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Celebrity Dolls Part 3: Various Celebrities

 

Evel Knievel, 7 inch doll by Ideal, 1973 - 1974

Evel Knievel was a daredevil stunt cyclist who became very popular in the early 1970's. The Ideal toy company produced a series of dolls and vehicles based on Knievel and his stunts. I've shown the 7 inch Evel Knievel doll next to an 8 inch Spider-Man Mego doll for size comparison. According to Tomart's Price Guide, the Evel Knievel doll was sold in three different outfits: a blue "Artic Explorer" outfit with a hood that has a fur trim, a red outfit, and his famous white motorcycle outfit. In my experience, it's more common to find the doll with the white outfit. There is also a Robbie Knievel doll in a blue outfit (Robbie is Evel's son). I found this Evel Knievel doll without his outfit at a second hand store in the late 1980s, so I made some clothes for him. 

The Evel Knievel doll is a bendy figure rather than being a jointed doll, as shown above. He's also quite scrawny. At some point in the early 1990s, before the internet came along, toy price guides and dealers were listing this doll as being worth $100 or more. This never seemed quite justified to me as there simply wasn't a demand for this toy during the 1990s. Mego dolls were very much in demand during that same period and even then a mint carded doll could be found for $40 to $80 on average. Today some toy dealers are still asking for $100 and up for unpackaged Knievel dolls, but this price is very inflated. Unless this doll is in mint condition in an original mint package it is not worth anything near $100. In my opinion such a doll would still only be worth about $30 to $50. These Knievel dolls were mass produced so they are not rare at all, and although they are interesting dolls, there is no major demand. Below is a photo of Evel Knievel, the person.


In the 1970s it was very common for toy companies to use comic book advertisements to promote their "dolls for boys" collections as well as smaller sized action figures. Below are some ads I found for Ideal's Evel Knievel series. Click on the picture to see a larger image.

DC Comics, Kamandi Vol.4 #26, Feb 1975, back cover

Marvel Comics, Skull the Slayer #3, Jan 1976, back cover

DC Comics, Tarzan Vol.30 #257, Jan 1977, back cover


James Dean, doll by Dakin, 1985
Many James Dean dolls have been made especially for collectors. One of the first is a large size plush doll with plastic head and hands, by Dakin in 1985. This doll is based on Rebel Without a Cause. Unfortunately I don't yet have one in my collection and I don't know the exact size, but it looks to be about 17 or 18 inches tall. In my opinion the head looks like it's just a bit big for the body, but otherwise this is a very well made doll.

James Dean, 12 inch doll made by DSI, 1994

In 1994 DSI made two different dolls based on James Dean. This one is wearing the "City Streets" outfit. The other doll (which I don't have) is titled "Rebel Rouser" and has the red jacket from Rebel Without a Cause. Each of these dolls came with a certificate of authenticity, shown below. I've always wondered if DSI is a branch of Hasbro as the doll stand and unique boxes for these James Dean dolls were the same as the Hasbro Elvis dolls, shown above. DSI also produced Marilyn Monroe dolls at the same time as the James Dean dolls that came in similar boxes.


James Dean, 10 inch doll by Exclusive Premier, 1998
In 1998 the company Exclusive Premier produced several dolls based on characters from TV shows, movies and celebrities. Two dolls of James Dean were included in this collection. One is from Rebel Without a Cause, and the other is wearing a black leather jacket. Unfortunately I don't yet have either one for my collection, but they're on my very long list of "dolls to get someday"!

James Dean, 12 inch doll by Mattel, 2000

This is Mattel's James Dean doll from 2000. I think Mattel did an awesome job on this doll. The face sculpt is excellent (though I find the head is just a tad wide), and the outfit is perfect. I like that they gave him cuffs at the bottom of his pant legs and his boots are very cool (see the photo below). He even has a working zipper on his jacket which is a nice detail. When I bought this doll the box was already a bit beaten up, as you can see, so I opened it up and took the doll out.

