Hard plastic and when to leave it well enough alone......

This is a very large hard plastic doll that was made in Britain in the late 1940's. It was one of the very first plastic dolls produced there.

It has arrived to be restrung and for touch-ups.

In its back is a silent voicebox.

The top cover comes off the voice box easily but the main part is wired and glued into the torso.
It will not come out without damaging the torso excessively.
So it will stay put and remain silent.

The eyes are a bit discoloured and there are multiple dark marks within the plastic.
The dark marks will not clean off.
The eye changes are typical of aging plastics.

After the head is removed a small rocker mechanism is found. It once made the eyes open and close but with time the plastic has warped a bit and the eyes are stuck open.

There is really no good access to fix these eyes and get them sleeping again without risking breaking fragile plastic.
So the eyes will stay stationary.

Even the doll's joints show signs of plastic deterioration. They have all warped a bit and do not sit flush like they once did


Plastic items do not last forever. This doll and many other plastic and vinyl dolls will continue to deteriorate with time. Every plastic item deteriorates at it's own rate. It could be many decades or it could be just a few years before you see changes in your plastic dolls. You can slow the deterioration by keeping plastic out of direct sunlight and away from extreme temperatures

Restringing and a few facial touch-ups done.