on the front strap, sets them apart. The dolls were packaged with a round pedestal stand very like the one found with #3/4 Ponytail Barbie dolls. The cream coloured base was round, and featured the 'Mitzi' logo on the top part, with IDEAL/MADE IN USA marked underneath. There are two versions of this stand, one with a metal crossbar (the section that goes under the doll's arms) and another with a plastic one. As far as I know, her box did not include a liner, but pristine examples have been found sealed in a plastic bag within the box.
Mitzi dolls sent out to Wards customers in December 1960 had a sticker on their box that explained "This article is similar to the one that you ordered". The company continued to sell the doll (I have another boxed Mitzi, with a $1.27 Wards price label), possibly as an exclusive product, for some time afterwards.
Like Tammy, Mitzi was also licensed to the Canadian toy company, Reliable, who made a ponytail and bubblecut version of the doll. These dolls are marked differently, and are made from a lighter plastic. The bubblecut doll in particular, is not as pretty as the Ideal version.
As far as I have been able to find out, no clothes were ever manufactured specifically for Mitzi, although many clone outfits and sewing patterns continued to made reference to the doll until as late as 1966. I have seen several outfits on eBay that the sellers have claimed were made for Mitzi, but in many cases, these turn out to have been handmade, or belong to another clone. Made as a Barbie substitute, Mitzi fits Barbie clothes perfectly.
In 1962, Ideal introduced Tammy, and Mitzi faded into oblivion. Today, these dolls are little known, and can be hard to find, although they are quite inexpensive to buy. I find them fascinating, partly because of their beauty, and partly because of their interesting beginnings. I'm intrigued by how customers in the early 1960s must have reacted to this substitute, and wonder about Mattel's response to such blatant copying of their product.
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