The back of the box has a short biography of James Dean's career. Unfortunately he only made three movies before he passed away: "East of Eden", "Rebel Without a Cause", and "Giant". It's been widely reported in various biographies over the years that James Dean was either bisexual or gay. I think that's awesome. He's become the poster boy for America and Hollywood, yet he's also known to be bisexual or gay. What a wonderful contradiction! I find it interesting that James Dean's status as a "legend" has never been affected or tarnished by his homosexuality in any way, even though the United States has yet to fully accept homosexuals and protect the rights of gays. As the front of the box for this doll says, James Dean is an "American Legend". But if Americans regard him so highly, then why are so many states reluctant to allow homosexuals equal rights? In other words, if James Dean were alive today he would be both an American Legend and a second-class citizen. That's a head scratcher for sure. In any case, I'm glad his legend has lasted...and to have these awesome dolls!

Here is the DSI James Dean doll next to the Mattel James Dean doll. Although I've taken the Mattel doll out of the box, I've left it in the same pose that it was packaged in. I like how they put his thumbs in his pockets!

James Dean, 12 inch doll by Hot Toys, 2008
The Hot Toys company produces amazingly life-like dolls of characters from popular culture that have a crazy amount of detail. The head sculpts on these dolls are so detailed they even have skin texture! In 2008 they made a doll of James Dean based on Rebel Without a Cause which is extremely impressive, though very expensive. This is actually a work of art made especially for collectors, rather than a toy doll.

James Dean, 12 inch doll by Tonner, (year unknown)
Tonner is another company that makes dolls as items for collectors rather than as toys. These dolls all have a fashion doll look to them, so the faces don't look exactly like the characters that they are depicting. A James Dean doll based on Rebel Without a Cause was produced in the mid to late 2000s that has rooted doll hair. I believe this is the first James Dean doll to have rooted hair.

James Dean,  9.5 inch doll by Star Sacks (year unknown)
This is a cheaply made plush toy with a large plastic head. James Dean is wearing a black leather jacket. I'm not sure when it was made but it's likely to have been produced between 1990 and April 2014.

James Dean collectables

Here's my James Dean cookie jar! It's a bit kitschy and quite a departure from the usual collectables I like, but it's also an interesting and quirky piece of décor that I just couldn't pass up. The likeness of James Dean is really well done. I have the matching salt and pepper set that goes with it too! A closer view of them is shown below. The cowboy figure of James Dean from "Giant" is what initially caught my attention, and is my favourite piece from this set. Then I realized it had a pair "Rebel Without a Cause" figure, and then the matching cookie jar, so I went on a spending spree!


Here is an awesome poster sized James Dean puzzle that I bought in the summer of 2013. For some reason these puzzles were cleared out through dollar stores for $3.00! They originally sold for $15 to $20. The image is from the American "Legends of Hollywood" postage stamp collection. The puzzle has 1000 pieces and measures 27 inches X 20 inches when complete, so it's quite large. This is such a cool picture of James Dean that I put my finished puzzle in a frame and hung it up!

George Burns, 8.5 inch doll by Exclusive Premier, 1997

Here is the Exclusive Premier 8.5 inch doll of comedian George Burns. I've shown it next to a Spider-Man Mego doll for size comparison. George is about a half inch taller. This is a well made doll with lots of detail. Underneath his tie he has three plastic buttons sewn onto his shirt. He also has two buttons on his jacket. His shoes are moulded and painted on as the doll's feet, so they are not removable. He is also holding a cigar, which is attached in the doll's hand.

Here is the packaging which has a flap on the back. The doll comes with a doll stand and a microphone. Below is a closer view of his face. I've also seen another version of this doll in a black outfit with glasses, however I've never seen a Gracie Allen doll for this set.




Text and photos copyright Mikey Artelle, 2011, 2024

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