In her patchwork dress and large bonnet, Holly Hobbie is one of the most recognizable and beloved dolls. She was created by painter and illustrator Denise Holly Hobbie in the 1970s, who based the character on her kids and gave her rustic New England style. She sold the artwork for her cat-loving character to American Greetings where she was originally called “blue girl.”

Hobbie worked with their Humorous Planning department art director Rex Connors to launch the character. They also collaborated with Humorous Planning concept artist and designer Bob Childers, who thought that blue girl should become a doll. Because he was met with resistance, Childers decided to make a prototype on his own time, then showed it to American Greetings’ Creative Vice President Tom Wilson. They took the doll to Knickerbocker Toy Company, who launched the line of rag dolls in 1975.

Once the doll became popular, related products followed. There were accessories like furniture and a toy oven (similar to the Easy Bake Oven), and other items such as games, stationery, greeting cards, and the novel, The Adventures of Holly Hobbie. Starting in the late ‘80s, Knickerbocker Toys began producing dolls with vinyl doll heads and soft bodies, moving away from the original cloth dolls.

Years later in 2006, Holly Hobbie was redesigned and starred in the Nickelodeon animated series, Holly Hobbie & Friends. At the same time, Mattel revived the toy line featuring Holly and her friends in the usual doll size with a variety of different outfits, and smaller figures that came with pets. In 2018, the Family Channel and Hulu introduced a live-action TV series called Holly Hobbie, starring Ruby Jay as the small town, country girl.