Tubsy
Tubsy is an Ideal doll produced in 1967 and 1968. Tubsy is unusual in that she is a battery operated doll that sits and splashes her arms in a tub of water - generally something that does not go well with electronics. The mechanism is ingenious. When the doll is lowered into her tub of water (the doll is marked with a water level line) water rises up a hole in the doll's bottom and raises a float. The float closes a switch and the motor turns on. The motor causes the doll's arms to make a splashing motion as well as causing the head to move side to side. The patent does not show the legs being powered - so they would not kick. When the doll is lifted out of the water, the water drains out of the doll, dropping the float, thereby deactivating the motor. The doll came with her tub. The tub had a handle and a lid so that it could double as a carrying case and a dressing table. It is hard to find definitive information on this doll but the 1968 version was called "Playtime Tubsy" and came with a magnetic blue bear accessory. This accessory would attract the metal plate on the float switch and make the doll move her arms and head when she was out of the water. Tubsy's hands would strike the jingle bells dangling from the bear's arms. Also, some lids were made with a colored "Tubsy" logo. I suspect these are rare and might have been eliminated to cut down on manufacturing costs.
Patent: US 3436859 A
Patent: US 3436859 A
Cleaning Process
My sister acquired Tubsy and her bathtub through separate eBay purchases. Both were quite dirty. In this section, I will show some images of the cleaning process. Another section will cover the troubleshooting process - since the doll was purchased as non-working.
My sister acquired Tubsy and her bathtub through separate eBay purchases. Both were quite dirty. In this section, I will show some images of the cleaning process. Another section will cover the troubleshooting process - since the doll was purchased as non-working.
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Troubleshooting - the Battery Compartment
As much as we hoped that Tubsy would be operational when we got her, we suspected there might be problems when she had a noticeable rattle in her leg when handled.
As much as we hoped that Tubsy would be operational when we got her, we suspected there might be problems when she had a noticeable rattle in her leg when handled.
Trouble Shooting - Getting to the Inside
To determine what was causing the rattle, the doll needed to be disassembled. The first step was to remove the 5 screws in the doll's back and separate the two halves of the body. This releases the arms, legs, and head. Then the fun begins...
To determine what was causing the rattle, the doll needed to be disassembled. The first step was to remove the 5 screws in the doll's back and separate the two halves of the body. This releases the arms, legs, and head. Then the fun begins...