Ginny was born about eight years before Barbie, whose official introduction was on March 9, 1959.

Like Barbie, Ginny has a lot of outfits, hats, purses and shoes made especially for her. But she’s not a grown-up doll like Barbie. Her shape was made to look more like the little girls who played with her. She is 7 1/2 inches tall.

Susan Doll had three Ginnys when she was a girl in the 1950s. It was and still is her favorite toy. Her maternal grandmother made outfits for her dolls. Her maternal grandfather made furniture for them. Susan made a sofa when she was 11.

“My sister had chairs and a bed,” Susan said. “We would set up little rooms and play for hours just like some girls play with Barbies today. They call Ginny America’s Sweetheart before Barbie.”

Susan, an artist, treasured her three dolls and all the outfits, taking good care of them over the years. About 18 years ago, she decided to expand her doll family so she could display the outfits her grandmother made.

She purchased more Ginnys and similar dolls at flea markets and auctions. She also bought accessories. She taught herself to make little wigs. Thirty dressed dolls now reside in a cabinet in the guest room of her Pennside home.

Some of the dolls wear original Ginny outfits that were sold in stores. Others show off her grandmother’s handiwork, either sewn or crocheted. One looks like a ballerina. Another is dressed as a bride. One looks like she’s ready for school. Another wears a hooded cape, ready for rain.

“The best ones I have I bought at auctions for not much money,” Susan said. “The most I spent for a Ginny is $45.”

Finding one at that kind of price today would be difficult. Ginny and her imitators — including Ginger, Lucy, Pam, Muffie, Vicky, Norma and Joanie Pigtails — are popular among doll collectors, so prices for the originals have gone up.

Ginny has undergone a lot of changes since Jennie Adler Graves introduced her forerunner in 1948. The doll was so popular that Jennie created the Ginny line in 1951, naming the doll after her daughter Virginia. She sold them from her Ye Olde Vogue Doll Shoppe in Somerville, Mass.

The early dolls were made of hard plastic and had sleepy eyes. A doll that walked from the hip was introduced in 1954. A few years later, the doll was changed to walk from the knee.

According to the current producer, The Vogue Doll Co., Jennie’s sales rose rapidly until 1953, when she sold more than $2 million. By 1957, sales were more than $5 million, and imitators began to appear on the market. Jennie retired in 1960, and her family ran the business until 1972, when it was sold to Tonka Corp.

The company changed hands several times after that until The Vogue Doll Co. took over in 1995. The new company’s website, www.voguedolls.com, states that its intent is to restore Ginny to her deserved place in the modern doll era.

Susan stopped buying dolls about two years ago and isn’t planning on adding more to her collection. She’s content with what she has and the nostalgia her dolls evoke when she looks at them.

“It was a really special time in my past,” she said. “Some people love dolls, and some people don’t. I loved dolls, and I loved these dolls the best.”

Mary Young is a freelance writer and collector. Tell her about your treasures, where you go to find them and the fun you have on the hunt. You can reach her at you1949@gmail.com.