The Royal Cissys The
Anatomy of a Queen
Words & pictures by Debbie Foster
What Makes A Cissy Royal? The Crown. It signified the wearer’s importance and status by association with precious materials and by making the wearer appear physically taller. Queen Cissy must have gained half an inch. The Crown Jewels. Their precious materials associated royalty with the divine. And what Cissy, regardless of dress, is not divinely royal? The Sash of the Garter with Star. The Order was originally established as a chivalrous noble fraternity. From the earliest times, ladies were received as honorary members but not surprisingly, this practice died out under Henry VIII. In 1990 the Statutes were amended to allow admission of females as Ladies Companion.
The Royal ‘Do. Her Honey Blonde wig, each uniquely individual for each year’s queen.
The Proper Wave. Articulated Hand and Arm for that special ‘screwing in a light bulb wave.’
The Gown. The 1958 brocade gown was the only one with a true train. The others were pseudotrains where the skirt was longer in the back. This was accomplished by a lower back waistline seam.
The actual Garter Star depicted as circular on Cissy’s Garter Sash. Seamed Stockings and High Heel Sandals raised her highness to a proper regal height.
The Royal Bloomers. Royal Cissy wore a hoop petticoat. Panties were often attached. The 1957 petticoat did not have a hoop.
Who Were The Royal Cissys? During Cissy’s heyday from 1955 to 1962, Madame Alexander produced a mere seven Queen Elizabeth Cissys. Mme. Alexander was an admitted Anglophile as evidenced by her many small scale royal renditions and her pièce de résistance, the 1952 Coronation Set. Perhaps Cissy’s marketability as a queen was questionable since her fame was as a fashion diva. The queens are easily distinguishable from other Cissy styles by, of course, the billowing and regal brocade gowns which bear either the blue Sash of the Garter or the red Sash of the Order of the Bath draped across the bodice. Mme. Alexander was historically correct in the Sash color, but the decorative embellishments were purely artistic. Another key to identifying even a nude queen is the uniquely styled honey blonde wig. It seems Queen Cissy never attained the popularity or desirability of the more contemporarily dressed dolls. Even today, if your budget is tight, the queen brings the most doll for your dollar. I doubt she was discounted at her release so it’s guaranteed you’ll pay more than her original price of around $25. What better time to declare my purely novice status as a Cissy historian, but this vintage doll and her resplendent wardrobe fascinate me. Concrete docu-
mentation is sparse, varied, ambiguous, with pictures printed in black and white, and research is contradictory. This is an attempt to apply some order to, at least, the Queens. In 1955, Cissy was released as #2099 Queen Elizabeth as part of the ‘A Child’s Dream Come True’ Series. The Madame Alexander catalog pictured seven different ball gowns, including the white brocade of the Queen’s. She was further described as wearing a rhinestone and
1955 1956
ruby jeweled tiara, earrings and bracelets. Long, fingerless mitts covered her arms. No mention was made of her hoop petticoat or the unusual marquis shaped jewel on the toe cross piece of her white elastic sandals. Most available references state the 1955 and 1956 dolls were the same, but the brocade patterns were different. The ‘55 pattern was simpler and more of an embossed sat-
#2171.1957 ‘Formal Gowns’ in; the ‘56 fabric was much heavier and more intricately patterned. The skirts were unlined but the bodice was fully lined with organdy. They did have the same style wig, the same rhinestone-studded wheel shaped earrings, similar crowns and dresses cut in the same style with a slim waistline bodice that dipped in the back elongating the length of the gown. The 1956 Catalog described the #2042 Queen as having a ‘bouffant and graceful white brocade gown worn over a hoop petticoat of taffeta.’ Her sandals were said to be gold, an accessory color choice uncharacteristic of Mme. Alexander. Simple cap sleeves were caught at the lower edge, gathered and
Full length slip for the 1957 Gown in the front and draped over the shoulders, forming a large bow tacked in back. The gown was fully lined with tulle. Because of the form-fitting style dress, the narrow-hipped petticoat was one piece and asymmetrically
1957
Hoop Petticoat
tacked at the shoulder seam. Both gowns had full asymmetrical hoop petticoats of a taffeta-like bridal crinoline. The slip’s yoke was longer in the back. Some slips had attached panties. 1957 brought a new style of court gown that was an unusual gored A-line design without a seamed waistline. The bodice was a chemise sun dress with straps that attached
shaped. A full 2-inch ruffle was attached to the underside but a longer 8-inch ruffle was added in the back to support the pseudo-train. Cissy was not referred to as ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and was grouped with seven other formally attired Cissys. Her gold
1957
#2281.1958 ‘Dolls To Remember’ crown was styled similarly to the ‘55 and ‘56 crowns.
spanned the back closure. The bodice was fitted and had what are referred to as ‘angel’ sleeves. They’re actually a double fold, self fabric ruffle attached at the shoulder seam. Cissy’s hoop petticoat was yellow taffeta.
