Multinational doll with changeable faces

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6443802
  • Patent Number
    6,443,802
  • Date Filed
    Friday, July 7, 2000
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 3, 2002
    23 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Ackun, Jr.; Jacob K.
    • Cegielnik; Urszula M.
    Agents
    • Heyman; John S.
Abstract
The present multinational doll is comprised of a rotatable head with a plurality of different faces. The head is attached to a torso about a vertical axis to enable different faces to be aligned with the front of the torso. Hair is attached to the top of the head. The loose hair is simply draped over either face to expose one face and cover the other, so that it can be easily used by a child. The left and right limbs are of different colors, and each limb is a single color all around. Different skin colors are thus visible on the limbs simultaneously from the front of the doll. Therefore, the doll conveys the idea of different races of people living together in harmony. Further, clothing worn on the doll is printed with the names of many different countries to literally indicate the multinational nature of the doll.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates generally to dolls.




2. Prior Art




Dolls with changeable features are well known in the art for providing more fun to children. Many U.S. patents disclose a head with multiple faces. The head is rotatable within and independently of a head covering, such as hair or headgear, to expose different faces. Examples of such patents include 1,618,772 to Merseburger, 1,610,724 to Wilson, 1,555,644 to Duncan, 1,387,224 to Ahler, and 52,782 to Checkeni. The drawback of such an arrangement is that the gap between the head and head covering is so obvious that realism is compromised. Some of these heads require adjustments that are too difficult for a young child to manage.




A doll disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,419 to Kaelin includes a dress which is flipped over a two-faced head to alternately expose one face and cover the other with a head covering. The hair is arranged around the faces to keep them both exposed. The operation of this doll may be very confusing to a child. Further, the head covering is not in fashion.




Another type of doll which is also well known in the art includes limbs with two colors to represent peoples of different races or different creatures. U.S. Pat. No. 1,289,715 to Fellom discloses a two-sided doll with a human side and an animal side. U.S. Pat. No. 1,396,766 to McClelland discloses a doll with two opposite bodies connected at the waist, wherein one body is white and the other is black. U.S. Pat. No. 2,195,127 to Brucker discloses a doll with two pairs of arms, wherein one pair is white and the other pair is dark. U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,240 to Port discloses a doll with doubled-ended limbs, wherein each limb is white at one end and dark at the other, and is rotatable to reveal different ends.




All prior art multinational dolls have left and right limbs that are simultaneously the same color when viewed from either side. They provide the choice of playing with a doll with white limbs, or a doll with darker limbs. The purpose is to economize by providing two or more selectable appearances in the same doll. They do not provide a sense that the doll is a conglomeration of different races. They show the different races as being separate, and thus do not promote racial harmony.




OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION




Accordingly, the objectives of the present multinational doll are to: provide a plurality of selectable faces; enable the faces to be easily changed by a child; have no gaps between the face and the hair for realism; represent a person who is a conglomeration of different races; and promote racial harmony.




Further objectives of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.




BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present multinational doll is comprised of a rotatable head with a plurality of different faces. The head is attached to a torso about a vertical axis to enable different faces to be aligned with the front of the torso. Hair is attached to the top of the head. The loose hair is simply draped over either face to expose one face and cover the other, so that it can be easily used by a child. The left and right limbs are of different colors, and each limb is a single color all around. Different skin colors are thus visible on the limbs simultaneously from the front of the doll. Therefore, the doll conveys the idea of different races of people living together in harmony. Further, clothing worn on the doll is printed with the names of many different countries to literally indicate the multinational nature of the doll.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING





FIG. 1

is a front view of the present multinational doll.





FIG. 2

is a rear view thereof.





FIG. 3

is a side view thereof with its hair brushed to one side to reveal the multiple faces.





FIG. 4

is a front view thereof when a different face is revealed.





FIG. 5

is a front view thereof without clothing to show the colors of the torso and limbs.















DRAWING REFERENCE NUMERALS


























10. Head




11. Torso







12. Left Limbs




13. Left Arm







14. Left Leg




15. Right Limbs







16. Right Arm




17. Right Leg







18. Clothing




19. First Face







20. Hair




21. Bangs







22. Second Face




23. Roots







24. Names of Countries






















DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




FIG.


1


:




A preferred embodiment of the present multinational doll is shown in a front view in FIG.


1


. It is comprised of a rotatable head


10


, a torso


11


, left limbs


12


comprising a left arm


13


and a left leg


14


, and right limbs


15


comprising a right arm


16


and a right leg


17


. Clothing


18


is worn over torso


11


. The names


24


of many different countries are printed or otherwise arranged on clothing


18


to literally indicate the multinational nature of the doll. All the countries in the world are preferably represented, but just a few names are shown in the figure for simplicity. Other text or graphics may also be arranged on clothing


18


, such as the slogan, “WE ARE CREATED EQUAL”.




Head


10


is provided with a plurality of different faces on different sides, although only one is shown in FIG.


1


. Head


10


is attached to torso


11


about a vertical axis and rotatable to align different faces with the front of torso


11


. A first face


19


is shown positioned at the front. Hair


20


is attached to the top of head


10


. In this example, bangs


21


are preferably provided on the side of first face


19


. Alternatively, another hair style may be provided.




FIG.


2


:




As shown in a rear view in

FIG. 2

, the opposite side of the head is fully covered by hair


20


to obscure the opposite face.




