Penny Brite was released in 1963 by Topper Toys. Penny was presented as a more wholesome alternative to Mattel’s Barbie doll, which at the time had a bad reputation in some parenting circles for being “too grown up” for young children. More specifically, Penny Brite was less curvy than Barbie and had a more conservative clothing line. I found my Penny Brite on Ebay and since she had been on my wish list for a while, when the opportunity arose – I bought her 😉 Like every vintage doll, she had to have a SPA treatment – I bathed her, fixed her hair and washed her clothes.
The arms, legs and head of the Penny Brite doll are rubber, only the torso is plastic. The doll is about 21 cm tall and has a child’s body. She is smaller than Pepper from Ideal Toy Company, she looks like her younger sister. I was very pleasantly surprised that most of the clothes I made for my Lori and Mini American Girl dolls fit her, here’s how she looks in them. The last photo shows Penny Brite and Pepper – they’ve already become friends 😉
Below is a photo comparing 3 dolls, from the left: Penny Brite (Topper Toys), Pepper (Ideal Toy Company), Barbie Stacie (Mattel)
Penny Brite, Pepper, Barbie Stacie
And here’s a Penny Brite doll makeover video from my Youtube channel: