Little Miss No Name
A short history on one of Hasbro's most unique dolls of all time.
Little Miss No Name, “the doll with the tear” as her box describes her, is one of the most talked about dolls in the world of doll collecting, so it’s about time she made her debut here on this blog. Made in 1965 by well-known toy company Hasbro, Little Miss No Name is a doll inspired by the times. Designed by Blythe creator Deet D’Andrade, Little Miss No Name is one of the most memorable dolls from the 60’s. (Deet D’Andrade was sister in law to another doll designer, Patti Peticolas, designer of Mini Martians and other dolls, so I wonder if she too had a hand in Little Miss No Name’s origins? This is only an assumption, but it’s worth looking into!
Taking inspiration from Margaret Keane style works, Little Miss No Name has large round burgundy eyes, a pointy nose and a little pout. Her rooted blonde hair is straight and cut uneven and in no uniform length, held back with a thin hairband. Little Miss No Name wears nothing but her undies and a burlap sack dress safety pinned together. And the most memorable feature? The removeable tear placed right under her left eye, because Little Miss No Name is sad and wants nothing more than to be loved.
Her body is fairly simple, with a hand held out, almost like she’s begging, though I like to think she’s putting her hand out, asking you to take it and play with her. You’ll often find Little Miss No Name’s with a broken leg or torso, as her body is hollow and the vinyl is on the thin side.
Her box art is as unique as the doll. With a clear window covered in droplets of snow. Standing barefooted in the cold, it read, “I need someone to love me. I want to learn to play. Please take me home with you and brush my tear away.” Now, if that doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, I don’t know what would.
One advertisement described her as such, “A pathetic little girl looking for a name, a home and a little mother to love and care for her. Her many unusual features— her straggly rooted hair, the perpetual tear in her eye, her pleading eyes, her patched and ragged cotton burlap dress— all are made to inspire creative, motherly play.”
Another advertisement was a bit nicer to Little Miss No Name saying, “15” of love, affection and sheer delight. Her irresistible sad eye appeal enchants children with open arms and open homes, makes little girls say, ‘sure Little Miss No Name, you can come home with me.’”
Little Miss No Name was not on the market very long; a couple years at best. While some kids, like my mom, were drawn to Little Miss No Name, others did not see the appeal. And honestly, just judging from the two very different advertising blurbs shown here, I’m not sure Hasbro could figure out exactly how to market her when she was released, either, which may have added to the problem. In a last ditch effort, it seems, to market Little Miss No Name, Hasbro even advertised her on Borden’s Dutch Instant Chocolate Flavored Mix in 1968 for $3.99 plus the Borden purchase.
I’ve reached out to Hasbro before about Little Miss No Name to learn whatever details I could, but they unfortunately don’t have any records on her (or so they say), so details about how she came to be created, who had a hand in it, why she was pulled from the market so quickly, are scant. I featured Little Miss No Name many times on the now archived Confessions of a Doll Collectors Daughter.
There are a few misconceptions that I feel I should talk about here. One thing you occasionally see posted on eBay is a male Little Miss No Name. There was never a ‘boy version’ of Little Miss No Name. If you spot one with a short blonde hairdo, it’s because her hair was trimmed. She was also only sold as a blonde. Any other colors you may see Little Miss No Name rooted with are re-roots, like many of the dolls in this post.
Another misconception is that Little Miss No Name was sold without a tear. While some dolls look like they might have been because there is no noticeable hole under her eye, it’s not the case. Much like the unevenly cut hair, the holes for Little Miss No Name’s tear were not uniform. Some of the tears went literally just under her large plastic eyes, making the holes incredibly hard to see if you buy a doll without her tear.
My affection for Little Miss No Name comes from my mom, also known as Barbee0913 on YouTube, who had one as a kid. She remembers fondly going to the catalog store and choosing Little Miss No Name as her doll. Her older cousin’s comment of 'how could you choose such an ugly doll’ stuck by her and from the moment my mom took Little Miss No Name home, she loved her. You can hear her share this story in the video linked below.
My mom would still have her doll if her parents hadn’t thought she was too old for dolls at one point and had her sell them at Evanston’s first largest garage sale. The lady who owned the local doll shop, Gigi’s, bought Little Miss No Name from my mom’s table and she has been lost ever since. I’d like to think my mom’s original doll found a good home and maybe will return to us one day.
Because my mom never stopped loving dolls, many Little Miss No Name’s have found their way to our home. Many people say they are creeped out by Little Miss No Name’s features, but I think that’s because the many articles that talk about her are filled with pictures of dirty, unloved dolls. A clean Little Miss No Name that is well taken care of is such a pretty doll. (Stay tuned to the blog for a post on how to clean your Little Miss No Name dolls.)
Little Miss No Name is a misunderstood doll, but also one of the most memorable dolls ever manufactured. One that I firmly believe needs a re-release from Hasbro or their other partners. The Loyal Subjects, perhaps, since they recently announced a retro line of Hasbro’s greatest hits? How fun would it be to get a 60th Anniversary doll? Hasbro, get on that, please and thank you!
Do you have a Little Miss No Name doll in your collection? Do you have fond memories of her? Share them in the comment area!
My husband found a little missno name at his grandmother's but with no tear & no hole for a tear. My mom had one as a child & looked at this one and is confused about the tear. Was there an off brand doll made? Alsoshe remembers it being more rubbery this one we found is more plastic