Meet the Groovy Girls!

Take a look at this line of 12", soft-bodied upbeat dolls from Manhattan Toy Company with their funky and fashionable outfits, and you'll understand why they are called Groovy Girls!  Appealing to girls ages 3-10 (and girls at heart), these dolls are fun and wholesome, truly girl-like - no hard plastic hyper-anatomy or lots of painted-on makeup, yet still trendy.

 Brenna

Doll Features

These dolls have yarn hair, smiling stitched-on flat faces, attached ears, detailed fingers with a separate thumb, stitched-on belly buttons, colorful leggings, and most have sewn-on shoes or boots. Some come barefoot or with changeable shoes, in which case the toes are also detailed, ideal for wearing flip-flops.

Kassidy detail

The dolls are not just limited to girl dolls - there are super-cool boy playmates as well (Brandon). The dolls come in a variety of skin tones and ethnic features, representing a world of girls and boys, all beautiful (O'Ryan, Shika, Trini).

Each doll is unique with a name and original outfit. Like other play dolls, additional easy-to-change velcro closure outfits are available to stock a Groovy Girl wardrobe. There are accessories such as cars and scooters so Groovies can get out and about, Groovy pets to pamper, and plush furniture (including beds, chairs and sofas) for a Groovy household. Groovy Girls also has its own website for girls with fun and games.

History

While girls and collectors these days know the GROOVY girls of the line - Gwen (above), Reese, O'Ryan, Oki, Vanessa and Yvette - they are not the original Groovy Girls. Groovy Girls first appeared in 1998 - Liza, Lucy, Lexi and Lupe. From the beginning, Manhattan Toys established a general trend of naming individual dolls in a series with the same first letter, hence when you read about dolls in the "S", "K", "B" series, etc., the dolls' names will start with that letter.

Early on, names appeared only on the sales tag attached to the doll by a plastic thread. Dolls on eBay with this tag are listed as NWT, "new with tag". Early dolls had a generic Manhattan Toys sewn-in body tag without the dolls' names. Beginning around late 2000 or early 2001, the body tags sewn into the back waistline bore the Groovy Girls' orange flower logo and the names of the dolls. This remains in effect today.

Early Groovy Girls had more of a "smiley face" look: broad U-shaped mouths, dotted eyes with eyebrows, and upturned noses (left). The faces became more refined in late 2000 with down-turned noses, gentler mouths and more detailed eyes (right). More recent releases feature dolls flashing pearly smiles, like Gwen above.

Special Editions, Seasonals, Dreamtastics

Throughout the years, Manhattan Toys has released special sets of Groovy Girls. In late 2001, the first special set was sold, the Posh Party Deluxe Set featuring Sasha. She was followed in March 2002 by Kassidy in the Belle Espirit set. Kali and Krista were part of October 2002's Fashion Blizzard. Recognizing how children love stickers, Manhattan Toys issued two Sticker Snazzmatazz sets with Reva and Rochelle in April 2003. The current Chic Boutique dolls (Nanette, Natalya and Nicole) are more cosmopolitan, dressed for an upscale party or a nice evening of a dinner and theater.

2004 brought seasonal Groovy Girls to retailers, dressed and accessorized for various holiday occasions. Halloween's Willow Witch came in costume, with a pumpkin trick-or-treat bag and black and white kitty. Noella was the 2004 Christmas doll, dressed in a fur trimmed red dress and Santa hat, walking a white pooch in reindeer antlers. Since then, holiday dolls for Valentines, Spring/Easter, Halloween and Christmas have followed. they are included in The List, below.

Some special releases tie in with events, like the April 2004 sports dolls which reflected the Olympics: Hadlee the gymnast, Harper the soccer star, and Helena the swimmer (the series also included Hope, dressed in a Canadian maple-leaf shirt). Other times, dolls seemed to be released just for fun. Two mermaids which predate the Groovy Girls Dreamtastic dolls are Merissa (2002) and Myra (June 2003). The "V" series dolls of 2002 are sometimes known as the International series, with USA Vanessa in her 4th of July outfit (not the same Vanessa of the GROOVY series), UK Verity and Canadian Victoria. American Cowgirl Ellie Mae and her pet pink cow, is a spring 2006 special edition.

