Long Tall Sally

Well, Long Tall Sally, she's

Built for speed, she got

Everything that Uncle John need

Oh, baby

Yes, baby

Wooh, baby

Havin' me some fun tonight, yeah

Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, and Little Richard, 1956

This long tall bathing belle is by the German firm of Schafer and Vater. With those elongated arms and legs, she certainly should be able to speed through the surf and into Uncle John's heart. Across the front of her base is the incised caption "Blackpool Mermaid." Blackpool is on the Irish Sea in north-west England. It became a tourist destination in the 1840s with the advent of the railroad and grew into a booming sea-side resort with a promenade offering a wide variety of food and entertainment. Even today Blackpool continues to attract millions of visitors to its seafront.  Of excellent sharp bisque, this sea-side Sally is a long tall 7.5 inches. She is incised with the Schafer and Vater crowned sunburst and "7981" on back edge of her base. 

Sea-Side Siblings

This blond brother and sister are all ready for a day at the beach and a dip in the ocean.  Arms linked, they prepare to stroll out on the stand, he carrying the towel and she holding a sponge in preparation for some salt-water bathing.  German companies such as Hertwig and Company produced all-bisque dolls in similar molded outfits, often assumed by doll collectors to be undergarments rather than bathing suits.  This bisque pair of beach babes is 4.75 inches tall and  unmarked.

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

Sittin' in the mornin' sun

I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come

Watching the ships roll in

And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay

Watching the tide roll away

Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay

Wastin' time

Otis Redding and Steve Cropper, 1967

This comic couple by Schafer and Vater may be sittin' on the dock of the bay, but the man clearly has his eyes on something other than the tide.  The object of his attention has appeared previously on this blog, so I was pleased to find her male match.  Like his lady love, the man is of excellent sharp bisque and is unmarked. Their torsos are hollow and the legs are hinged with wire, swinging freely back and forth.