These charming miniatures had a clever twist, so to speak: their heads popped off to reveal a bottle top. Standing just over 5 inches tall, the dolls‘ bodies were the bottles themselves, with the heads made of plastic.
Eight different dolls were produced, each one a piece of functional nostalgia. The dolls didn’t have arms or legs — a design choice that somehow only added to their quirky charm.
The old product line included the following dolls:
- English Miss (British doll)
- Bubbly O’Bath the Irish Girl (some call her Scottish)
- Gigi the French Girl/French mademoiselle
- Heidi the Swiss Girl
- Poolu/Pulu the Asian Girl
- Senorita the Mexican Girl/Spanish doll
- Splashu the African Girl/Island Miss
- Wendy the Western Cowgirl
Once you unscrewed the head, a child-appropriate Avon product was revealed — from cologne and bubble bath, to shampoo and lotion.
The main dolls held these types of products:
- Bubble bath
- Cologne
- Cologne mist
- Cream lotion
- Non-tear shampoo
Other products in the Avon Small World Dolls’ world that conformed to the theme included:
- Love Dove cream sachet
- Lipkins (lip gloss) available in Dutch Chocolate, Tropical Fruit & French Mint flavors
- Rollette roll-on fragrance stick (American Indian character)
- Fragrance roll-on DemiStik (character named Ali Barbara)
- Fragrance watch glacé
- Fragrance pins
- Perfumed talc (container decorated but not shaped)
ALSO SEE: Peek inside vintage jewelry boxes, including some with spinning ballerinas & wind-up music
The Avon Small World Dolls’ disarming charm had a touch of Disney inspiration. While they weren’t official Disney merchandise, their name and international theme (as well as the general design aesthetic) were likely influenced by Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World” ride, which debuted and became enormously popular in the years before the Avon dolls were launched in 1970.
Regardless of whether they were an homage or just a product of their time, these dolls captured the hearts of collectors around the globe.
Today, these dolls are vintage collectors’ items — reminders of Avon’s unique take on packaging. Their fun, practical, and innovative design continues to charm, making them a fascinating piece of beauty industry history.
These old Avon Small World Dolls prove that good things truly do come in small (and scented) packages. Scroll on to see what made them so extra special!
Retro Avon Small World cosmetic bottle dolls
Small World cologne doll bottle: Island Miss — approximately 4-1/2″ tall with 2 fl oz of little girl fragrance
Small World bubble bath bottle: An English Miss! Approximately 5″ tall. 5 fluid ounces.
Cream lotion doll: Western cowgirl filled with soothing lotion. Approx. 5″ tall. 5 fluid ounces.
Avon Lipkins colorless “lipstick” for kids
Flavors available: Dutch Chocolate, Tropical Fruit or French Mint
Small World Rollette – Native American design (1971)
Bubble bath, cream & soaps
Shown: Bubbly O’Bath the Irish Girl doll (some say she’s Scottish), Love Dove cream sachet, and Small World pink heart-shaped soaps
Love Cakes soap box top
Retro Avon Small World Fragrance Pin Pal girl (1970)
Small World Fragrance Pin Pal Glace (1971)
Features a doll in a blue dress with white polka dots
“I said to St Nick, ‘Who’s that doll of a gal?’ He said, ‘New in Small World, she’s your Fragrance Pin Pal.'”
Vintage Avon Small World dolls coloring book cover (1970s)
Avon for kids catalog pages from 1972
The enchanted time comes to the enchanted place: Small World
DON’T MISS THIS: Remember these 70s shampoos? Retro brands so good, you can almost smell ’em
2 Responses
What a wonderful trip down memory lane! I remember this line from Avon and I had the Demi-stick and one of the Lipkins. I vaguely remember a soap on a rope but not sure if the one I owned was from this particular line.
I still have the little Love Dove with some of the cream still in it. Amazingly it has not hardened over the decades. It smells a little stale but some of the original perfume survives. The top part of the dome is a little yellowed but otherwise fine. I have no idea why I still have it but I enjoy seeing it when I come across it in my memory box.