While Barbie is having an immense cultural (and marketing) moment, thanks to the live-action Barbie movie that has grossed a whopping $1.4 billion worldwide as of October, according to Box Office Mojo, there are other dolls Mattel made in the same era that were also hugely popular and deserve some attention: Liddle Kiddles.
Inspired by small children in neighborhoods across America, Liddle Kiddles, taken from the phrase “little kids” and ranging between one to four inches high, offered immense fun. Sporting big hair and 1960s false eyelashes, the miniature dolls came with unique accessories like animals, furniture, or vehicles or were enclosed in a locket or perfume bottle.
Liddle Kiddles’ debut at the New York Toy Fair in 1966 caused a sensation in
