Well it's the half term break and I'm enjoying my first Monday morning at home in my pyjamas since Christmas!
On my third coffee whilst busily doing nothing I thought I'd have a random browse online. Looking for fairylite figures I was amazed to find two other dolls I've never seen before.
I've been a fan of secret agent toys for years so it was doubly amazing. Both dolls are secret agents!
First up is Copperhead by Marx seen on the visibleinnards forum in 2011. Like someone says on the thread there it looks like an April Fool but it seems genuine.
The chequered dress suit reminds me of Fairylite's Lady Penelope. All in all I'm flabbergasted. What's the story behind this doll, anyone know?
Anyone own a Copperhead?
The second doll is a Kissy Suzuki figure from the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. The first pic I saw today, my first ever, was very grainy monochrome on the Mego Museum thread.
A little digging revealed that it's by Cecil Coleman. There's much more info here on the informative ajb007. I've certainly never seen one till this morning but then again she is a secret agent!
Anyone own a Kissy Suzuki?
Anyone collect secret agent toys in general?
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Postscript:
Fans of 007 dolls and figures would obviously love to own a Kissy Suzuki doll. Here's a collector, 2arttoyguys on You Tube, who's made a custom version including cereal packet box! I love it! Just the sort of thing I'd do!
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Postscript 2
I've just come across these pictures from Ebay in 2015 of a Marx JANE BLONDE doll.
Now I am not an expert on Marx secret agent dolls or even an experienced collector but I cannot help noticing a lot of similarities between Jane Blonde and Copperhead.
First up is the name of the spy organisation. Jane works for G.O.O.D and Copperhead works for E.V.I.L as you can see on the box lids.
This may just be clever Marx marketing but then again.....
......there is the inner packaging. Its the same in both!
.... as are the two suitcases!
Other similarities include the bundle of masks in each box and of course the dolls themselves.
The final connection is the fact that I can find only one set of pictures if either of these online, what was once called a Googlewhack.
So readers, are these real Marx toys or like me are you swayed by the evidence that these are DIY customs?
Imitations and customs have a long history in vintage dolls as explained in this cool site about TV -related dolls.
What do you think?
Customs, definitely customs. Thigh highs scream custom. As far as I can recall, pantyhose/tights were the order of the day for girls' dolls. Accessories in individual sealed bags is a more current thing and not something I think Marx ever did, at least based on my recollections of Johnny West and Apollo. It also appears they have a thigh swivel which is something I'm very certain girls' dolls from that time period ever had.
ReplyDeleteIts a slippery one this Lance I agree. They look so convincing and I've since discovered the Ebay listing where the pictures are from from May 2015 http://www.ebay.it/itm/Vintage-Marx-Jane-Blonde-Secret-Agent-Doll-1960-039-s-Very-Rare-/281691539735 and there is NO mention of it being a custom. What do you make of that?
DeleteWell, after more researching, here is my opinion. They are original Marx Bonnie dolls which actually did have the thigh twist joint. http://dollreference.com/marx_dolls.html However, the clothing is not original. The stockings and lingerie are of modern times and the clothing may be a mix of custom and repurposed Barbie. The boxes, without alternate views, seem wrong. To me, here we have essentially mint dolls, accessories still bagged, box exteriors are overly crisp yet the inserts to hold the dolls have seen better days? I'd leaning towards customs/reproductions. Here's the inside of a similar time frame Marx doll box which shows different flaps inside. Could be just a mfgr variation but who knows. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/ae/9d/ef/ae9def5d5d0de4d05b18d630b8545512.jpg Also a 15" Marx doll with insert https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/92/7f/13/927f1303eb4410dc42c53400739f21f9.jpg
DeleteBut the big kicker about the boxes is the chunks of text. Marx tended towards centered text of the lines were not the same length like on the Girl from UNCLE box https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/ca/cf/d1/cacfd1ba71e3256cf93c6b1d071efad6.jpg or even the BotW line https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/df/fc/24/dffc24bc9b16bde9699c4730a991b954.jpg
Also Marx used "by MARX" not "BY MARX" used on these. Every box art I've looked at from artwork to photo cover is "by MARX". https://p2.liveauctioneers.com/867/52852/25333502_1_l.jpg
The artwork is rather sub-par and lacking the Marx touches. No shadow, not even an abstract one like here http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dekAAOSw2xRYdXFN/s-l1600.jpg Not even shadowing on the body for highlights and such as seen here http://p1.la-img.com/214/17126/5734277_2_l.jpg
The artwork is just so flat and the text is all over the place in ways Marx didn't do even when having books of text all over the box front. Marx also took great pains to not lay text on top of other text and covering up a bit. Copperhead has that issue. The only time I saw any of the characters' names partially obscured was the early photoboxes of BotW and it was by the photo not the text.
