Information About Dawn

HISTORY

Where did she come from...?

Dawn dolls hit the market in 1970 (according to Joedi Johnson's book, the bible for the true Dawn collector!) at the New York Toy Fair. Topper had human models dressed just like their original four Dawn counter parts. Dawn, Angie, Glori and Dale. The four models put on a fashion show during the six week fair. This publicity stunt began Dawn's success story. Dawn® is a registered trademark of the Topper Corporation.

Who came next...?

Shortly after the first group of dolls hit the market they were joined by the second release which included the original 4 dolls and added Jessica, Longlocks and the three guys; Ron, Gary and Van. This gave us a total of nine dolls to choose from.
Then Topper released these same nine dolls in the "Dancing Version." This version allowed you to move their heads and hips/waist when moving their left arm up and down. If you have one of these dolls, isn't it cool!
In 1971/1972 Dawn needed to compete with the "growing hair" doll market and so the Head-To-Toe Dawn was released. She came with wiglets and a headband. Angie and Longlocks soon joined Dawn in the Head-To-Toe versions.
During this same period, Topper came out with Majorettes. There was Dawn in Orange, Kip in Gold (sometimes sold as April), and Connie in Pink. Kip was a brunette and Connie was a red head. They each had a hat with a plume, boots and a baton. The trick to these ladies was that they could spin the baton and it glowed in the dark!! However, you could never have both arms down at the same time. They had to stay in a tandem position.
Another interesting group of Dolls was the "Dawn's Flower Fantasies" collection. This grouping included five different varieties of flowers and flower pots with a Dawn doll standing in the middle of the flower pot.
In 1972 Dawn opened a Model Agency. Pretty slick, huh? Her Models were Maureen, Dinah, Daphne, Denise and Melanie. Maureen and Melanie look very much alike. Maureen has darker hair than Melanie and Melanie's brown eyes glance to the right. Daphne is the red head with her hair up in two ponytails. Denise is the blonde with her hair pulled up on the top of her head. Dinah is the interesting one. For some reason they choose to place this girls hair into long braids and she has platinum blonde hair. All of the Model Agency girls can get discolored around the edge of their face.

Other Dawn Accessories...?

Topper Corporation had a whole line of Dawn Accessories. They had the Dawn Music Box, wind the key and she turned around. Their was the Dance Party, Dawn's Fashion Show, Dawn's Beauty Parlor, Dawn's Sofa-Phone Set, Dawn 'N' Me Pocketbook, Dawn's Glamour Boutique, Dawn's Apartment and Dawn's Beauty Pageant. Dawn also had two cars, a blue one and a 1971 Convertible in pink.

What happened to Topper Toys...?

Topper Corporation was located in Elizabeth, NJ; they were the producers of the Johnny Lightning Die-cast metal cars. Topper Corp. filed for bankruptcy in 1973, thus ending the life of Dawn. When they were going out of business they tried to get rid of the remainder of their inventory. So it is not uncommon to find miss-matched boxed items like, one of the Model Agency Girls in a Regular Dawn Box. Or to find an Angie in a Dawn box, you get the picture.

Where are we now...?

Here we are 28 years later still dreaming of the outfits she will never wear. Dreaming of what she would have looked like during the 80's and the 90's. Would Dawn have been a teacher, an astronaut, the president? I'm sure she would have. In some collections out there, I'm sure she is. In my collection, Dawn and her friends are Girl Scouts, an Aerobics Instructor , ready for the slopes , and a beautiful Scottish Lass . Do you have any special outfits you would like to share? If so, e-mail me with pictures and I will see what I can do to get them posted.

If you are interested in buying Dawn dolls or trading, please e-mail me or sign my guestbook. I have contact with quite a few of us Dawnmaniacs and may be able to refer you. My Extra Dawn Stuff

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