Terri Lee Dolls Identified 1946-1962 USA
Violet Lee Gradwohl (1901-1971) of Lincoln, Nebraska, created the Terri Lee, Inc. doll Company in 1946. Designer, sculptor Maxine Sunderman Runci (Violet’s niece) created the 16″ mannequin toddler based on her only daughter Drienne. The Terri Lee dolls were ultimately named after Violet’s only child, daughter Harriet Wilma Gradwohl Schrepel (1927-1998), who went by the name “Terri Lee”. From 1946 until 1962 and entire family of companion Terri Lee dolls were created, each beautifully costumed, identified and shown below.
Terri Lee Associates was formed in 1997 of members of the original company founders and are reproducing some of their best and most popular original dolls and new products.
Vintage Terri Lee Dolls Identified
1946-1947 Terri Lee doll, 16″ tall, all composition, painted facial features side glancing brown eyes, closed mouth, wigged, jointed body, doll’s left hand has a hole between thumb and forefinger to hold a daisy flower, doll marked Terri Lee Pat. Pending in raised letters.
The Terri Lee all composition doll is referred to as having “stiff” hair, as the wig is made of course cellulose fiber.
1946-1947 Terri Lee Jerri Lee boy doll, 16″ tall, all composition, Jerri Lee is basically a Terri Lee doll with modifications, a short caracul wig, No hole between thumb and forefinger, same doll mark Terri Lee Pat. Pending in raised letters. Very few Jerri Lee composition dolls were made.
1947-1962 Terri Lee Jerri Lee boy doll, 16″ tall, (shown) 1952 Jerri Lee and Terri Lee dolls, all hard plastic and vinyl jointed body, both dolls dressed in original early cowboy or cowgirl outfits, doll mark Terri Lee.
Terri Lee dolls were dressed in girl scout, brownie, cowgirl, swim wear, day dresses, play dresses, to elegant gowns and even a full length real mink coat, were available separately to purchase for the Terri Lee doll and usually tagged with a Terri Lee label.
1947-1950 Terri Lee made of painted hard plastic, doll mark Pat. Pending in raised letters.
1950-1961 Terri Lee doll mark Terri Lee. shown is a 1952 Terri Lee doll in cotton print top, sarong and hat.
1947-1958 Terri Lee Benji doll, 16″ tall, a black boy doll, hard plastic and vinyl, walker type, short curly black caracul wig, brown painted side glancing eyes, closed mouth, jointed hard plastic body. The 1952 Benji doll is wearing a blue printed short sleeve button down shirt, red short suspendered shorts, white socks and red shoes, doll marked Terri Lee.
1950s Terri Lee Bonnie Lou doll, 16″ tall, black doll, hard plastic and vinyl, doll marked Terri Lee.
1950s Terri Lee Nanook Eskimo doll, 16″ tall, straight across bangs on forehead, picture shown is of the reproduction doll, doll marked Terri Lee.
1950-1951 Terri Lee Patti Jo doll, 16″ tall, black doll mark Terri Lee.
1950-1951 Terri Lee Linda Lee baby doll or Linda baby doll, 10″ tall, all vinyl baby doll, molded hair. The rare black Linda baby doll is named Little Coco baby doll. Both dolls marked Terri Lee.
1952-1958 Terri Lee So-Sleepy doll a version of Linda Baby doll with closed eyes, 9 1/2″ tall, all vinyl baby type, doll mark Terri Lee.
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1950 Terri Lee Gene Autry doll, 16″ doll, Gene Autry actor and cowboy licensed, doll mark Terri Lee.
1955 Terri Lee Connie Lynn doll, 18″ tall, baby type, doll mark Terri Lee.
1950s Terri Lee Ginger doll, 8″ tall, dressed in a Girl Scout or Brownie outfit, doll marked Terri Lee.
1955-1958 Tiny Terri Lee doll or Tiny Jerri Lee doll, 10″ tall, also came dressed in Girl Scout or Brownie outfit, doll marked © copyright symbol.
1961-1965 Terri Lee talking doll, 16″ tall, the Terri Lee doll molds were sold to several companies during this time period, who produced a talking doll. The Terry Lee Company reclaimed their doll molds thru litigation by 1965, but several companies produced dolls during this period. Magna Enterprises and I & S Industries seem to be two of several companies that produced the talking dolls.
The talking Terri Lee doll is rare and hard to find. Few dolls surface for sale at online auctions or anywhere else. Photo courtesy of Lynda Snyder, thank you for sharing her with us.
1999 Terri Lee 50th Anniversary doll, 16″ tall, (manufactured in partnership with Knickerbocker Toy Co., from the original Terri Lee mold), hard plastic PVC, painted eyes, closed mouth, wigged, wearing the Tea Time dress in pink, limited edition of 5,000 doll marked Terri Lee (just like the original).
Knickerbocker was licensed to produce Terri Lee dolls from 1999-2001 in partnership with Terri Lee Associates. In 2002+ Terri Lee Associates solely produced the Terri Lee dolls in limited editions.
Mary Jane Doll 1953-1957 USA
G. H. & E. Freydberg, Inc. or Kathryn Kay Toy Kreations, Inc. companies owned by Kathryn Fassel.
The Terri Lee company successfully protected their Terri Lee doll copyright and won their suit in 1954 against the Freydberg company. All Freydberg Mary Jane doll molds and any finished product were then destroyed.
The Freydberg company restructured with a new company name of Togs and Dolls and a new redesigned vinyl head Mary Jane doll product. Togs and Dolls Corporation ceased by 1957.
1953-1954 Freydberg Mary Jane doll, 17″ tall, all hard plastic more slender body than Terri Lee, wigged, flirty sleep eyes, closed wider mouth than Terri Lee, head turning walker, clone of the Terri Lee doll, the Freydberg Mary Jane doll is unmarked.
1955-1957 Togs and Dolls Corp. Mary Jane doll, 17″ tall, vinyl head with brown rooted hair, hard plastic jointed head turning walker body, sleep eyes with real eyelashes, closed mouth, doll is unmarked, came with a hangtag that states;
“My name is Mary Jane I am made of Celanese acetate plastic
I have 36 pretty outfits. Do you have them all?’