Lilli Lalka doll goes head-to-head with Hong Kong Lilli
Bild Lilli was a German fashion doll produced from 1950 to 1964, based on the comic-strip character Lilli in the Bild-Zeitung newspaper. She first appeared in print on June 24, 1952. The cartoon was an immediate success and a new one appeared every day.
The Lilli doll held three patents absolutely new in doll-making: The head wasn’t connected to the neck but ended at the chin; the hair wasn’t rooted but a cut-out scalp that was attached by a hidden metal screw; the legs didn’t sprawl open when she was sitting. The doll was made of plastic and had molded eyelashes, pale skin and a painted face with side glancing eyes, high narrow eyebrows and red lips. Her fingernails were painted red, too. She wore her hair in a ponytail with one curl kissing the forehead. Her shoes and earrings were molded on. Her limbs were attached inside by coated rubber bands. The cartoon Lilli was blonde but a few of the dolls had other hair colors. Each Lilli doll carried a miniature Bild-Zeitung and was sold in a clear plastic tube.
Lilli came as a dressed doll, with additional fashions sold separately. Her fashions mirror the lifestyle of the Fifties: she had outfits for parties, the beach and tennis as well as cotton dresses, pajamas and poplin suits. In her last years, her wardrobe consisted mainly of “Dirndl” dresses. Lilli´s dresses always have patent fasteners marked “PRYM”. PRYM is the leading German button manufacturer; most German dollmakers used, and still use, its products.
The doll became so popular that she was exported to other countries, including the United States, where she was just called “Lilli”. Some Lillis have been seen in original packaging dating from the 1950s for an English-speaking market labeled as “Lilli Marlene”, after the famous song. Several toy companies (mainly in Hong Kong) started producing fashion dolls looking very similar to Lilli. These dolls are easy to distinguish because of their poor quality.
But Lilli also inspired the production of another fashion doll of high quality who would soon outshine her: Barbie, produced by Mattel. Ruth Handler, one of the company’s founders, bought some of the Lilli dolls when she was on a trip to Europe. Back home she reworked the design of the doll and re-named her Barbie, who debuted at the New York toy fair on March 9, 1959. Barbie had rooted hair and her shoes and earrings were not molded — apart from that she was a lookalike of Lilli.
One of the more recent incarnations of Lilli was in the guise of Lilli Lalka, a joint project by Elizabeth Lee and Julian Kalinowski. These beautifully-realised, hand-painted dolls are true to the spirit of Bild Lilli, and hard to tell apart from the originals to the untrained eye.
Hong Kong Lilli complete with vintage dress and original prong stand undergoes close scrutiny from Lilli Lalka, by Elizabeth Lee and Julian Kalinowski. The Lalka dolls are very close to the Bild Lilli originals, they wear reproductions of the vintage fashions and are displayed on stands very similar to the Bild ones. To complete the scene, a Steiff black wool poodle, often used to complement these dolls.