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The name Mary Quant is synonymous with the swinging 60s. When the fashion designer opened the doors to her fashion Bazaar in London, she instantly redefined street fashion, No longer did we have to wear the same clothes as our mums and dads; now we could strut our stuff in something Mary termed a 'miniskirt' or 'hotpants'. But what's all this got to do with a doll, you might ask?Mary Quant's fashion logo was a bright-orange daisy, which is where her own doll design, Daisy, got its name from. From 1973 until 1983, Daisy really was the best-dressed doll around. Barbie might have been the 'popular type', but Daisy was like a more fashionable version of Sindy, always on the cutting-edge of new trends. She practically made Barbie look like trailer trash (well, she did have a caravan didn't she!).Daisy's pretty looks, long blonde wavy locks made her the perfect 9-inch-tall clothes horse. And with the backing of Mary Quant, who's name and daisy logo endorsed all the packaging, she was bound to be a success. Like it said on the back of the box: 'What Mary Quant does for living dolls, she does for Daisy! She designs a stunning range of clothes and accessories for you to collect. Something new all the time, especially for Daisy, to keep your Daisy the best dressed doll in the world'And like any jet-setting fashion icon/supermodel, Daisy was constantly travelling around the globe - she was even manufactured in Hong Kong. That's why she needed outfits for every city she visited - hence each one was named after where it was meant to be worn ie. London and Moscow. As anyone familiar with Quant's mod designs will be able to tell you, plaids, stripes, polka dots and (you guessed it) daisys, all featured heavily in the doll's wardrobe. And, yes, she did actually have her own wardrobe - as well as other bedroom furniture, including a bed with a pink divan, Production of the Daisy doll lasted a decade, with Mary designing the different clothes accessories you could buy for your doll. Over the years, Daisy went through a few different looks herself, following in the footsteps of image chameleons like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. There were three kinds of Daisy Doll made: Dizzy Daisy, the basic doll without bendable legs or twisting waist; the stiff bodied dolls that do have bendable legs and twisting waist, and theDashing Daisy’s with bendable waist and curved hands to enable her to hold things. In 1976 Flair Toys issued a special doll using the Daisy sculpt, boasting striking green eyes and short, straight hair. She was called Havoc - Super Agent, and had her own wardrobe for missions, a secret agent motorbike and weapons.Daisy also has a best friend called Amy, available to fans in Britain if they collected daisy emblems from the packaging. Amy has short dark hair with a side parting, and straight legs. Daisy also had a dog named Spotand a horse named Archie. In 1978, Flair introduced a larger, 15-inch tall version of the Daisy doll, called Daisy Long Legs.In 1979 the still popular 9-inch Daisy was now updated with a sideparthairstyle and rooted eyelashes. Daisy’s Shop and Daisy’s Boutiquealso appeared, along with a 3-Style Daisy, a doll with three wigs. Maybe it was all a bid to help the growing starlet avoid the paparazz, who knows!
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