The idea for a doll whose hair could grow was originated by Diane Dean when her toddler, Lisa, cut all of the hair off a new doll. Diane’s husband, Jesse W. Dean, a furniture designer, de­signed the grow-hair mechanism that brought Tressy into reality.

Tressy’s novelty, in combination with heavy advertising on children’s television programs such as Captain Kangaroo, spurred such growth of American Character that they added other ver­sions of Tressy. These included bending legs in 1965 and a “Magic Makeup” face that same year. They also added dolls to the Tressy line — a younger sister, Cricket, and a friend, Mary Makeup.

All three versions of Tressy were jointed at the neck, arms, and legs. The first version of Tressy had straight legs, painted side-glancing black eyes, and blue eyeshadow. This Tressy came dressed in a red knit shift, white soutache belt, and white vinyl heels. Also included in her box were a hair-styling book and a fashion stand with her name on it.

Tressy was available in an assortment of hair colors: brunette, reddish brown, golden brown, platinum blond, and blond. She sold for $4.50. All Tressy dolls are marked “Amer.Char. / 1963” (in a circle on her head).

The second version was introduced in 1965 and had posable legs. In July 1965, the Tressy Makeup version was released. This ver­sion had a pale face so the makeup kit (sold separately) could be used to give Tressy a makeover.

Growing hair truly was Tressy’s crowning glory. There was such an emphasis on her growing hair that the pamphlet in­cluded with each doll devoted as much space to explaining how to produce certain hair styles as it did to her outfits.

The outfits designed for Tressy were very “au courant” and came with adorable little accessories. The fashions were rep­resentative of the early 1960s era, especially “Hootenanny” — complete with a harmonica, guitar, and black sweater — and “World’s Fair,” which came with a camera to commemo­rate the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Tressy had outfits for an active lifestyle. She could enjoy bowling, a sum­mer holiday, swimming, sailing, a surprise party, and even winning a beauty contest. Also indicative of the early ’60s was her professional outfit “Executive Suite,” where the accessories were a steno pad, eyeglasses, and a dictionary. Clearly, Tressy hadn’t yet broken through the glass ceiling.

Tressy had many accessories, an apartment, and a budget line of clothing. The most coveted Tressy for collectors due to her rarity is Black Tressy, who was introduced in 1965 and had a makeup face.

Crissy was such a huge success for Ideal that millions of Cris­sy dolls and her outfits were produced. For this reason, Crissy is a doll that is affordable and very accessible to collectors.

Crissy’s clothing, especially the Fashion Boutique outfits available from 1969 to 1970, captures the essence of the mod and hippie period in the U.S. Most of her pants are bell-bottoms and the dresses are miniskirts. There is even a “Peace Poncho” that is most evocative of the era’s anti-war movement. This hip­pie theme was very evident in the later Crissy fashions from 1971 to 1972.

Ideal manufactured many Crissy variations in the early 1970s, including a Black Crissy, a Talking Crissy, and even a Talking Crissy that spoke Spanish! Other variations included Movin’ and Groovin’ Crissy, whose waist twisted around when her string was pulled; Look Around Crissy, whose waist could be moved manually; Swirla-Curler Crissy, who had hair acces­sories; and Twirly Beads Crissy, who came with beads.

Ideal added to the Crissy line with an extended family, which included younger cousins 15.5-inch Velvet and 13.5-inch Cinnamon; 17.5-inch friends Tressy, Kerry, and Brandi; Velvet’s friends Mia, Cricket, and Dina; and Baby Crissy. These dolls were each sold for a year or two, with Baby Crissy being sold until 1976. Notice that Ideal used the Tressy name for one of their large-sized grow-hair dolls.

Luckily, because it is not difficult to find a working Crissy in mint condition, we can play with her hair and even cut it if we wish. Crissy and Tressy are fun, affordable dolls that allow us to relive a portion of our mod past. They can really let their hair down!