Just too many little oddities that add up to make me say custom jobs.
That's an excellent case you've given, backed up with equally excellent research, Lance! You may just have swayed my opinion and got me off the fence with this :)
Deletefab research Lance, I agree with Tone. I reckon you've nailed it! They certainly appear to be customs. Bit naughty selling the Jane Blonde on Ebay as an original. Much wiser would have been to say its a fan made custom straight up. Bit like the Kissy Suzuki doll in the You Tube video. That fan has made it for himself and explains how and why. Thanks again Lance, I enjoyed that.
DeleteI'm puzzled by these as well, Woodsy. I'm going to get splinters and sit on the fence with this, although Lance raises some very good points and I suspect he could probably be right? Either way, Copperhead and Jane are perfect femme fatale agents... they have a 1960s aesthetic... they tease us with mystery and intrigue... and refuse to give up their secrets :)
ReplyDeleteyep, its a mystery worthy of the Man in a Suitcase McGill Tone! The odd thing is that if you read the visible innards thread on which Copperhead appears [link above] none of the contributors suggest its a custom made doll. My own gut feeling is that it is.
DeleteI have a "Copperhead" figure, I purchased it nearly 30 years ago. The box is thin, cheaply made, with several more pieces of art of the character in combat poses, in the same art style of the cover. The clothes are not cheaply made or modern. It does look as though it was a rushed production with the pieces thrown in from already available sources, to cash in on the spy movies of the time. It's actually a very fun piece for what it is.
ReplyDelete30 years ago? really, is it that old? Wow! I thought they were modern. Where did you buy it? If you ever fancy sending me photos for this blog that would be cool. Email address for me, Woodsy, at the bottom of the page.
DeleteI have a Jane Blonde, incomplete. She has the swimsuit and fins as well as the briefcase. As a long time collector of Marx fashion dolls I feel certain she is genuine and not a custom piece. Interestingly, she does not share a body with Marx's Marlene (mistakenly identified as Bonnie on Dollreference.com). Rather she has the same body as the Marx Braniff Air Hostess, the difference being flat feet, a different knee mechanism and arms which are only jointed at the shoulders.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/marx-braniff-air-hostess-doll-1828148978
Superb info and insights Anonymous. Thanks for the fascinating link to the Banoiff Air Hostess, which I've never seen before. If you want to send me a pictures of your Jane Blonde I will post them here for interested readers. My email is at the bottom of this page, Woodsy. Thanks again for the comment.
DeleteThey are Marx Italian releases and appear in the Baravelli Christmas catalogues.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Angela. Do you have any links online to pictures of the catalogues at all?
Deletehttp://www.wildtoys.com/blog/BA3.jpg
Deletehttps://majormattmason.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html
Amazing Anonymous! That proves it once and for all!
DeleteI'm hoping that everyone has now realised that these weren't customs, and were made by Marx? I've spotted them once or twice on ebay recently.
ReplyDeleteWe're getting there slowly Nigel thanks. If you see any others that aren't pictured here then please do let us know thanks.
DeleteI just won Copperhead on ebay, she's not arrived yet. She just has part of her diving outfit and two of the masks, will send you a photo. I'm not sure if Janie Strong counts by Mort Alexander? She was a clone doll, somewhere between an Avenger and a Charlies Angel...
DeleteFantastic Nigel and congrats! I'd love pics for the blog and anything on that Janie Strong. New to me but fascinating!
DeleteYes, I can provide photos of both, Copperhead arrived today! She's actually a semi-strung doll, with elastic going through both her legs to increase posability.
ReplyDeleteFantastic Nigel! Thanks
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