Doll dressed for and with a skateboard made in England by Mary Quant in 1977

Teenage doll wearing a skateboarding outfit, accessorised with a skateboard. The doll is made from soft PVC, with a flange head set on the ball of the neck, with rooted nylon blonde hair and painted blue eyes. The body is jointed at the hips, shoulders and waist and strung with elastic. The limbs are flexible and can be positioned.

The doll is dressed in a green polyester outfit, trimmed with red, white and blue. There are white PVC knee and elbow pads, white PVC shoes, and a red and white plastic helmet. The skateboard is red and yellow plastic. The display box gives the title of the doll, and a description. Also with it are three printed paper booklets: 'Daisy: read about my gift shop'; 'Daisy: my exciting life as a reporter in fashion by Mary Quant'; and a free doll offer.

Given by Mary Quant

Given to the Museum in 1979 by Mary Quant as part of a larger gift (see MISC.86 to 96-1979). The clothing in this gift were among the first pieces of contemporary children’s clothing acquired after the Bethnal Green Museum became the Museum of Childhood in 1974.

At the time of acquisition, Daisy was described by Mary Quant in a letter dated 12 October 1978 as ‘the same sort of idea as Sindy but, though I say it myself, much smarter, prettier and more amusing.’

RF: 78/2099

Fashion designer and entrepreneur Mary Quant was born in Blackheath in 1934, to Welsh parents. She opened her first shop, Bazaar, in 1955. In the 1960s Quant became a British fashion icon, emblematic of the decade’s youth culture, through her innovative, fun and highly distinctive clothing.

In 1973, Model Toys Ltd began manufacturing Daisy, Quant’s fashion doll, named after her famous flower logo. At that time, Model Toys was a subsidiary of Berwick-Timpo, of whom Sir Torquil Norman (later of Bluebird Toys) was chief executive. Norman was godfather to Quant’s son, Orlando, and used this connection to ask Quant to design Daisy’s clothes. Daisy was marketed as ‘the best dressed doll in the world’, and Norman used the Harrogate toy fair to promote the doll clothing real-life models in full-sized versions of the miniature clothing. Daisy was produced until 1983.

MISC.92&1 to 12-1979