FIG.


3


:




For illustration only, hair


20


is shown in

FIG. 3

brushed to one side of head


10


to reveal first face


19


and a second face


22


. Faces


19


and


22


preferably have different ethnic features. More faces may also be provided. Hair


20


is directly attached to head


10


, preferably only at the top, and optionally at intermediate areas between faces


19


and


22


. Only roots


23


of hair


20


are attached to head


10


. The rest of hair


20


is arranged to fall loosely around head


10


. Hair


20


is simply draped over either face to alternately cover one face and expose the other, so that it can be easily used by a child. Unlike some prior art dolls, there is no gap between hair


20


and head


10


to mar the appearance of the doll. Different faces are thus selectable by rotating head


10


to align a desired face with the front of torso


11


, and covering an unwanted face with hair


20


.




FIG.


4


:




In

FIG. 4

, head


10


is rotated to present second face


22


at the front of the doll. Hair


20


is draped over the other face at the back of the doll.




FIG.


5


:




Left and right limbs


12


and


15


are preferably of different skin colors to represent different races of people. Torso


11


may also have a skin color which represents a particular race of people. Each limb is of a single color all around. Every limb is preferably of a different color, and no two limbs are of the same color, so as to represent as many races of people as possible. For example, head


10


may be light gray, right arm


16


may be light beige, left arm


13


may be a medium brown, right leg


17


may be dark brown, left leg


14


may be a dark beige, and torso


11


may be reddish brown. Other colors and color combinations may be provided, as long as each limb is a single color all around, and the limbs are comprised of at least two colors, so that a plurality of colors are simultaneously visible from the front of the doll. Hair


20


is preferably comprised of a mix of different types of hair, for example, black, blonde, red, and brown, each in straight and curly types for a total of eight different types of hair. Therefore, the doll conveys the idea of different races of people living together as one in harmony, and is a valuable education tool.




SUMMARY AND SCOPE




Accordingly, the present multinational doll provides a plurality of selectable faces. It enables the faces to be easily changed by a child. It has no gaps between the face and the hair. Therefore, the doll conveys the idea of different races of people living together in harmony. Accordingly, it promotes racial harmony.




Although the above description is specific, it should not be considered as a limitation on the scope of the invention, but only as an example of the preferred embodiment. Many variations are possible within the teachings of the invention. For example, different attachment methods, fasteners, materials, dimensions, etc. can be used unless specifically indicated otherwise. The relative positions of the elements can vary, and the shapes of the elements can vary. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, not by the examples given.



Claims
  • 1. A multinational doll having a conglomeration of different races represented in a single doll comprising:a torso; a head attached on top of said torso; a plurality of limbs attached to said torso, wherein said limbs are comprised of a right arm, a right leg, a left arm and a left leg; wherein each limb is a different color from any other limb to represent different races of people, and wherein said skin color of any particular limb is consistent throughout, thereby a plurality of said skin colors are simultaneously visible from any angle to convey the idea of different races of people living together as one in harmony in a single doll.
  • 2. The doll of claim 1 wherein said skin colors of said limbs include light beige, dark beige, medium brown, and dark brown representing respectively different races of people for these colors.
  • 3. The doll of claim 1, wherein said torso is of a different skin color from said skin colors of said limbs to represent a further race of people.
  • 4. A multinational doll having a conglomeration of different races represented in a single doll comprising:a torso; a head attached on top of said torso; a plurality of limbs attached to said torso, wherein said limbs are comprised of a right arm, a right leg, a left arm, and a left leg; wherein each limb is a different color from any other limb to represent different races of people, and wherein said skin color of any particular limb is consistent throughout, thereby a plurality of said skin colors are simultaneously visible from any angle; clothing worn over said torso; and a plurality of different country names arranged on said clothing to literally indicate a multinational nature of said doll and convey the idea of different races of people living together as one in harmony in a single doll.
  • 5. The doll of claim 4, wherein said skin colors of said limbs include light beige, dark beige, medium brown, and dark brown representing respectively different races of people for these colors.
  • 6. The doll of claim 4, wherein said torso is of a different skin color from said skin colors of said limbs to represent a further race of people.
  • 7. The doll of claim 4, further including a slogan “WE ARE CREATED EQUAL” arranged on said clothing to further promote racial harmony.
US Referenced Citations (22)
Number Name Date Kind
243752 Bartenstein Jul 1881 A
1138412 Radick May 1915 A
1289715 Fellom Dec 1918 A
1387224 Ahler Aug 1921 A
1396766 McClelland Nov 1921 A
1555644 Duncan Sep 1925 A
1586247 Kollin May 1926 A
1610724 Wilson Dec 1926 A
1618772 Merseburger Feb 1927 A
2195127 Brucker Mar 1940 A
3419993 Rodgers Jan 1969 A
3791068 Pietrowiak Feb 1974 A
3851419 Kaelin Dec 1974 A
3903640 Dunn Sep 1975 A
4030240 Port Jun 1977 A
4136483 Shackelford et al. Jan 1979 A
4336665 Moreau Jun 1982 A
4373292 Pelura Feb 1983 A
4921459 Cook et al. May 1990 A
5480337 Baker Jan 1996 A
5788554 Goodwin et al. Aug 1998 A
5807155 Divvleeon Sep 1998 A