Holly Hobbie

Holly Hobbie (born Denise Holly Ulinskas,[1]:102 1944) is an American writer, watercolorist[2]:127 and illustrator.[3] It is also the name of a fictional character that she created.

Personal life

Ulinskas is from Connecticut.[1]:102 She married Douglas Hobbie in 1964. She resides in Conway, Massachusetts.

Career

Author

Hobbie is the author of the popular Toot and Puddle children's books and the creator of the character bearing her name.

Namesake character

Origin

In the late 1960s, at the encouragement of her brother-in-law,[2]:128 Hobbie sold distinctive artwork of a cat-loving, rag dress-wearing little girl in a giant bonnet to American Greetings in Cleveland, Ohio. The artwork, based on Hobbie's own children and with rustic New England style of a bygone era,[2]:128 became popular, and her originally nameless[3] character (identified earlier as "blue girl") became known as Holly Hobbie. As a contract artist, Hobbie worked with the Humorous Planning department at American Greetings under art director Rex Connors, who was responsible for launching "blue girl" as the most identifiable of the Hobbie characters.

Doll and other product licensing

Also working in Humorous Planning at that time (1973, 1974) was Bob Childers, a veteran humorous concept artist and designer. Childers insisted that there should be a doll of the character. Since no one seemed to listen, Childers went home and, on his own time, hand-stitched the first prototype and presented it to Connors, who took the cloth doll to Tom Wilson, Creative Vice President. American Greetings approached Knickerbocker Toy Company concerning the Holly Hobbie license. In 1974, Knickerbocker Toys licensed the Holly Hobbie character for a line of rag dolls, launched in 1975.[1]:103 These were a popular toy for young American girls for several years. Additional products were licensed and produced, including fabrics, furniture,[2]:128 ceramics, games, and stationery.[1]:103 Holly Hobbie products were later marketed by American Greetings in association with Carlton Cards.

In 1976, Coleco produced a toy oven similar to Kenner's Easy-Bake Oven called The Holly Hobbie Oven. It was shaped like an old-fashioned wood-powered cookstove, used an incandescent light bulb for heat, and came with packaged mixes that could also be bought separately.

In 1980, Holly was featured in The Adventures of Holly Hobbie, a novel by Richard Dubelman. In this book, Holly Hobbie is a ghost who lives in a painting from 1803. She comes out of the painting to help a descendant, Liz Dutton, find her missing father, an archaeologist who has vanished in Guatemala.

Updated versions

Beginning in 1989[2]:128 and into the 1990s, Holly Hobbie dolls were produced by Tomy.[1]:104 Knickerbocker Toys also began producing dolls, but these were vinyl doll heads with soft bodies, unlike the original cloth dolls (rag dolls).[2]:128–29

In 2006, a redesigned Holly Hobbie was launched as part of a spin-off product line called "Holly Hobbie and Friends" based on the TV series and Academy award-winning books created by author and illustrator Linda Hayward and published by American Greetings. She was featured in TV series and movies Holly Hobbie and Friends: Surprise Party and Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes which were broadcast on Nick Jr. and are available on DVD.[4] The traditional line still exists, with the back story that the "original" Holly is the great-grandmother of the "new" Holly.

Coinciding, Mattel released an updated, brand new Holly Hobbie doll line,[3] which includes Holly (blue eyes and blonde hair), Amy (green eyes and red hair), and Carrie (brown eyes and black hair). The dolls feature an all new face sculpt, a new body style, and flat feet. There is also a series of smaller Holly, Amy, and Carrie figures; each of these figures arrives with a farm animal. Holly has a cocker spaniel named Doodles, Amy has a pig named Cheddar, and Carrie has a cat named Bonnet. Separate doll outfits were available for sale, and each outfit could be customized. Porcelain dolls were available, made by the Ashton-Drake company.[1]:104

The movie features songs with music and lyrics written by lead guitarist Sheriff Mandy Collins and keyboardist Charlotte Spencer of the English rock group, the Hyper Girls. The cartoon features three pop songs, two sung in her own voice, "Just Like You" and "The Things That Make You Special." LeAnn Rimes sings the third song, "Twinkle in Her Eye," the show's theme song. Five direct-to-DVD movie releases followed. The first four releases were produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios and Wang Film Productions, while the last two releases were produced by Sunflower Productions, Cartoonuity, and Nelvana.

However, work on the franchise trickled to a stop and was quietly shelved in 2010.

In fall 2018, Family Channel and Hulu released a live-action series featuring Ruby Jay as thirteen-year-old Holly Hobbie, a country girl who enjoys playing the guitar, hailing from a small town and seeking to save her grandmother's Calico Café. The series draws loosely upon past elements created for the Holly Hobbie franchise, but includes modern elements, such as Holly's use of a crowdfunding page.[5]

Works

Toot & Puddle series

Toot & Puddle are best friends, even though Toot likes to travel and Puddle likes to stay at home in Woodcock Pocket.

Books
  • Toot & Puddle
  • A Present for Toot
  • You Are My Sunshine
  • Puddle's ABC
  • I'll Be Home For Christmas
  • Top of the World
  • Charming Opal
  • The New Friend
  • Wish You Were Here
  • The One and Only
  • Let It Snow
  • The Night Before Christmas

Television show

A TV series based on the books was made in 2008 by Mercury Filmworks, National Geographic Kids, Treehouse TV and Noggin. It was titled Toot & Puddle.

Film

On December 5, 2006 Toot & Puddle I'll Be Home for Christmas aired on Nick Jr. It was released on DVD by National Geographic.[6]

Holly Hobbie and Friends

A series of DVDs starring the Hollie Hobbie character.

  • Holly Hobbie and Friends: Surprise Party 7 March 2006
  • Holly Hobbie and Friends: Christmas Wishes 24 October 2006
  • Holly Hobbie and Friends: Secret Adventures 6 March 2007
  • Holly Hobbie and Friends: Best Friends Forever 18 September 2007
  • Holly Hobbie and Friends: Marvelous Makeover 1 January 2008
  • Holly Hobbie and Friends: Fabulous Fashion Show 12 August 2008
  • Holly Hobbie and Friends: Hey Girls! Fun Pack 12 August 2008

Other books
  • Elmore (2018)
  • A Cat Named Swan (2017)
  • Gem (2012)
  • Fanny (2008)
  • Fanny & Annabelle (2009)
  • Everything But The Horse: A Childhood Memory (2010)
  • The Art of Holly Hobbie (1980)
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References
  1. Brewer, Susan (2010). Collecting Classic Girls' Toys. Remember When. ISBN 9781783375219.
  2. Brewer, Susan (2013). Famous Character Dolls. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 9781844680948.
  3. Soligny, Aurélie (21 November 2012). "Inspiration: Holly Hobbie". plumetismagazine.net (in French). Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  4. "Holly Hobbie & Friends - Surprise Party (2005)". Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  5. O'Keefe, Megan (November 16, 2018). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Holly Hobbie' on Hulu is a Country Girl for 2018". Decider.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  6. "Videos for Kids - National Geographic Kids". Nationalgeographic.com. 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
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