I saw some Creata Flower Princess fashion dolls on Tumblr recently. Anyone remember Creata? They produced Barbie-sized dolls such as the Flower Princess line, Jem-clones called Lace "the Celebrity Rock Star with Fashion & Fame," a circus-themed set, a 1950s-themed "Bobby Soxer", and others. I never had any of the other Creata dolls -- just the Flower Princesses and one Flower Prince.
There are 3 main Flower Princesses, each with a suitor/husband and a daughter or younger sister*:
Princess Laurelle and Prince Lawrence and daughter/sister Laurissa*
Princess Leanna and Prince Lancelot and daughter/sister Lecia*
Princess Lisette and Prince Leslie and daughter/sister Linnea*.
The basic Leanna doll has painted green eyes and rooted blond hair; the basic Lisette has lavender painted eyes and rooted platinum blond hair. Many years ago, I had them and Prince Lancelot. (Yes, I sold those dolls.)
Creata also produced at least one black Flower Princess. Yes, you guessed it. I have her. The black Leanna appears in her original yellow dress in one post and re-dressed in a modern outfit in another post. I do not know if there were corresponding black Flower Princes or black daughter/sisters made. I don't recall seeing them in stores. (I haven't seen them online. Please share links, if you do.)
The Flower Princesses have their own fashions and furniture. Basic doll stuff, yes? A winged horse and unicorn are part of this line as well. So if you've always wanted a playscale unicorn, rest assured, one was produced.
This doll is a basic Flower Princess Laurelle. She has rooted titian hair with a few pink streaks in the front. She has painted blue eyes and what is called an "open/closed mouth." The "open/closed" mouth means her mouth is molded into an open smile or grin, but the manufacturer painted the whole mouth pink instead of painting the teeth white. So the mouth is molded "open," but painted "closed."
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| Creata Flower Princess Laurelle |
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| Three-quarters Profile of Creata Flower Princess Laurelle |
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| Back of Creata Flower Princess Leanna undressed |
Additional reading about the Flower Princess dolls is limited online. However, the three basic Flower Princess dolls I mention here are shown on pages 87-88 of Modern Collector's Dolls, Fifth Series by Patricia R. Smith. Collector Books, 1987.
*I have seen the child Flower Princess dolls described as the younger sister AND as the daughter so I leave both here. There is no company web page available; I might be able to confirm the child's status through back issues of Playthings magazine.
22 comments:
You got me stumped! I don't remember this doll. Thanks for the info..
I've never heard of her either and the whole open/closed mouth thing is tickling me. I would probably leave her mouth as is. It makes her unique.
I cant say I heard of her. I like that her mouth is open. To keep her looking like Moms Mabley (https://www.google.com/search?q=moms+mabley+youtube&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=&gws_rd=ssl)I would say give her teeth.
I have some of the African American Flower Princess Dolls in my collection. Creata also did a girl rock group called Lace.
I never know about these dolls so to read about them is interesting. When those came out I believe was sewing all my clothes and didn't add to my collection as of yet. She is interesting.
Hi Ms. Leo, Muff, The grandmommy, Male Doll World, and Brini!
@Ms. Leo - whoa, you missed the FP dolls? They used to have them at K B Toys on sale. Glad to share a new doll line with you ;-)
@Muff - glad the open/closed mouth thing amused you. It is odd, isn't it? I mean, they molded an open mouth, why not paint the teeth? Shrug. I dunno. That feature does make her unique ...
@The grandmommy - Moms Mabley? I haven't heard of her in years, lol.
@Male Doll World - Yes, the blond-haired black Lace doll looks cute. Do you have the Lisette or the Laurelle African American Flower Princess Dolls? I would love to see them online. Please share when/if you are inclined to ;-)
@Brini - glad to introduce a new doll series to you ;-) I like having the two that I kept in my collection. Wish I had kept the Prince as well. Sigh. Oh well.
Hope those interested in this series can find them at reasonable prices.
I'm another one who has never heard of these dolls. In the '80's we had Barbie and also Jem in Australia but I'm not sure the Disney princesses were here yet so I doubt the Creata dolls were here either.
Hi Carrickters! I'm not surprised that Creata may not have reached Australia; they were a small company - and I think that they were helped by Mattel as was Shindana at one time. (Mattel has had moments of goodness ;-D)
For some reason though, I do think that Creata dolls went to the UK. Not 100% sure, but that's an impression I have.
Couple of my friends had Flower Princess dolls here in Finland and I remember them being sold in stores here. And my sister had some Flower Princess furniture. I recall them being cheaper than Mattel's. So they were sold in some parts of Europe.
