and just above the knees. They are head-turning walkers and have sleep eyes with molded lashes.
You can see photos of the second and third versions of Miss Joan here.
There was also a 9" Little Miss Joan. See the Other PMA dolls page for info.
Markings
She is marked "Pat's Pend." on her back.
Clothing
Miss Joan's original outfit is a lace chemise, nylon stockings and white plastic high heels. Additional outfits could be purchased for her, including:
- 3 piece cotton felt jacket with faux fur trim, matching skirt and hat (1956)
- Afternoon dress of cotton shantung with embroidered ribbon trim, straw hat with floral accent (1956)
- Ballerina costume of nylon net with rayon bodice, matching panties, ballet slippers (1956-57)
- Party dress of rayon taffeta with three-quarter sleeves, full skirt with lace overlay (1957)
- Rain outfit of hooded plastic raincoat with snaps, matching working umbrella (1957)
- Afternoon ensemble of full print skirt, matching bolero jacket, white sleeveless blouse with bow at neckline (1957)
Packaging
Miss Joan was packaged in a box decorated with blue bubbles. The vinyl head version has the graphics inside the box as well as outside.
Thanks to Valerie Myers for help with this page.
Additional sources for this page include:
- "Girls' Toys of the Fifties and Sixties" edited by Thomas W. Holland
- "The Doll and Teddy Bear Department" edited by Thomas W. Holland
- "Hard Plastic Dolls, II" by Polly and Pam Judd
Copyright 2001 by Zendelle Bouchard.
