Remco’s Mid-Century Modern Doll Family from 1963
Get to know this fashionable family. Turned out in the height of 1960s fashions, the Littlechaps simply can’t wait to meet you.
Lanesville is the imaginary town that was home to the Littlechaps, Remco’s short-lived perfect family of dolls that was produced for only one year in 1963.
The company created a back story for the dolls as well as an impressive array of outfits and accessories. Sadly, they didn’t capture the public imagination and the line was swiftly dropped. Various reasons have been put forward for this failure, despite the obvious quality of the clothing and the thought that had been put into the family.
It’s possible that the sizes chosen for the dolls were a mistake, at a whopping 15 inches tall for the adults. This cut down the possibility of swapping outfits with dolls from other manufacturers and might have limited the Littlechaps appeal. Another hypothesis is that the line was centered too firmly on the adult dolls, whereas potential young doll-shoppers might have preferred to identify with dolls closer to their own age, such as Tammy or the teen fashion models.
Anyway, enough speculation – let’s meet the family, as described by their makers. The Littlechaps are Dr John Littlechap, Lisa his wife, and their two daughters 17-year old Judy and 10-year old Libby. “Never before has a family of dolls been created that is so true to life”, according to Remco. These dolls were aspirational with more than a nod in the direction of Camelot and the Kennedy clan. Here’s the exclusive Bold Doll video:
And here’s a link to our previous feature about this highly collectible family
3 Comments
Sun · March 17, 2023 at 12:07 pm
I really enjoyed this post. When I was about 6 years old in the 1970s my mother bought me a Barbie camper at a yard sale. The previous owner had tossed some random bits and pieces into the box, including a Littlechaps catalog. I think I was more enthralled with that than I was with the camper! I pored over it constantly and I wanted these dolls so badly. Normally I got the dolls that I asked Santa for (within reason) but since the line had been discontinued over a decade previously he obviously couldn’t find these. He was able to distract me with other toys that I had requested, but I always wished I could have had the Littlechaps. Fast forward more than 40 years later to a few weeks ago when I found a near mint Libby Littlechap on eBay and a few still sealed outfits. Now I’m hooked and I’m finally fulfilling my childhood wish list. Thanks for a fun read!
thebolddoll · March 17, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Hi there, Thanks for getting in touch – I really appreciate it, and enjoyed your story. The Littlechaps are such great dolls, I’m really glad you were able to start your collection some 40 years later! The good news is that prices for these dolls have fallen dramatically over the past few years, so this is the ideal time to buy. Additionally, because the line was discontinued, it’s relatively easy to put together a whole collection. There are not so many items to find as for vintage Barbie, for example. With the exception of the carrying cases, the catalog pretty much covers everything that’s out there. Incidentally, we put together a little video about these dolls, if you’d like to view it here’s a link:
https://youtu.be/32oaaJn-C8U
Sun · March 17, 2023 at 4:20 pm
That video is fantastic, thanks! 🙂 I’m having a great time collecting the line. I have gotten some sweet deals, though I’ve also seen some pricier pieces on eBay and it can be hard to resist them and wait for something more budget friendly 😉
I didn’t know about the gift set or the blue eyed versions of John and Judy. Something to look out for! Thanks again for this post and video. I’ll be following this blog now!