The Creepy-Funny Vintage 70s Era Doll We Finally Identified

The answer is yes, because my wife had one as a child. I can very easily see my mother-in-law giggling at this toy in the store and bringing it to my wife when she was a child for her birthday or Christmas.

The 1970s was a wild time for kids

A couple years ago the memory of this doll popped into my wife’s brain and she was trying to explain it to me. A doll whose face contorts, making her look happily sloppy, in pain, gleeful, confused, inebriated, and more when you twist her arm. Sounds weird, but sure, we live in a weird world, and looking back on it, the 1970s were particularly strange for kids.

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Online searches for this doll were unfulfilling, meaning that my wife wasn’t using the search terms that were attached to this doll. Eventually a friend of hers, that also grew up in a different part of Illinois chimed in, and not only verified the existence of the doll, but had a name for it. Saucy Suzie.

Suzy was a popular name for dolls back in the 1960’s and 1970s. Perhaps you’ve heard of “Suzy Sunshine”, “Suzy Homemaker”, “Suzy Cute”, “Susie Sad Eyes” (who had their own odd vibe), and “Suzy Smart” gave way to “Saucy Suzie” in 1972.  These all weren’t made by the same company. Mattel made “Saucy Suzie”, and she was certainly different, and could appear creepy in the right light -- or lack thereof. Come to think of it, maybe this is why my wife enjoys horror movies?  If you are looking for this particular “Suzie”, just know that she’s a bit more expensive than she was back in 1972.