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1970's Dolls That Had Adjustable Hair

Dolls that had adjustable hair -- also known as "grow hair dolls" -- hit their peak of popularity in the 1970's. These dolls had tresses that could magically grow, by gently pulling the main center strand of their hair, and just as magically be shortened, by pushing a knob on the doll's back. Some toy manufacturers developed whole lines of family and friends for the dolls, as well as clothing and accessories.

Crissy
- Crissy was one of the most popular grow hair dolls. Manufactured by Ideal, Crissy was 18 inches tall and had long red hair and dark eyes. After Crissy's first year in production, Ideal introduced several friends and family members, all with grow hair. These dolls included Velvet, Cinnamon, Brandi, Dina, Kerry and Mia. Ideal also manufactured a Baby Crissy doll. Other models besides the original Beautiful Crissy were Movin' Groovin' Crissy, Talky Crissy, Look Around Crissy and Swirla Curler Crissy.
Joann
- Joann was toymaker Nasco's 15-inch answer to Ideal's Velvet doll. The first Joann doll hit toy store shelves in 1971. Several years later, Nasco changed Joann's appearance. Both versions had blue eyes and smoky blue eyeshadow, but the original model had chubbier arms and legs and a larger head with bigger facial features. Both Joann versions had the same "grow hair" feature.
Miss Deb
- Uneeda designed a popular grow hair doll named Miss Deb. The doll's hair grow system consisted of an elastic string attached to the doll's hair strand and a small plug on the doll's foot. Miss Deb had a grow hair pony which had a small bead and an opening slot to hold the bead in place, leaving the hair either at full length or as short as it would get. Uneeda released many different outfitted versions of Miss Deb, and the company also manufactured Magic Meg, Missy and Miki.
Other Dolls
- There were many other toy manufacturers that designed their own grow hair dolls. Mattel produced a grow hair Barbie, as well as Barbie's friend Francie. In the baby doll grow hair category, Mattel manufactured Valerie. Eugene Co. made Growing Hair Girl, and Palitoy manufactured Tressy and Sheena. There was even a grow hair Cher doll, made by Mego Corp.

Dolls