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's name stenciled or pad-printed on the base and a decal on the chest. The bottom of the bases was 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 the overall value of the doll. 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 distributed with the Detroit Redwing decal on their chest (see picture below). It is a fairly common doll and there is no premium added to the value of the doll. The price is the same as the real Toronto mini.
Beware of New York Rangers re-painted dolls. They have a dark blue jersey and base color. Importantly, there is a DECAL on the base for the team's 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 with WHITE home jerseys. Fortunately, it appears that "KDT" always painted the hair color BLACK on all of his mini remakes.
Shown below are two versions of Rangers “repainted” Minis standing on each side of the original Rangers Mini (light blue jersey with white pad-printed or stenciled NEW YORK on the base) and the Toronto “error” doll.
Shown below is newly found version of a Rangers “repainted” Minis (black hair) standing next to an original Rangers Mini on the left. PLEASE NOTICE= this remake was painted with a light blue paint - VERY SIMILAR to the original doll color.
REMEMBER = an original Rangers mini has a white pad-printed or stenciled NEW YORK on the base - the REMAKES have a clear sticker! (April 2019)
Please note the following in the picture above=
* 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
Please note the following in the picture above=
* 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)
Please note the following in the picture above=
* This picture shows the difference between repainted or FAKE N.Y. Rangers minis (dark blue outside dolls) and the original doll. The 2 outside dolls have the initials "KDT" stamped on the base. He also re-stamped the bases with a "JAPAN" stamp that is smaller than on the original doll.
Boston Bruins box (notice the "BB" on the sticker).
Toronto Maple Leafs box (notice the "TML" on the sticker).
New York Rangers mini box (notice the "NYR" on the sticker).
Typical original neck collar for the MINI
A great example of a FAKE Rangers 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 by Howard Detsky.
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. It is my understanding that these dolls were done by the same person who made the FAKE NY Rangers mini's. His initials are "KDT".
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. It is my understanding that these dolls were done by the same person who made the FAKE NY Rangers mini's. His initials are "KDT".
A great example of a FAKE Boston Bruins WHITE JERSEY mini. It obviously is an original Boston Bruins doll with the original decals on the chest and base. It is my understanding that these dolls were done by the same person who made the FAKE NY Rangers mini's. His initials are "KDT".
