Sunday, October 14, 2012

Restoring A Chatty Cathy Doll For Sale

By Mallory Goodwin


Chatty Cathy quickly rose to popularity after its release by Mattel in the sixties. It continued to be manufactured for six more years because of this popularity. There was a voice box that was activated by pulling a ring that subsequently wound a metal coil. One can still find an old Chatty Cathy doll for sale.

This doll was first manufactured with eleven phrases, but was later redesigned to have eighteen phrases. The first were blond and blue-eyed, but later included a brunette, an auburn, and even an African-American version. It's popularity led to the company later developing other versions. Other companies began to mimic the design, coming up with talking dolls that used the same type mechanism.

Because these babies were so loved on, few of them that remain today are in their original condition. This means they need to be restored. Many have been restored that appear to be a hopeless case. Restoration often involves repairing or replacing the talking mechanism. These are not always repairable and will have to be replaced with other talking mechanisms. This means the original phrases may not be available. Some even collect them even though they don't talk, preferring not to have replacements that are not authentic.

Hair is another casualty of having been frequently played with. Sometimes all of it is missing, other times it just involves some of the hair, and sometimes it is all there, but very dirty and matted. It will need to be restored, possibly by re-rooting it, either partially or fully. It may only involve just cleaning and restyling what is already there.

Bodies are another feature that often gets very rough treatment. It is usually dirty, and may be mildewed. It may have been marked on with crayons or pens. This will require an intense cleaning process. However, with new cleaners and techniques, a near original condition is possible. Even broken parts can be replaced, sometimes with parts from another one, combining two to make one complete one.

The originals were dressed in one of two outfits. One was a blue dress trimmed with white eyelet, panties, blue shoes and white socks. The other outfit was a red sundress with a pinafore, red shoes, white socks, and a red headband. Other outfits were later made available for separate purchase. It was common to custom design outfits for little girls, often matching their own outfits.

Eyes that move are another item that frequently get destroyed in play. They get poked out, get stuck, and sometimes rust in storage. A complete restoration will involve restringing them. If a person is intent on keeping authenticity, the eyes can be repaired and repainted. Otherwise, they can be replaced with stock parts to restore their function and beauty.

It is fun, but not easy, to restore a Chatty Cathy doll for sale. A professional can best to it without causing further damage. They have skills and techniques to restore the skin, even removing ink stains and markers. They can also remove excessive soil and other stains. Clothing is sometimes able to be restored with extreme care. All this should really be done by a person who is proficient at restoring and have some amount of skill and expertise.




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