New Arrival: Caleb (Sasha Doll)

Back in June, I posted about being on the lookout for a new-to-me Sasha doll to add the the collection and to hold the place of the two (a Sasha baby and a Gregor Dark) that are in storage back in Canada (why I didn't bring them along, I do not know).  After several failed bids and negotiations on a few Calebs, a pair of Prince Gregors and a brunette Sasha, I finally snagged a Caleb last weekend - and today he arrived at the door!

Since the last time I received a new Sasha doll was 1985, I had a total blast of childhood nostalgia from unwrapping him.

Out of the Basement: Sasha

As I mentioned in my post about the short-lived Moni line, I have a fond nostalgic feeling towards Sasha dolls.  My two (a dark-haired Gregor and a Sasha baby) are in storage, but my sister's old dolls were packed away in my mother's basement, so I was able to dig them out.

Sasha Blonde,and two Sasha Baby dolls

Sasha Baby:  This is the oldest of the three.

Sasha Baby #2: This one is the youngest of the three.

Sasha Blonde

I was pleasantly surprised by how intact they all were - aside from some wild hair and a dress that needs ironing on the big one, they're all in solid shape.  And I know my sister played with them extensively, so that's a real testament to their construction!

Out of the Box: Moni (Uranium's unoffical mini-Sasha)

Moni

As I've been reading through various doll and toy blogs I've come across a number of Sasha Doll aficionados, and seeing their dolls, I was reminded of my childhood Sasha Gregor -a doll that I still own, but which went into storage during my last move.  Since I was feeling nostalgic, I checked out the secondary market, but quickly discarded the idea of buying another since a. the prices are rather high and b. I really don't need to replace something that I haven't gotten rid of!

As I was looking through those collector pages, I saw a couple of notes about a short-lived obviously-copied doll from the late 1970s called "Moni".  And since they'd caught my attention, when I came across one on ebay at a non-offensive price I let my curiosity get the better of me and bought her.

If you're not familiar with Sasha dolls, they were a line of dolls created by a Swiss artist, and produced in Germany, then the UK, then Germany again, lasting from 1965 to 1986 (sashadoll.com is a solid site for general information, if you're curious, although the site design is a bit retro).  The dolls came in two sizes, with the standard being 40cm (16 inches) and then a "Baby" size that was slightly smaller.

In the Box.

The knock-off Moni dolls were only produced for one year in the late-70s (by a Swiss company called Uranium) before being taken off the market (for being obvious knock-offs, it seems).  At 18cm (7 inches) they're much smaller than their inspiration, but have a near-identical face style and are found in the same coffee colour.  The vinyl is much lower quality - it has more of a rubbery feel to it, and the hair is also a weaker element, but they still manage to be fairly appealing.

Perhaps not surprisingly given the size, these dolls aren't strung as the large Sashas are, but are  jointed in the style of a 70s fashion doll.  The clothing is also more equivalent in quality to those of playline fashion dolls of the era rather than the larger dolls that they mimicked (the dress is simple, and the shoes are moulded plastic).

Ultimately, the doll is cute and I think it's a nice novelty piece for Sasha fans, but I don't know that there's a lot of appeal beyond that.  Still, I'm glad I picked her up, and I look forward to having her on a shelf with my Gregor the next time I relocate.

The complete line, as shown on the back of the box.

The inner packaging.

Size comparison with an American Girl (which is of
a similar height to the Sasha Dolls).
I should have brought the Moni with my on my
trip to Toronto since I have access to my sister's
old Sasha doll now.  Ah well...