Daisy was a 1970s doll designed by British fashion designer

Mary Quant Dame Barbara Mary Quant (11 February 1930 – 13 April 2023) was a British fashion designer and icon. She became an instrumental figure in the 1960s London-based Mod and youth fashion movements, and played a prominent role in London's Swingi ...

Design

Daisy was released in the UK in 1973, with the tag line "Mary Quant makes Daisy the best dressed doll in the world". Her name was a reference to Mary Quant's

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

, a daisy flower. The doll was manufactured in the 1970s in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

by Model Toys Ltd, in connection with Flair Toys Ltd. Flair Toys Ltd went out of business in 1980, but Daisy continued to be manufactured until 1983. The doll is 23 centimetres (9 inches) tall and there are three different versions of her: "Dizzy Daisy", who has a stiff body and unbendable legs, with just her arms and legs swinging up and down from the hips and shoulders; a basic bodied version with bendable legs, as well as the swivelling arms and leg joints; and an active version called "Dashing Daisy", whose body is the most bendable. Her hair colour has ranged from different shades of blond to brunette and red. Other dolls were manufactured from the same moulds: "Havoc, Super Agent" was released in 1976; and Daisy's best friend, "Amy", who was only available by redeeming daisy tokens from Daisy packages.

Clothes

Daisy's clothes were designed by

and there are hundreds of different models. The doll and its accessories were sold in ordinary local shops. The clothes were cutting-edge 1970s design, as would be expected of Mary Quant, one of Britains leading

fashion designers Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designe ...

and inventor of the

mini skirt A miniskirt (or mini-skirt, mini skirt, or mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a dress with such a hemline is called a minidress or a miniskirt ...

and

hot pants Hotpants or hot pants are extremely short shorts. The term was first used by ''Women's Wear Daily'' in 1970 to describe shorts made in luxury fabrics such as velvet and satin for fashionable wear, rather than their more practical equivalents t ...

. Materials included

satin A satin weave is a type of Textile, fabric weave that produces a characteristically glossy, smooth or lustrous material, typically with a glossy top surface and a dull back; it is not durable, as it tends to snag. It is one of three fundamen ...

, for long

evening gown An evening gown, evening dress or gown is a long dress usually worn at formal occasions. The drop ranges from Ballerina skirt, ballerina (mid-calf to just above the ankles), Tea length, tea (above the ankles), to Skirt length, full-length. S ...

s and flared pants, stretch jersey

nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain one or two ester linkages in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include some natura ...

for

T-shirts A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shir ...

, fake "fun fur" for jackets and matching hats, and

denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more Warp (weaving), warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was f ...

for

jeans Jeans are a type of trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with the addition of copper pocket rivets added by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and patented by ...

, waistcoats, hats, skirts and even a

boiler suit A boilersuit (or boiler suit), also known as coveralls, is a loose fitting garment covering the whole body except for the head, hands and feet. Terminology The term ''boilersuit'' is most common in the UK, where the 2023 edition of the ''Oxfo ...

(very fashionable at the time).

Cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

was used extensively for all manner of outfits, long

gypsy style {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , ...

dresses, again highly fashionable, blouses,

tabard A tabard is a type of short coat that was commonly worn by men during the late Middle Ages and early modern period in Europe. Generally worn outdoors, the coat was either sleeveless or had short sleeves or shoulder pieces. In its more developed ...

mini dress A miniskirt (or mini-skirt, mini skirt, or mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a dress with such a hemline is called a minidress or a miniskirt ...

es, etc. Patterns were also cutting-edge fashion, including flowers, stripes and polka dots. Footwear included platform clogs and sandals in every colour, and

go-go boots Go-go boots are a low-heeled style of women's fashion boot first introduced in the mid-1960s. The original go-go boots, as defined by André Courrèges in 1964, were white, low-heeled, and mid-calf in height, a specific style which is sometimes ...

with the Quant daisy on the side.

House

Daisy had her own house, a fold-up country cottage with one room divided by a split level floor for the bedroom area, and a sloped roof, printed inside with windows and wallpaper and outside with stone walls, windows and greenery. Furniture included round 1970s-style kitchen table and chairs, white with pedestal bases which were based on the

Eero Saarinen Eero Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1910 – September 1, 1961) was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer who created a wide array of innovative designs for buildings and monuments, including the General Motors Technical Center; the pa ...

"Tulip" chairs and table, it had a complete set of crockery and cutlery, plus a bowl of flowers, napkins and two paper table cloths. Daisy also had a kitchen sink with orange doors a 'tiled' white back splash and hot water boiler, a stove, again white with orange bottom drawer and set of pans. In the bedroom there is a '

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

' range of furniture: a bed made of brass look plastic with two sheets, a pillow and eiderdown in white nylon with pink roses all over, a dressing table with swivel mirror and working (battery) oil lamp, and a wardrobe. These items were originally in brown plastic to represent wood, and then went on to be manufactured in a rich green,

the doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

of the wardrobe papered in a tiny flower print. The range also included a light pink

chaise longue A chaise longue (; , ) is an upholstered sofa in the shape of a chair that is long enough to support the legs of the sitter. In modern French, the term ''chaise longue'' refers to any long reclining chair, such as a deckchair. In English, ...

, a cheval dressing mirror and

bentwood Bentwood objects are made by wetting wood (either by soaking or by steaming), then bending it and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns. Furniture-makers often use this method in the production of rocking chairs, cafe chairs, and ot ...

-style coat and hat stand, a Chesterfield-style arm chair with pedestal side table and an oil lamp. Daisy also had her own bike with a saddle bag, and a "Daisy mobile", rather like the "Mystery Machine" in ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...

''. Later on she had a scooter which ran on battery power.

Pets

Daisy's pets were a dog called Spot, a Dalmatian, a black Labrador retriever an
a horse called Archie
which can be found in three colours: white with black spots, brown and a

palomino Palomino is a equine coat color, genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane (horse), mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. The palomino color derived from the breeding of Spanish hor ...

Booklets

Every year a new fashion booklet was issued, showing any new Daisy dolls, and all her latest fashions for that year. Each booklet had a theme; the first, in 1973, being called ''My Fashion Diary'', telling all about Daisy's year and the various outfits she wears each month for various occasions. The 1974 booklet is called ''My Round the World Holiday'', in which Daisy travels the world, showing off more wonderful outfits designed by Mary Quant. Later issues included: ''My Exciting Life as a Reporter'' (1975); ''I'm Having Fun as a Travel Courier'' (1976); ''All about my Gift shop'' (1976); and ''My Glamorous Life as a Ballerina'' (1977). Each fashion book took the reader on a journey in Daisy's busy life. Children could emulate her activities with their own Daisy doll and outfits. Later fashions (after these booklets) were named "The Optimum" and "Flair" ranges.

Imitations

Daisy was imitated by other manufacturers, using similar head moulds to make clone fashion dolls. These dolls may be unmarked, or be marked simply "Hong Kong".

Associated items

Sets of Daisy

paper dolls ''Paper Dolls'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired for 14 episodes on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 23 to December 25, 1984. Set in New York City, New York's fashion industry, the show centered on top m ...

were produced in the 1970s including:
''Daisy's Fashion Wardrobe 1: Daisy becomes a model''

''Daisy's Fashion Wardrobe 3: Daisy at the Fair''

''Daisy's Fashion Wardrobe 4: Daisy's Dress Show''
A book, ''Mary Quant's Daisy Chain of Things to Make and Do'' () was published by Collins in 1975.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Fashion dolls