Minifon (unknown - made in Italy)
My wife discovered this doll while visiting a friend on the east coast. The doll was purchased in Europe in the early 1980's. The purchaser would like to have it repaired so it can be presented to his granddaughters (it was originally a gift for his daughter). The doll is both a walker and a talker. Talking is accomplished through a Minifon phonograph unit that is made in Italy. The markings on the back of the neck are 22/60. There is another marking on the neck that is hard to decipher. It looks something like "H/c.". Since the manufacturer can't be positively identified, I am just going to refer to the doll as Minifon. The doll has a number of issues that I will describe in the photo gallery that follows.
Walking Repair
Through some ingenuity, I was able to repair the walking mechanism. The last major hurdle will be to come up with an alternative battery system as the original doesn't readily accept standard sized batteries (C or D). It may be possible to rig up a pack of AA batteries and then fabricate a new cover.
Through some ingenuity, I was able to repair the walking mechanism. The last major hurdle will be to come up with an alternative battery system as the original doesn't readily accept standard sized batteries (C or D). It may be possible to rig up a pack of AA batteries and then fabricate a new cover.
Cleaning and Brushing
My sister used doll cleaning solution to clean off the dirt and marks. She also brushed it's hair.
My sister used doll cleaning solution to clean off the dirt and marks. She also brushed it's hair.
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Repairing Battery Compartments
For this particular doll, the goal was to get it functioning without trying to restore it to original condition with replacement parts. Therefore, I decided to custom make what was needed while preserving as much as possible. The battery compartment for the walking mechanism was missing the unique battery pack as well as the snap-in plastic compartment cover. The motor responsible for leg movement runs on 3 volts, so I was able to modify an off-the-shelf AA battery holder to fit into the compartment. I also needed to rewire the contacts to make the new system work with the old. The holder was a little small and needed some foam padding to keep the battery pack from rattling around inside the compartment. I made a replacement cover out of a piece of pine, that I formed to the contour of the doll's back. Getting the cover to stay in place required being more invasive. Originally, a springy plastic tab would have snapped into place on the back. Since that was not possible, I used a soldering iron to melt some slits inside the compartment. The slits accepted two hex nuts that allowed a long bolt to be threaded along the channel. The bolt secures a swing-in clip for holding the wooden cover in place. The only part of the doll I was not able to fix was one side of the record, which had a flat spot in it that makes the needle skip to the end of the record.