The first face of Elise, 1957-63.
Alexander’s Elise is the sometimes overlooked “middle sister” of their family of glamour dolls. Her sweet charm makes her a favorite of many collectors, however, and while she is most often found as a bride or ballerina, her day dresses and evening gowns are worth the search. Many of her outfits match Cissy and Cissette outfits. In 1958, Elise was sold as “Sweet 16” in the FAO Schwarz catalog.
The second face of Elise, 1962-64.
Body Construction
The first version of her, manufactured from 1957 to 1963, is 16.5″ tall and hard plastic with vinyl arms. She is jointed at the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and ankles. She has sleep eyes with brush lashes and a glued-on wig. In 1962, Elise grew to 17″ tall with a vinyl head, although the hard plastic version continued to be produced. In 1962 and ’63, some versions of Elise were made with the pouty Marybel head mold, also in vinyl (see photo below). Elise’s jointed ankles enable her to wear flats, high heels or ballet slippers.
The hard plastic Elise head and body molds were also used for other dolls, including redhead Maggie Mixup in 1961, and Queen Elizabeth II, Scarlett O’Hara and Renoir Portrait in 1963.
Elise disappeared from the catalog in 1965 and returned in 1966 in a redesigned version without the joints at her knees, elbows and ankles. Elise dolls have continued to be produced occasionally throughout the years since.
The third face of Elise, 1962-63.
Markings
Elise is marked “Alexander” on the back of her head, below the hairline, and “Mme. Alexander” on her back.
Clothing
Visit these pages for descriptions and photos of Elise’s clothing:
- Day Dresses and Separates
- Wedding and Formal Gowns
- Underwear, Outerwear, Sleepwear and Accessories
- Ballerina Outfits
- Elise’s Gift Sets
Photo courtesy of eBay seller luving_dolls
Copyright 1999-2014 by Zendelle Bouchard