Funny thing is that 80's German Petra doll and her furniture made by Plasty/ von Plasty look much like Flower Princess dolls and some furniture is same, only different colour.
Hi KatiS and thanks for confirming that the Flower Princess dolls had reached some parts of Europe. Always appreciate hearing from collector-enthusiasts outside the U.S.A. ;-)
Perhaps the 80s German Petra doll used the same head mold as the Creata dolls? Or the resemblance could be coincidental ;-)
Now that's something odd! I've never seen the dolls, but some years ago I found an ancient toy store about to close definetively during a trip I was making with my parents. I bought there a set of fashions from these dolls! It had two ballerina outfits with shoes and a sticker picturing the dolls in ballerina outifts. It's strange that such a line reached Portugal...
Hi V.! Congratulations on finding fashions for the Flower Princess dolls. Do you have a photo of your dolls in those fashions? That would be fun to see ;-)
I don't remember if I kept any of the two outfits or if I sold them with dolls. I know I kept the ballerina shoes and the sticker..I'll have to look for them ;)
Hi V.! Thanks for that generous offer. I'd love to see the ballerina shoes; I remember and may still have the pink molded plastic slippers my Ballerina Cara came with. Where they are, I do not know, lol. So if you find them and when it is convenient, please show them on your blog.
But only when it is convenient for you. Thanking you in advance.
Thanks for posting this - I was looking for the vintage Mattel Little Theater "Prince" fashion for Ken when I stumbled on the Creata Flower Princes, then proceeded to collect all of them, the princesses, the fairy godmother and witch, the unicorn and pegasus, and finally found one of the little sisters. I've posted my images of most of the line here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mawphoto/sets/72157649673941204/
Love hearing from folks who remember when they were originally on the market, and where they sold? Were they ever advertised on TV?
Thanks,
Michael
MyLifeInPlastic.com
Hi Michael of MyLifeInPlastic! You are welcome! I'm glad that you enjoy reading about these dolls. Yes, I remember when they were originally on the market. Got most of mine from K B Toys. I'll look into them for a new article. Thanks for commenting and asking about them.
Oh, and I LOVE your photography!
These look very similar to a doll I had in 1984 called Olivia. Mine had curly blonde hair, green eyes and was wearing a yellow chiffon dress. I also remember a stars in her eyes bride doll with clear gemstone eyes, also called Olivia. Perhaps they were marketed differently here in Australia? Unfortunately I don't have my doll any longer (1984 was a looooooong time ago lol)
Hi Sarah! Olivia interests me. She is from the right time to be a Creata doll sold in Australia. Do you have any online photos of her? Curious me ;-)
Thanks for mentioning.
I have a bunch of these dolls. Glad I came across your post, because I didn't know who made them. They are in rough shape- I played with them hard! Just cleaned them up so my daughter can enjoy them! Thank you
I had the gazebo way back in the 80s, and sometime in the 90s, my mom got rid of it. I never knew who made it, it was a Christmas gift from my grandma. After about a decade+ of looking for it online, I stumbled across some Etsy listings for the Flower Princess dolls, thought they looked a little bit familiar. Searched for the gazebo, and there it was! I carried that thing EVERYWHERE! :D Funny thing, I was actually looking for a Japanese Strawberry Shortcake car from the 80s today, but hey, surprises are everywhere :) I think I would like to find all the Creata goodies, the furniture looks too cute.
Anyway, here's the gazebo on Etsy (not my listing):https://www.etsy.com/listing/256344109/reduced-price-rare-vintage-flower?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=creata&ref=sr_gallery_9
I recently inherited my mother in law's extesive doll collection. She has a set of three Prima Ballerina Flower Princess dolls by Creata. One of each princess. Strangely, the Lisette doll is in a Leanne box. It still has the plastic around the head to hold in place and is attached to the cardboard to not move. Has anyone ever heard of the wrong doll in a box?
Thanks!
Thanks, Jennifer A. Johnson and the Unknown commenter/s, for your posts.
Jennifer, I am glad that you were able to identify the dolls you owned. While hard-loved dolls might trigger a sigh in some collectors, I smile to consider dolls that were so appreciated. That was what dolls were made for.
Unknown2016 - thanks for sharing the link to the Creata doll's furniture. They are cute pieces.
Congratulations and my sympathy to Unknown2023 on inheriting your mother's collection. Congratulations because, wow, what neat finds! Sympathy that you lost a loved one. The doll being in a wrong box could have happened in the factory or could have happened at the store. Maybe a kid repackaged the doll or an employee did.
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