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Tressy

Tressy was an 11-1/2" doll who made her debut in 1964. She was manufactured by American Character. The doll originally came in different hair colors, such as blonde, brunette, redhead, and black. She originally came wearing a red dress with white trim, white tie belt with key attached, white panties, and white open-toe shoes. She also came complete with her stand, hair clips, and booklet.

What set Tressy apart from other dolls was the fact that her hair 'grew' - that is, little girls could vary the length of the doll's hair according to whatever fashion choices they wanted to make at the time. Tressy was the first doll with the growing-hair mechanism.

American Character had in 1963 tried out the growing hair on a 15" pre-teen doll they also called Tressy, but for whatever reason that doll wasn't successful. Luckily, they gave the idea another try, this time as a more grown-up fashion doll (certainly with Mattel's Barbie profits in mind), and it was a success.

Since much of Barbie's financial success came from the enormous line of dolls, fashions, and various accessories available for sale, Tressy too was given a number of accoutrements necessary to any good fashion doll. A line of fashions was available for sale from the very beginning, and American Character even launched an under-a-dollar Tressy Budget Assortment. There were playsets, gift sets, and more. (See below.)

Tressy was heavily advertised on television, especially the popular Captain Kangaroo show, introducing little girls all over America to the lovely fashion doll and her unique hair-growing ability.

Dolls Tressy* Magic Makeup Tressy Black Tressy Black Magic Makeup Tressy Pre-Teen Tressy Cricket* Mary Makeup Playsets Tressy's Apartment Tressy's Beauty Salon Tressy's Hair Setting Kit Tressy's Hair Styling Kit Tressy's Hat Shoppe Tressy and Her Gold Carry All Trunk Tressy and Her Hair Glamour Kit Tressy and Her Hi-Fashion Cosmetics Tressy Hair Glamour Pak Tressy Hi-Fashion Cosmetics Tressy's Deluxe Hair Setting and Styling Kit Tressy Deluxe Trousseau Trunk Hair Glamour Paks Hair Spray Refill Pak Hair Spray - Roller Combo Pak Jumbo Curler Refill Pak Lotion - Curler Combo Pak Magzine & Comb/Brush Pak Roller - Curler Combo Pak Setting Lotion Refill Pak Tressy Pins, Curler, & Roller Pak

Tressy Fashions Bewitching Black Magic Blue Lady Blue Ribbon Winner Bon Voyage Bowling Beauty Campus Casual Car Coat Check Mates Chic Shift (Chic Outfit) Chit Chat Coffee Break Country Casual Date Mates Elegant Evening Evening Jewel Executive Sweet Fireside Romance Fountain Fun Frug Away Go-Go Girl Good News Hootenanny In the Swim Lazy Days London Look Love Letters Miss American Character Miss Suburbia Neat Knit On Fifth Avenue Pink Champagne Pink Negligee Sailing Party Serendipity Sleepy Time Gal Sophisticated Lady Spring Delight Sugar N Spice Summer Holiday Summertime Surprise Party Swinging Sensation Town and Country Under Wonders Wild 'n Wonderful Window Shopping World's Fair

Cricket Fashions Bowling Beauty Fan Club Fun Fun & Fancy Happy Birthday Happy Hobby Happy Holiday Hootenanny Just Pals Kitchen Cutie Mad Music Party Pretty School Days Ship Ahoy Shutterbug Sugar 'N Spice Sweet Treat Theatre Time Windy Weather Winter Weekend Yeah, Yeah, Yeah Playsets/Accessory Packs Cricket and Her Fashion Shop Cricket and Her Hair Glamour Kit Cricket's Deluxe Travel Trunk Cricket Travel Trunk