Betsy McCall Paper Dolls, I remember

I loved Betsy McCall paper dolls. Back in the 1950s Betsy McCall and I were great friends. She was a famous paper doll. Even though I was older than Betsy, she helped me learn about the world. We were both children of the 50s.

Betsy McCall and I have shared history

Betsy McCall came into being in 1951. We shared the same birthday month as McCall's Magazine announced Betsy McCall's creation in April. When she appeared in the May issue, Betsy was an immediate hit.

Betsy McCall had a family and a dog, a dachshund, named Nosey. I lived with my grandmother who had a dachshund, too, named Mitzie.

While Betsy went on to have a vast family with brothers and sisters, I remained an only child, but Betsy and I both had three cousins, all girls. Betsy McCall lived in a place with snow as did I. She lived near New York City and I lived nearby in Philadelphia.

• Above Image Credit: Betsy McCall puppet show Courtesy via Cool Mom Picks

1950s vintage paper doll became a role model for young girls

My life with Betsy McCall

Betsy McCall traveled across America as did I. She had many adventures on her own; however, we shared many road trips together, along with my family's German Shepherd in the back seat of the car, as we traveled across the United States.

I have strong memories of Betsy McCall and how I eagerly waited each month for the delivery of my grandmother's McCall's Magazine. I couldn't wait to flip through the new pages to Betsy's to see what she was up and what she was wearing.

It was exciting. Sometimes she'd go to the beach or maybe she'd collect four-leaf clovers or even have a tea party. Other times she'd be having fun with her siblings and extended family. Whatever she wanted to do, I was ready to do it, too. In many ways, you could say that dear Betsy was a role model for all the little girls growing up in the 1950s.

Did you play with Betsy McCall or other paper dolls when you were a child?

Today the Baby Boomers are looking back and bringing things forward from their childhood, paper dolls being one of them. That's caused great interest in Betsy McCall and her friends as well as many other vintage paper dolls. People are interested in them and not just boomers.

• Image Credit: Photo Girl Playing with Paper Dolls [[::User::en:User:Janke| [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commonsli>

Betsy McCall entertained children for more than 40 years and was not limited in her influence upon children only from the 1950s.

This video offers a slideshow presentation of the various Betsy McCall pages form the 1950s. You'll see the fashions, the stories, the activities, the family members, even the puppets.

Collector shares his passion for the vintage paper doll Betsy McCall and the original artwork from the pages of McCall's Magazine.

These paper doll collections are new compared to Betsy McCall. If you're looking for a vintage inspired type of paper doll, then the Little House collection is a great one. The paper dolls are based on Laura Ingall Wilder's classic book The Big Woods.

The other collection is definitely more modern taking inspiration from the popularity of fairies. Much different than dressing up regular boys and girls, these paper dolls are woodland fairies.