For girls who love princesses, there are the Groovy Girls Dreamtastic. Prince Lance and Princess Lucinda came out in 2005, regal in their royal garb. Current dolls in this line include princesses, mermaids, fairies and ballerinas. There are also royal accessories for these dolls, including a throne and a carriage.

The List!

As of this writing, there is no definitive archive or catalogue of all the Groovy Girls, though Manhattan Toys is tentatively planning an online album which will show the dolls in their original outfits. Until then, here are the names and release dates, as provided by Manhattan Toys.

Regular buyers of Groovy Girls may notice that the body tags of the dolls have a different year listed than what follows. My understanding is the doll design and copyright date may not reflect the release date. Buyers might also see the same doll in different auctions wearing different clothes since Groovy Girls have changeable clothes. My supplemental guides on Identifying Your Groovy Girls contain descriptions of over 90 dolls and their original outfits:

• Part I (1998-2003)
• Part II (2004-Present)

Be aware that Manhattan Toys has sold other soft-bodied cloth dolls which are not Groovy Girls. If you see a Manhattan Toys soft doll, study the face and details, note the size (Groovy Girls are 12-13" tall, with two retired dolls at 19-20"), and look for the Groovy Girls logo on the body tag for dolls released in late 2000 forward.

Names and release dates:

• 1998
• Liza, Lucy, Lexi, Lupe
• 1999
• Zoe, Zarah, Zane, Ziggy
• Also two 19" Groovy dolls: Michaela, Max
• 2000
• Jada, Jacinda, Jayna, Jordan, Josie, Janisse (NOTE: This series has been seen with both the older and newer faces!)
• Gabi, Gwenn
• Jackson, Jarett
• 2001
• Sarita, Shika, Solana, Siri, Sesilia, Sidra
• Samuel, Sean
• Posh Party Deluxe Set - Sasha
• 2002
• Kinzey, Karly, Kayla, Kami, Kendra, Kelsey
• Marissa Mermaid
• Belle Esprit - Kassidy
• Talli, Tomiko, Trinni
• Fashion Blizzard Set - Kali, Krista
• Vanessa, Verity, Victoria (International)
• Kyle, Kalvin
• 2003
• Cicely, Carissa, Celeste
• Sticker Snazzmatazz - Reva, Rochelle
• Bindi, Britta, Brenna, Blake, Brandon
• Myra Mermaid
• Daphne, Darci, Danika
• 2004
• Ayanna, Angelique, Ailene
• Hadlee, Harper, Helena (sports series), Hope (Canada)
• Seasonal:  Willow Witch, Noella
• 2005
• Kylee, Kenna, Kassi
• GROOVY (seen with tags dated earlier): Gwen, Reese, O'Ryan, Oki, Vanessa, Yvette
• Kieren
• Seasonal: Valana, Petal, Contessa, Chrissy
• 2006
• Updated Gwen, Reese, O'Ryan, Oki, Vanessa, Yvette
• Dylan
• Leticia, Lourdes, Larissa
• Natalya, Nannette, Nicole (Chic Boutique)
• Ellie Mae (American Cowgirl)
• Seasonal: Vivica, Clara
• Dreamtastic, 2005-6
• Prince Lance, Princess Lucinda
• Princess Sharissa, Princess Seraphina
• Melina Mermaid, Binni Ballerina, Franchesca Fairy

There have been Groovy Girls babies listed on eBay, but admittedly I know very little about them. Babies Shaylee and Shanna were listed by the seller with the year 2000 on their tags.

Other Groovy Things:  Pets, Minis, Books, Supersize Dolls

Pets: The Groovy Girls pets deserve mention, especially with the popularity of the latest horse, Calypso Callie. There've been a number of doll-sized pets, mainly cats and pooches, but also horses and a few surprises. This brief list is not all-inclusive - every few weeks there is a new pet being auctioned which hasn't surfaced for a while.