The tosca colored wig was an unusual side-part style and seen only in 1957. A spanner bar anchored longer sections pulled away from the face. The back fell in loose curls.
Cissy’s wig had a center part with tiny spit curls on the forehead. Longer sections pulled back from the temples to the crown and were held by a spanner bar.
Dressed in gold brocade in 1958, the Catalog simply described her as ‘regal and romantic’ with her golden tiara sparkling with gems, long white gloves and glittering jewels. The crown was wider and more ornate than the previous three years. T h e full-
The 1959 Alexander ‘Doll Parade’ catalog showed only three Cissys, none of which were dressed as Queen Elizabeth; however, the FAO Schwarz Christmas catalog offered a Cissy dressed as Queen Elizabeth, #16-28 for $25.00. She was described as wearing a gown of white brocade with Sash of the Garter and Star over a taffeta hoop petticoat. This queen was probably an FAO Schwarz exclusive and not released to other retailers. The no-neck Cissys were beginning to appear in ‘59. Cissy, as Queen Elizabeth, was often seen as the transitional no-
length skirt was gathered and attached at a natural waistline. The gown had a separate attached train with a wide single loop bow that
1958
Vintage Vestige Vestments Cissy retired in 1963 and was seen in the MA Catalog for the last time in 1962 as a Portrait doll (#2180) depicting the ‘glamorous Queen Elizabeth II of England.’ Her gold palm frond brocade court gown was decorated with the Sash of the Order of the Bath. Her twinkling jewels, shining hair, long gloves and brilliant tiara, gave her a regal air.’ Cissy was offered for the last time by FAO Schwarz as style #26-7 for $25.00 in their 1963 Christmas catalog.
neck with jointed oversleeve arms while some were pure no-necks with the more delicate one-piece arms. Mme. Alexander was known for her parsimony and let nothing go to waste. The transitional dolls were probably not by conscious design, but rather a product of assembling dolls f r o m parts s t i l l available.
1959
Not mentioned in the 1960 Alexander Catalog, Cissy was featured by FAO Schwarz at Christmas in a Royal Tour Trousseau Trunk Set (#4099) priced at $75.00. Cissy’s gown was said to be of ‘gold brocade, over a taffeta hoop petticoat, with Order of the Garter, long white gloves, tiara, earrings, ring and jeweled bracelets.’ Other items in the trunk set were a tea dress and cloak, print dress, sport slacks and blazer, silk nightie and robe, chemise, shoes, mules, stockings and accessories.
‘59 Queen Cissy owned by Christine Fisher
The 1961 Madame Alexander Catalog offered Cissy as a Portrait Queen, Style #2230, dressed as Queen Elizabeth. She was described as wearing a gown of brocade, Sash of the Garter with Garter Star, long gloves and tiara. The brocade color was not stipulated. She was touted as being fully jointed with soft arms, moving eyes and long eyelashes.
The Cissy Queens released between 1955 and 1958 were well documented. 1959 was when the waters started to muddy, but by process of elimination and known body types and styles, I believe the ‘59 doll to be identified accurately. I further hypothesize the ‘60 FAO
1961
This is a bride no- neck doll dressed in the queen outfit. The queen dolls had blonde or honey-blonde wigs.
The Royal Cissy Cessation Schwarz offering and the ‘61 Madame Alexander doll (#2230) were the same; the brocade was the same. In 1962 the gold palm frond pattern appeared as did the new red Sash of the Order of The Bath. One reference sited a 21-inch Queen Elizabeth ‘Sleeping Beauty’, #2170 (not pictured), was offered in 1960 while another stated it was 1961. My timeline dates her no earlier than 1962. The popularity of Cissy was on the wane in 1959, and the number of fashion dolls and outfits produced trickled down to almost nothing. The Queen dolls undoubtedly proved to be a reliable staple, thus blowing my marketing theory right out of the water. Madame Alexander certainly would not have continued producing an unprofitable line. As collectible as vintage Cissy is today, why is the queen the least favored? Perhaps she comes across as stilted and too formal, and collectible dolls should evoke a warm and fuzzy feeling akin to the joy one felt while playing with them as a child. I suspect not many queens received liberal play time. She was too pretty
‘62 Queen Cissy owned by Diane Martz. Crown is not ‘Cissy’
or too perfect or too. . . something. Maybe she was allowed to be looked at but not touched, and the hands-off feeling prevails today. If that’s the case, it’s my good fortune. More are left for me. You can never have too many Cissys!
1962 Special thanks and appreciation are extended to the insightful and curious members of the Yahoo! Vintage Cissy Group for their constant and continuous assistance with all things Cissy!