The Tiny Tears Doll - the first best friend of many American girls. Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop too!

Tiny Tears will always be a sweet little cry-baby, even though she is turning sixty years old this year. She was one of the most popular dolls of the 1950's, thanks to people like Mary Frances of Ding Dong School and Shari Lewis for promoting her. She was also popular, of course, because of her tear ducts, which allowed her to cry little tears. Her eyes were able to cry if mommy gave her a bottle of water. Then, mommy could later press baby's stomach and tears would come out of her eyes. This is what made little girls love Tiny Tears so much. 

Tiny Tears was popular before I was born, so I didn't get to have her as a best friend as a little girl. However, I did get to know her over the years as an adult when I went to garage sales, flea markets, and antique stores. Sadly, I never got to know her in her youth. By the time I met her, she had usually lost her original clothes, she was scuffed and scratched, many of her eyelashes were missing, etc. She looked like she really had been crying all those years. 

Really it's a good sign that Tiny Tears dolls are often in bad shape. It means that they were very well loved by little girls, who played with them often. If the Tiny Tears dolls had all sat in their boxes in the 50's, that would have meant that little girls just weren't that into them. They would have been dull dolls.

The American Character Doll Company (and Santa's elves at the North Pole) made these dolls, providing many American girls of the 1950's with their first best friend. 

You'll notice two more popular gals in the video above, who also felt like best friends to American children - Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop. I remember Shari Lewis and Lambchop as a child in the 70's and 80's and I loved them so much! Shari was as sweet as could be, her voice was adorable, and Lamb Chop made me wish I had a real lamb of my very own. I did have a stuffed toy lamb though. I named it Lamb Chop. 

Thank you to weenielongus for posting the 1950's Tiny Tears commercial on YouTube!