expo 67 lounge

Mid-century fashion, vintage pop culture and retro cool... from Expo 67 and beyond.

13 January 2010

Expo 67 Hostess Doll

This is one of those collectibles which holds a special place in my heart.

Like the U.S. pavilion coat or the Michèle Richard record sleeve, I had been waiting to get my hands on this Expo 67 souvenir for years. Ultra-rare, I had only ever seen one of these dolls once before... at an exhibition on Montreal in the 1960's at the CCA in 2004. My luck changed when this beauty appeared on eBay last autumn.

Designed with children in mind, this 11½-inch doll is roughly the same size as Barbie. Impeccably detailed, she wears a tiny replica of the general Expo hostess uniform, designed by Michel Robichaud, complete with purse, shoes, and ubiquitous pillbox hat.

And, this little lady is still sealed in plastic!

The back of the box reads:

THE CHOSEN FEW

Your "Official Expo Hostess" is a very special person. She may come from one of the 70 countries with pavilions at Expo. She speaks several different languages and has an exceptional personality.

The Expo 67 symbol depicts the theme of Expo: "Man and his World". Many years ago, before our alphabet was invented, man was shown by simple drawings called cryptograms, a vertical line with outstretched arms. When these drawings form a circle, it becomes a symbol of all men around the world joined together in friendship.

Your Hostess will direct you to the exciting world of Expo 67, including La Ronde, which is the popular entertainment centre. Here, you can ride in an ostrich-drawn cart or see a zoo with newborn lions, giraffes and elephants.

You will never forget your fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime visit to Expo 67, Montreal, Canada.

images: author's own

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10 Comments:

Anonymous Suzanna said...

She is so cute! I know she is your biggest treasure!!!!!

6:34 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jason,

Great find.

Question: Didn't some of the Expo pavillion hostesses shorten their skirts after seeing the British hostesses wearing above the knee skirts?

11:54 am  
Blogger Marie-Soleil said...

Wow, c'est vraiment très cool cette trouvaille!!

9:43 pm  
Anonymous Suzanna said...

John had talked about the British hostesses and remembered their mini skirts very well, hahahahahaha. Maybe he could answer your question.

7:48 am  
Anonymous Rich said...

Speaking of hostesses, I got a laugh out of this CBC radio report from the summer of '67:

"Montreal is generally known for its attractive women, but this year the situation has become ridiculous," it opens with.

http://archives.cbc.ca/society/celebrations/clips/536/

Nice score, Jason.

7:42 pm  
Blogger stinkypaw said...

Congrats on this rare find - enjoy!

8:04 pm  
Blogger Jason Stockl said...

I know for a fact that the British hostesses had the shortest skirts.

Did the other hostesses shorten theirs to keep up? I can't find any official confirmation of this.

It might just be an Expo "urban legend"...

J.

4:51 pm  
Anonymous Todd said...

Love the shag carpet.

9:41 am  
Blogger llo said...

bravo pour ton blog. Nice

8:08 am  
Anonymous jet69 said...

hello I also have one of these dolls,just wondering what it may be worth to a collector?

9:34 am  

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