This is the 1988 Multi-Toys Dorothy Doll. Multi Toys released a whole bunch of Wizard of Oz dolls that year, in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the movie. There were at least 13 of them, by my count: Dorothy, Glinda, the Wicked Witch, Tinman, Lion, Scarecrow, Wizard, and at least five Munchkins and one winged monkey. For whatever reason, Dorothy has apparently not become collectible. She is pretty, but her hair is rather crudely done up in sort of chopped-off braids, and her costume is rather poorly made and fits poorly (other than that, she's great!). But, then, these dolls were intended as play-toys, not collectible dolls.

I have seen several of these Dorothy dolls for sale at around $10 recently (1998). I've often see them at doll shows for around $30 mint-in-box, but they are more commonly sold for around $8-12 without the box. The complete set is often sold for around $250-400. I bought this one at the Judy Garland Collectors Exchange for $10 in June 1997, sans box. She is easily identified by a stamp on her back which reads "1988 Multi Toys Corp./Made in China," and "© MGM 1988" on the back of her head. This set is easy to confuse with the Mego set that was released in the mid-1970s, but the Mego set is just a littler harder to find and usually sells for a just a little more. The Mego dolls come in green boxes, and they are 8 inches tall. This doll is 11½ inches tall.

Around 1994 Sky Kids released a new version of the 1988 Multi Toys Dorothy. Whether Sky Kids is related to Multi Toys in some way, or whether Multi-Toys private-labeled the dolls for Sky Kids, I don't know. The box the doll comes in is labeled "Sky Kids", but the doll is still marked "1988 Multi Toys" on her back, and "© MGM 1988" on the back of her head.

Kellie and I call this doll the "Wicked Witch Dorothy" because of her hair. I don't think anyone liked her much. The dolls at the local Toys-R-Us sat on the shelves and didn't move. I waited about a year and finally bought one, mostly because I felt sorry for her, I think. But, as I've gotten to know her, I've changed my mind about her. I now think she's actually rather pretty.

This is the only Dorothy Doll I know of that doesn't have braided hair. I guess her hair is supposed to be styled like Judy's was in the second half of the movie. But, it's not exactly styled at all. It's just sort of there, sticking out all over the place. Her face paint is different than the original Multi-Toys Dorothy, too. For a long time, I didn't even realize this was the same doll!

In late 1995, all of these dolls disappeared (I shudder to think what happened to them!), and they were replaced by another Sky Kids entry (bottom photo). Apparently, Sky Kids got the message and redesigned the doll to look prettier. The heavy lipstick is now gone, and the hair is back to braids with pretty ribbons. This doll is really quite pretty for a $10 toy!

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