These tiny dolls and their brightly coloured houses found their way to Finland in the last years of the 1980s or in the very beginning of the 1990s. They are called So Small Babies. My memories about their arrival are vague, as I was quite small myself back then. Apparently, these toys were not in production for a very long time. They were produced by an USA based toy company called Galoob. I have come across very few mentions about them.
Can you spot the toy?
The dolls are about 6 cm tall. They are soft-bodied, made of fabric and filled with material that feels like sand or tiny plastic beads. Their heads are made of plastic. The doll series includes both human babies and animal babies. Each doll has a name that, I guess, was written on the package. I have searched for the names of my dolls from the internet, as I couldn’t remember them anymore. The houses had names, too.
Top row from the left: Daffy Dilly, Happy Hattie, Kelly Kitty. Bottom row from the left: Chocolate Cherry, Puppy Luv, Dandy Lion.
Top row from the left: Florist, 2 Rainbow Street, 23 Kitty Lane. Bottom row from the left: 24 Chocolate Street, 16 Sweetheart Street, Flowers.
All my dolls have this same text on the back of their head: ©1989 L.G.T.I, China. The houses have this text: ©1989 Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. Made in China. The accessories have this text: ©1989 Lewis Galoob Toys Made in China. When I did a bit of internet research about So Small Babies prior to writing this text, I couldn’t find any single mention about other production dates than the year 1989. So, perhaps, 1989 was their only year of production?
My dolls were purchased one figure at a time, with a house and an accessory item included in the package. It is still easy to conclude which doll goes with which house, even if I didn’t remember it from childhood, because each doll matches the theme and colours of the house very well.
The roofs and floors of the houses are made of plastic, and the walls are cardboard. The accessory items are plastic. The cardboard walls have remained in pretty good condition, taken in consideration that they are over 30 years old by now. The houses have a sturdy feel, and just a couple of them are slightly warped. In two of my houses the side wall has broken a little bit.
Each house includes a very detailed and colourful miniature room for the doll as the back wall of the house is open. You can place the doll inside, but the accessories don’t fit in very well.
Dandy Lion’s and Daffy Dilly’s accessory is a playpen. Kelly Kitty has a cradle.
Chocolate Cherry, Puppy Luv and Happy Hattie are equipped with this long handled item. I am not totally sure what it is – maybe a seat for the doll to sit on?
The accessory items that go with my dolls are a cradle, a playpen, and… that third kind of thing. What that third thing is, I’m not sure. A garden bench? When I was a child, it seemed to me that this mystery item was – a snow scoop! All the houses and dolls look really summery and the concept of snow clearing doesn’t fit them very well, but never mind. To me, it felt totally reasonable to equip these baby dolls with either a cradle, a playpen, or a snow scoop.
Happy Hattie can surely clear the yard of snow in no time with this multi-function snow scoop / chair thing!
When I was a child, I wanted to brush my dolls’ teeth. I brushed so vigorously that some paint wore off and now there’s a spot with no paint on the face.
I found this little piece of cardboard recently among my paper craft supplies. Can you imagine, after three decades, it’s a clipping from one of my original So Small Babies doll packages. What a fun surprise! I do have some old clippings in my craft supplies box that I have cherished over the years because they were cute, and later, because they were so old. I know, I know… In my defence, my vintage clippings are mostly really tiny, like this one!
An old clipping reveals that one of my dolls is indeed called Daffy Dilly. I don’t have the other two dolls.
Finally, let’s take a moment to admire the jolly and sweet interior decorations of these doll houses.
Kelly Kitty has a kettle on.
Puppy Luv follows an all-embracing romantic theme with the furniture and decorations.
Happy Hattie’s home is all about puffy clouds and rainbows.
Dandy Lion seems to have a passion for gardening and flowers.
Daffy Dilly is a florist. Perhaps Dandy Lion’s flowers end up here?
Looking at the pantry (and the table) Chocolate Cherry eats only chocolate, cherries and sweet desserts.
Old Toy Cabinet 
In France, i think we don’t have this one ! I don’t remember it! But i was born in 1989 so maybe this is why
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In Canada, my daughter who was about 4 or 5 then, had so many of these. We have been trying to remember what they were called for so long and been unable to find any pictures or the name. She always just called them her babies. They were relatively cheap so I would pick up one at Woolco when we went in.
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Hi,
Thank you so much for your comment. Good to hear that someone else remembers these dolls, too.
I live in Finland, and I was about the same age as your daughter when I played with these dolls myself. I remember that I loved them – and their cute houses, too! Sadly I noticed the same as you when I was writing this text – that it was pretty hard to find any information or pictures about them nowadays. It seems that the internet doesn’t remember this doll brand very well. 😀 But anyway… if my text and photos helped you to gather at least at little bit of new information about these old toys, I am very happy! :))
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