Among the “National Dolls” family is N/120, The Can-Can Girl.   Over the years, this delightful doll was made in a number of subtle costume variations, and two body shapes, and although always easily recognisable, they are all subtly different.   The more popular versions have red and yellow (or yellow and red) satin dresses – the rarer versions had pink satin dresses - some even had feather boas!   All the Can-Can girls had layers of frilly, lacy petticoats underneath their dresses, wore black stockings, and had flat beret style hats with an upright feather.

The earlier dolls had straight legs, nearly straight arms that hung against their sides, and the “dolly” face so familiar to Nisbet collectors.   They also wore rather unflattering and overly large frilly knickers – So large, in fact, that they almost covered their knees!   

The later girls were much more alluring, having far more shapely legs, and a more adult face.   Their arms were spread away from their bodies, in an open embrace, and their body pose, with the head slightly tilted to the left, and the right leg bent at the knee, gave them a much more animated appearance.   Their knickers were smaller, tighter, and altogether sexier, and their garters were far more obvious, being worn just above the left knee.   

These charming dolls embody all the gaiety, glamour, and excitement of the Moulin Rouge, at the time when Toulouse Lautrec produced his iconic posters.   

Another saucy French girl is from the Happy Doll series – She is T/96, Frou Frou the Cabaret Girl.   She wears a skimpy, lacy top, which is little more than a thin ribbon, and barely sufficient to preserve her decency!   She adopts a saucy pose, with one arm raised above her head, the other holding up her skirt to reveal her lacy knickers, and her left leg is held straight out to the side with the toe pointed, ballerina style.   She is certainly cheeky, and very evocative of Parisian night life - but what was a Cabaret Girl?   Was she a singer, a dancer, a nightclub hostess, or something else?   We may never know, so Frou Frou remains a unique and enigmatic subject, impossible to ignore

The Belly Dancer is yet another Nisbet rarity, and a real show stopper!   She was never given a model number, and was, surprisingly, never issued as a member of the “National Dolls” series.   (You may be interested to know that belly dancing, though now accepted as a Middle Eastern tradition, is believed to have its roots in Egyptian fertility dances.)   The Belly Dancer was first produced for a convention of travel agents held in the UK, but was later ordered by one of the Arab states, presumably to be sold on their airline.

The dancer’s dark tresses cascade down onto her shoulders, framing an oval face which has an enigmatic half smile, like the Mona Lisa – but this girl is far more exciting!   Her gossamer bolero jacket is wide open, to reveal a slim and shapely figure, her modesty protected by two gold filigree cups!   Her diaphanous skirt is split to the waist, showing enticing glimpses of her shapely legs – No wonder she was such a hit with all who saw her!  This doll is a stunning model, and her skimpy costume allows us a glimpse into the secret, sensual, and hidden world of the Sultan’s harem!