In my search for 1:6 scale kids, I came across Playground Kids made by Ertl. The headsculpt is copyright 1990, and they were made in the early 1990s. Each Playground Kid is a doll 7″ high with plastic head, hands, and shoes and a cloth body. Each doll comes with a toy, like a tricycle, a swing, a teeter totter, etc., that they can sit in or on and ride. Their hands are sculpted in clenched positions so that they can hold on to handlebars, swing chains, etc. They have rooted hair and come with hairbrushes. There were also eventually a line of smaller dolls with their own ride-on toys, also made by Ertl and representing younger children. Ertl also used the same kind of dolls branded as Farm Kids, with more agriculturally related toys. The Playground Kids concept succeeded well enough that it spawned imitators, which can be found on Ebay with searches like “playground kids clone doll.”

Anyway, Ertl collaborated with Coca-Cola to issue a line of branded dolls in this style along with branded toys. Unsurprisingly, the dolls are called Coca-Cola Kids. I found a lot of five Coca-Cola kids for slightly under $40.00 shipped. Well-loved and grimy, they came with tangled hair and none of their toys. I decided to see how I could fix them up and, given that I did not spend lots of money on them, perhaps experiment on them to make them more self-supporting and articulated, able to be integrated in my 1:6 scale world.

Here they are as they arrived. They all have their names on their shoes, so, from left to right, they are Lauren, Beth, Carmen, Samantha, and Nicole. Clothing was stained and covered with pills on certain pieces. Plastic parts were scuffed and covered with grime. Hair was tangled and placed in messy ponytails.

These dolls have two headsculpts. The one on the left shows an open smile with two dimples. The one on the left shows a closed smile. Otherwise the features are identical.

I washed all the dolls’ plastic parts and removed stains and scuff marks from their faces. To my surprise, their face paint remained intact. I also washed their bodies with both soap and water and some diluted bleach, which brightened up the colors on their clothes. I used a battery-powered lint remover to remove the pills from their clothes. I brushed their hair and put small elastic bands in it, except for that of Samantha, whose hair I think I will remove and replace with a wig.

I really love almost everything about these dolls. The headsculpts are friendly and endearing. The cloth bodies make them cuddly like stuffed animals. The big heads and feet combine with floppy limbs to give them a cartoony style that seems appropriate for the gangly awkwardness of growing kids. Their layered outfits are comfortable, practical for playing, and unified across the line with a shared color scheme. I particularly like the use of imitation acid-washed denim fabric on four of five dolls. I’m not a fan of the branding right across their stomachs, but they could always wear another layer of clothes to hide that.

As much as I love them, I’m working on how to fit them into with my 1:6 scale dolls without modifying away their original bodies. They cannot stand alone, but they can sit if they’re leaning against things. I was thinking of making one a kidsy-size power wheelchair. Hmmmm…

EDIT: Well, the dolls are very good at sitting, lounging, and holding onto things. They can even grip the steering wheels of my pedal cars and the handle of my baby carriage. The one holding the carriage can even support herself upright! I’m starting to think that I can work with them as is, perhaps wrapping wire around their arms and concealing it with an overlayer if I want to add some arm poses.