Deluxe Reading Dolls 1963-1973 USA
Deluxe Reading founded by Henry Orenstein in 1951 in Elizabeth, New Jersey USA. Deluxe Reading sold their dolls, toys and other children’s products under a number of different company names; Deluxe, Deluxe Reading, Deluxe Premium Corporation, Deluxe Topper, Deluxe Toy Creations, Topper Toys and Topper Corporation.
Deluxe Reading began selling dolls around 1955 sold in supermarket’s, so they are often referred to as Grocery Store Dolls. This meant Deluxe Reading products were easily accessible to purchase and an inexpensive alternative to department store dolls of similar quality. Deluxe Reading is probably best known for their Dawn doll series by Topper Toys first created in 1969.
Operations ceased in 1973 when the Deluxe Reading / Topper Toys company filed for bankruptcy.
Vintage Deluxe Reading Dolls Identified 1963+
1963 Deluxe Reading Nancy Nurse doll, 20 1/2″ tall, (similar to 1962 Suzy Smart dolls), battery operated talker, rooted short curly hair, sleep eyes, soft vinyl arms, slightly bent legs, hard plastic jointed body, doll mark unknown.
1963-1970 Deluxe Reading Penny Brite doll, 8″ tall, all vinyl with short rooted curly hair, painted eyes, closed smiling mouth, jointed at the neck, shoulders with wired bendable legs, doll mark, came on a plastic case wearing a red and white panel dress. See the Penny Brite doll page with all her clothing identified and gift sets.
1964 Deluxe Reading Betty Beauty Parlor doll, 21″ tall, hard plastic and vinyl body, vinyl head with rooted hair in a bob with bangs, sleep eyes, has chubbier limbs than the slimmer doll below, jointed at neck, shoulders, hips and knees, shown in her original yellow and red dress, doll mark Deluxe Reading Co 1964.
1964 Deluxe Reading Miss Beauty Parlor doll, 24″ tall, same head mold as Suzy Smart doll but she is not a battery operated talker, came with a beauty parlor chair and supplies, vinyl head with rooted hair, sleep eyes, hard plastic body, jointed knees, shown in original outfit, doll mark 220, 346, D3-33, D6 24 and possibly others.
1964 Deluxe Reading Suzy Cute doll, 7″ tall, all vinyl, move her arm and the face changes expression, rooted blonde hair, blue eyes, drink and wet doll, came in a yellow plastic crib with three outfits. Additional outfits were available separately and there was; a swing set, stroll, plastic dresser, carriage, bathinette and feeding chair, doll mark Deluxe Reading Corp. © 1964 268 GX on back of neck.
1964-1967 Deluxe Reading Suzy Homemaker doll, 24″ tall, Beauty Parlor version, hard plastic and vinyl, jointed at neck, shoulders, hips and knees, rooted bubble cut hair-do, sleep eyes, red dress with short sleeve white blouse, had separate accessories of a Beauty Salon chair and a Hair Boutique that could be bought separately, doll mark unknown.
Buy Deluxe Reading vintage dolls
Find Deluxe Reading vintage doll values
1965 Deluxe Reading Baby Boo doll, 21″, battery operated, short blonde rooted hair, doll mark on back CAT NO 1813 C DLR Corp. 1965 Made by Deluxe Reading Corp. and on head 55 Deluxe Reading 1965.
not shown; 1965 Deluxe Reading Baby Catch A Ball doll, a battery operated doll. 1965 Deluxe Reading Little Miss Fussy doll, 18″ tall a battery operated doll.
1965 Deluxe Reading Topper Toys, The Go-Go’s dolls, all 6″ tall, vinyl dolls, bendable body, rooted hair, painted eyes, came in a clear plastic tube with stand (8 dolls in the series); 1. Yeah Yeah doll, a stewardess, 2. Private Ida doll trench coat with a spy case, 3. Slick Chick doll with her black poodle, 4. Tomboy doll, has a black eye, came with her baseball bat, 5. Swinger doll a dancer with bracelets, 6. Hot Canary, 6″ singer with microphone, 7. Cool Cat doll a folk singer with guitar, 8. Brenda Brush doll, an artist with paint brushes and color palette, all dolls marked 1965 Deluxe Reading.
1966 Deluxe Reading Baby Magic doll, 18″ tall, sleep eyes, rooted hair, drinks, nurses, cries real tears and goes to sleep by herself. Has a magic magnetic thimble, doll mark unknown. Also a 1968 Deluxe Reading Tiny Baby Magic doll, 10 1/2″ tall.
1969 Deluxe Reading Baby Peek N’ Play doll, 18″ tall, battery operated or 1969 Deluxe Reading Baby Tickle Tears doll, 14″ tall.
1969-1973 Topper Toys Dawn dolls, 6″ tall, all vinyl doll with rooted hair, jointed body, legs have a wire inside which in some cases is prone to show a greenish mark over time. Other family dolls are: Angie, Dale, Gloria, Long Locks and Jessica. Three male dolls were later introduced, Gary, Ron and Van. Dawn had a huge wardrobe and accessories to collect. Dawn’s counterpart in Britain was named Pippa made by Palitoy. The Dawn doll was a small sized competitor to Mattel Barbie dolls and is the same size as Mattel Rock Flower dolls and can share the dolls wardrobe.
1971 Topper Toys Smarty Pants doll, 18″ tall, talker with battery compartment in tummy, rooted sort blonde hair, sleep eyes with real upper lashes, open slight smiling mouth, hard plastic jointed body with a wide stance and straight legs, doll marked Topper Co. 19 © 71, by Topper Toys Company.
not shown; 1966 Deluxe Reading Baby Party doll, 18-19″ tall, vinyl head with short rooted hair, sleep eyes, open mouth with hole to blow up balloons, hard plastic jointed toddler body is seated with bent legs, battery operated, doll mark Deluxe Topper 1966 2770 17 EYE.
Deluxe Reading Doll Marks Identified
A, A-1, AE, AHH, AHHH, AHHK, K-10, PTN, SG, VH and 14R. Note: A, AE and 14R are doll marks used by other doll makers.
see; Deluxe Reading / Topper Toys dolls 1951-1962