Mini's (1961-63)
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Mini Dolls
The Mini series was created somewhere between 1961-1963. They stand 4 1/2 inches tall and have a 1 7/8 inch square base. These dolls are known for their poor paint jobs. Some dolls had faces & bodies that were not completely painted. The Mini's have the team name stenciled or pad-printed on the base and a decal on the chest. The bottom of the bases were sometimes painted and sometimes not. (See pictures below) Some of the dolls had a piece of paper covering the hole in the bottom of the base. The paper was painted the same color as the doll and then "Japan" was stamped on it. (See photo below). Pictures of a typical box with 2 different stickers are also shown below. The Mini dolls used a straight spring that had 8 - 10 coils. A box for the Mini series dolls could add $5.00 - $15.00 to doll value. The boxes were plain and had a white sticker on the side or top.

There were 6 teams included in this mold design:

    Boston Bruins ---------- NHL since 1924
    Chicago Blackhawks - NHL since 1926
    Detroit Redwings ------ NHL since 1932
    Montreal Canadiens -- NHL since 1917
    New York Rangers ---- NHL since 1926
    Toronto Maple Leafs - NHL since 1926

VARIATIONS= Toronto "Error" doll. Some Toronto Maple Leafs dolls were accidentally sent out with the Detroit Redwing decal on their chest (see picture below). It is a fairly common doll - no premium for price. (Same price as a Toronto.)

Beware of New York Ranger re-painted dolls. They have a dark blue jersey and base color. Importantly, there is a DECAL on the base for the team name. Also, check the bottom of the base for the artist's initials; "KDT". (see picture below). I have also seen repaints of the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and the Detroit Redwings Dolls in WHITE home jerseys.

Shown below are two versions of Ranger "repainted" Minis standing on each side of an original Ranger Mini & the Toronto "error" doll.

Mini Oddball Dolls
Mini Doll face
Mini bottom
Please notice =
* The square piece of paper on the base covering the hole
* The "JAPAN" stamp
* Most of the bases are painted to match the body color

Mini bottom
Please notice =
* No square piece of paper on the base covering the hole
* No "JAPAN" stamp
* Some bases are not painted to match the body color (ex. - Montreal doll)

Mini bottom
Please notice =
* This pictures shows the difference between a FAKE N.Y. Rangers mini (outside dolls) and the original doll. The 2 outside dolls have the initials "KDT" stamped on the base. He also restamped the bases with a "JAPAN" stamp that is smaller than on the original doll.

mini box2
Boston Bruins box (notice the "BB" on the sticker).

mini box3
Toronto Maple Leafs box (notice the "TML" on the sticker).

miniin the box
(notice the original neck collar on the doll).

mini box3
A great example of a FAKE Ranger mini. It obviously is a Toronto Maple Leafs doll with stickers on the chest and base. This is not even close to looking like the original doll. Picture supplied to me by Howard Detsky.

detroit_mini_WHITE_JERSEY
A great example of a FAKE Detroit Red Wings HOME JERSEY mini. It obviously is an original Detroit red Wings doll with the original stickers on the chest and base. I understand that these dolls were done by the same person who did alot of the original FAKE NY Ranger mini's. His initials are "KDT".
toronto_mini_WHITE_JERSEY
A great example of a FAKE Toronto Maple Leafs WHITE JERSEY mini. It obviously is an original Toronto Maple Leafs doll with the original stickers on the chest and base. I understand that these dolls were done by the same person who did alot of the original FAKE NY Ranger mini's. His initials are "KDT".