Kipp and Miss Pinky Paws

• Cats - Zizi (gray), Ling (purple Siamese), Kikko (orange tabby), Marshmallow (white Persion), and Miss Pinky Paws
• Dogs - Pritzy Poodle (pink), Chi-Chi (blue/white hound), Joji (brown weiner dog), Peeksie Poodle (purple), and Kipp the Surfer Dog
• Horses - Willie, Calypso Callie, Duchess (pink, Dreamtastic), and Jewels (unicorn, Dreamtastic)
• Other - Dorissa Dolphin, Tilly Iguana

Manhattan Toys has a new line of pets, Petrageous, under the Groovy Girls label. They have their own wardrobes and accessories. Since they are about as big as the 12" dolls themselves rather than doll-sized pets, they are not included in this guide.

Groovy Girl Minis: For the girl on the go (or for a small toy to hide in a book bag) there are Groovy Girls Minis, 4-inch bendable replicas of the 12 "dolls. No wardrobes for these dolls, but there are mini accessories, carrying cases and even Mod Pod homes.

Books: Groovy Girls offers a series of books called "Groovy Girls Sleepover Club" which came out in 2005. The books are chapter books (roughly 50-60 pages, 8-10 pages per chapter) with a few drawings, yet are a relatively easy read for girls who are ready for chapter books. The stories center around the six GROOVY girls - Gwen, Reese, O'Ryan, Oki, Vanessa and Yvette. For the collector, six of the books came with 9" versions of the GROOVYs. There are currently eight titles:

1. The First Pajama Party
2. Pranks A Lot
3. Sleepover Surprise
4. Rock and Roll
5. Choose or Lose
6. The Great Outdoors
7. Growing Up Groovy
8. Girls of Summer

Supersize Groovy Girls: These dolls are 40" tall and have straps on the bottoms of their feet so that little dancers can strap a doll onto their own feet and dance with them. Gwen, Angelique, Kinzey, Yvette, Reese, Carissa, Sesilia, Brenna, Trini, Sarita and Princess Seraphina have all been supersized. Again, this is not all-inclusive, but serves as a "heads up" to bidders that Supersize Groovy Girls are available.

"The auction says it's a Groovy Girl, but it looks different!"

It can happen. When bidding on Groovy Girls dolls, be alert. There are a number of other soft-bodied dolls which have been mistakenly labelled as Groovy Girls in auctions, but aren't. Probably a case of a parent not able to keep their child's toys mentally organized. Like me.

Even Manhattan Toys sells other soft-bodied dolls and has sold other dolls in the past as noted above. Current lines are Baby Stella (15", beautifully detailed), Cuddle Dolls (16"), Trixieville posable 10" dolls

Ty Beanie Boppers - Beanie Boppers came out in 2001, and according to Ty's Beanie Bopper site, are retired. They have their own collector's market and eBay category. Boppers are bean bags and so have slightly chunkier limbs. Their eyes are attached and their faces sculpted, quite different from the Groovy Girls. Also check for the names of the dolls in the descriptions. Boppers have alliterative double names - Adorable Annie, Precious Penny, Jazzy Jessie, Rugged Rusty, Totally Trish, etc. - which is a giveaway that the doll is a Beanie Bopper.

Unimax Fashion Setz - Unimax is a maker of die cast models and vinyl soft bodied baby dolls - Baby Tender Touch, Baby So Cute, etc. They're also a manufacturer of Anne Geddes' licensed baby dolls. There is not much information about Fashion Setz, though it appears that they were sold in 2001 and 2002, and are now retired. These dolls have stitched faces like Groovy Girls, but have more detail in the eyes - different colored eyes, eyelashes and outlined cheeks.

Gymboree Gymbelles - Gymboree is the popular manufacturer of quality children's clothes. In the past, they carried soft-bodied dolls called Gymbelles. They seem to have been on the market in 1999, but have since been retired, and most Internet searches lead to "Page Not Found". An eBay search will highlight a handful, most of which have stitched-on faces and expressive eyes, but notably different from Groovy Girls. The clothes worn by Gymbelles reflect styles similar to children's clothes available at Gymboree.

Thanks!

I hope you've found this guide useful in getting to know Groovy Girls - whether buying for yourself or your groovy girl at home. Happy bidding!

Many thanks to a wonderful customer service rep at Manhattan Toys who helped me out with the Groovy Girls' names and release dates.