Daisy
Doll Head
1971-1972 (made)
1971-1972 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Nine prototype heads for 'Daisy' dolls:
1. Painted plaster face. Blue eyes looking left, pink face, open pink mouth showing teeth, no eyebrows, hairline indicated by yellow paint along the top of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back.
2. Painted plaster face. Blue eyes looking right, open red mouth showing teeth, light brown eyebrows, hairline indicated by yellow paint along the top and forehead. Remains of adhesive pads on the back.
3. Painted plaster face. Brown eyes looking left, open pink mouth showing teeth, brown eyebrows, hairline indicated by brown paint along the top and sides of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back.
4. Painted plaster face. Brown eyes looking left, open red mouth showing teeth, pencil eyebrows, hairline indicated by black/brown paint along the top and sides of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back.
5. Face similar to 1-4, with blue eyes looking right, open pink mouth showing teeth. Mounted on a PVC head back with rooted blonde nylon hair.
6. Head made from unpainted white plaster, with an open mouth.
7. Head made from plaster painted cream and with an open mouth, mounted on a stick.
8. PVC head with blue eyes and a closed mouth. Forehead and eyebrows painted to convey a sad expression. Rooted blonde nylon hair over which has been pinned a length of red/orange nylon hair.
9. Painted PVC head with a closed mouth and rooted brown nylon hair. Wearing a pair of orange sunglasses.
1. Painted plaster face. Blue eyes looking left, pink face, open pink mouth showing teeth, no eyebrows, hairline indicated by yellow paint along the top of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back.
2. Painted plaster face. Blue eyes looking right, open red mouth showing teeth, light brown eyebrows, hairline indicated by yellow paint along the top and forehead. Remains of adhesive pads on the back.
3. Painted plaster face. Brown eyes looking left, open pink mouth showing teeth, brown eyebrows, hairline indicated by brown paint along the top and sides of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back.
4. Painted plaster face. Brown eyes looking left, open red mouth showing teeth, pencil eyebrows, hairline indicated by black/brown paint along the top and sides of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back.
5. Face similar to 1-4, with blue eyes looking right, open pink mouth showing teeth. Mounted on a PVC head back with rooted blonde nylon hair.
6. Head made from unpainted white plaster, with an open mouth.
7. Head made from plaster painted cream and with an open mouth, mounted on a stick.
8. PVC head with blue eyes and a closed mouth. Forehead and eyebrows painted to convey a sad expression. Rooted blonde nylon hair over which has been pinned a length of red/orange nylon hair.
9. Painted PVC head with a closed mouth and rooted brown nylon hair. Wearing a pair of orange sunglasses.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 9 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
|
| Title | Daisy (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted and unpainted plaster, PVC, nylon |
| Brief description | Set of nine prototype heads for Daisy Dolls, Mary Quant/Flair Toys/Model Toys, early 1970s |
| Physical description | Nine prototype heads for 'Daisy' dolls: 1. Painted plaster face. Blue eyes looking left, pink face, open pink mouth showing teeth, no eyebrows, hairline indicated by yellow paint along the top of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back. 2. Painted plaster face. Blue eyes looking right, open red mouth showing teeth, light brown eyebrows, hairline indicated by yellow paint along the top and forehead. Remains of adhesive pads on the back. 3. Painted plaster face. Brown eyes looking left, open pink mouth showing teeth, brown eyebrows, hairline indicated by brown paint along the top and sides of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back. 4. Painted plaster face. Brown eyes looking left, open red mouth showing teeth, pencil eyebrows, hairline indicated by black/brown paint along the top and sides of the face. Remains of adhesive pads on the back. 5. Face similar to 1-4, with blue eyes looking right, open pink mouth showing teeth. Mounted on a PVC head back with rooted blonde nylon hair. 6. Head made from unpainted white plaster, with an open mouth. 7. Head made from plaster painted cream and with an open mouth, mounted on a stick. 8. PVC head with blue eyes and a closed mouth. Forehead and eyebrows painted to convey a sad expression. Rooted blonde nylon hair over which has been pinned a length of red/orange nylon hair. 9. Painted PVC head with a closed mouth and rooted brown nylon hair. Wearing a pair of orange sunglasses. |
| Production type | Prototype |
| Credit line | Given by Mary Quant |
| Object history | 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 |
| Historical context | 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. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | MISC.94:1 to 9-1979 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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