Tressy is a fashion doll originally introduced in 1963 by the American Character Doll Company. The doll is primarily recognized for its mechanical "growing hair" feature, which allowed users to adjust the length of a central lock of hair.
The doll's primary mechanism involved a button located on the midsection and a small key or crank on the back. When the button was depressed, the user could pull a strand of hair from the top of the doll's head, which was connected to a spool inside the torso. To shorten the hair, the user would turn the key on the doll's back, winding the hair back into the internal mechanism.
Following the financial decline and subsequent bankruptcy of the American Character Doll Company in 1968, the rights to Tressy were acquired by the Ideal Toy Company. Ideal continued to produce the doll until the early 1970s. The concept was marketed globally through various licensing agreements with international manufacturers, including Palitoy in the United Kingdom, Bella in France, and Sebino in Italy.
The Tressy product line included various accessories, fashion outfits, and companion dolls. Notable secondary characters included Tressy's younger sister, Cricket, and her friend, Mary Make-Up. While Tressy was a competitor to Mattel's Barbie, it maintained a distinct market niche through its interactive hairstyling functionality.
