Liddle Kiddles

In 1966 Mattel released a line of vinyl dolls, called Liddle Kiddles along with other ephemera and accessories for the line, like this activity sticker book. According to their creator, Elliot Handler, they were designed to resemble everyday kids across America. The dolls ranged in height from two and a half to three and a half inches tall with oversized heads and eyes. Their disproportionate features intentionally mimic those of young children, which in turn, plays up their “cuteness” factor. 

The theory that exaggerated features elicit a “cute” response was popularized by ethnologist, Konrad Lorenz who, in the 1940s, compiled a list of eight factors that signify cuteness, with a large head to body ratio being one of them. This concept was not lost on toy makers and producers of kids shows, who by that time had already started incorporating those features into their designs with the likes of Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop. Mattel also used this concept in their creation of Liddle Kiddles.

Additionally, Liddle Kiddles dolls and the illustrations for this booklet were likely influenced by comics and mangas like Osamu Tezuka’s Astroboy which were gaining popularity around then. The style in which these cartoons were drawn became known as “Super Deformed'' style, which falls in line with the aforementioned traits that contribute to the cuteness factor. We can also see the influence the Pop Art movement had on the design of this booklet with its use of bright colors and bold graphic images.

Another aspect of these dolls and their associated accessories is how gender-coded they were. It is around the time of the Liddle Kiddles line release that, “...nearly all dolls were overtly marketed toward girls, as were home-making toys”. We can see this within the booklet itself, with its inclusion of a baking scene as well as its cast of characters being mostly female. This booklet and the Liddle Kiddles line, like many toys of the era, are products of their time. While it exemplifies artistic movements and toy design that were popular back then, it also proliferates the gender norms and expectations that prevailed during that mid 20th century.

Liv Vernon

Works Cited:

Sweet, Elizabeth. “The ‘Gendering’ of Our Kids’ Toys, and What We Can Do about It.” New Dream, 28 Feb. 2018, newdream.org/blog/2011-10-gendering-of-kids-toys#:~:text=By%20mid%2Dcentury%2C%20nearly%20all,were%20overtly%20directed%20toward%20boys.

Therrian, Carl, and Joyce Goggin. “Welcome to the Dollhouse. Constructing Bodies in Crytek’s Crysis and Mattel’s Kiddle Dolls.” Kinephanos, www.kinephanos.ca/2016/welcome-to-the-dollhouse/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

“Vintage Liddle Kiddles - Liddle Kiddles.” Fashion Doll Guide, www.fashion-doll-guide.com/Vintage-Little-Kiddles.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.