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How to Restore a Mrs. Beasley Doll

Mrs. Beasley is one of the iconic toys of the mid-1960s that bring back so many fond memories of childhood. She was the favorite doll of Buffy, a character in the popular "Family Affair" television show. Thousands of girls loved their Mrs. Beasley dolls just like Buffy did. While Mrs. Beasley is a popular collectible in the 21st century, not many copies survived unscathed. To keep the collectible value, restore what you can invisibly, but don't add new pieces in place of old lost ones. For collecting purposes, having a piece missing is better than replacing it with something in modern materials.

Things You'll Need

All-purpose cleaner spray
Wide-tooth metal dog comb
Child's hair detangler spray
Perm rods
Rubber bands
Lotion
Plastic wrap
Soft toothbrush
Needle
White thread
Oxygen cleaner

Instructions

- 1
  Wet Mrs. Beasley's hair with warm water and spray on a bit of all-purpose cleaner. Rinse the hair until the water runs clear. Comb the hair. If the hair is extremely tangled, spray with detangler and work from the ends of the hair toward the roots to minimize hair loss.
- 2
  Roll the hair up in perm rods and secure them with rubber bands. Set the doll aside until the hair is completely dry. Remove the perm rods after the hair has dried, and gently style the curls into place.
- 3
  Rub lotion into the doll's face and hands. Allow the lotion to soak in overnight.
- 4
  Rinse the lotion off the face and hands, scrubbing gently with the toothbrush. Rinse well until all the lotion has been removed from the vinyl.
- 5
  Stitch up any loose limbs. Use tiny stitches; make them as invisible as possible.
- 6
  Make a paste of oxygen cleaner and dab it onto any body parts that are very dirty. Scrub gently with the toothbrush then remove the cleaner residue with a soft cloth soaked in warm water then wrung out. Keep wiping with the clean cloth, rinsing the cloth occasionally, until all cleaner is gone. Allow the doll to dry completely before displaying.

Collecting Vintage Toys