Pillow With Hand Puppet Receivable In A Pocket Thereof And Manipulable While Therein

Abstract

A doll and pillow combination wherein a baby doll is removably received on one side of the pillow in a pocket secured to a pillow case. The body portion of the doll is hollow so that a child may place a hand inside the doll and manipulate the same in a manner as a puppet.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a simulated human figure in the form of a baby doll and supporting means therefore, and more particularly to a combination of doll and carrying pillow particularly adapted for the pleasure and amusement of a child.

Combinations of dolls and doll carrying supports are known and in some instances the support comprises a pocket formed on a child's garment or the like whereby the doll is insertable into the pocket for carrying about by the child. Other combinations of garments and toys include pockets formed on a child's garment, the pocket itself forming part of a puppet-type figure. Examples of such combinations and related puppet figures are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:

2,628,452 -- Gladstein -- Feb. 17, 1953

2,655,762 -- Burke -- Oct. 20, 1953

3,447,165 -- Brosk -- June 3, 1969

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved combination of a doll and support means therefore adapted for the pleasure and amusement of a child.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combina-tion of a pillow and puppet-doll combination wherein a baby doll is insertable into a pocket formed on the pillow, the doll being a puppet doll manipulatable by a child.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, a combination is provided which includes a hand manipulatable doll having a body portion formed by a dress-like garment and a pillow which has a pillow case with a pocket formed on one side thereof within which the doll is removably received. The doll's dress has hollow sleeve portions with hands secured on the outer ends thereof, and a head is secured to the top of the dress whereby a child may insert his hand into the bottom of the dress and manipulate the doll in a manner as a puppet.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the doll and pillow combination of the present invention, with the doll received in a pocket on the pillow;

FIG. 2 is a section taken generally along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1, with the doll shown in elevation;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the doll, with portions thereof broken away and in section to facilitate the illustration of the various components of the doll;

FIG. 4 is a partial section through the neck portion of the doll's head which is removably secured to the doll's body forming garment; and

FIG. 5 is a partial section through the wrist portion of the doll's hands which are removably secured on the end of the sleeve portions of the doll's body forming garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the novel combination of the present invention includes a hand manipulatable puppet-type baby doll, generally designated 10, removably received on one side of a pillow, generally designated 12. A pocket forming flap 14 is secured, as by stitching 16 on two sides of the flap 14, to one side of the pillow 12 to form means for movably securing the doll to the pillow. The bottom 17 of the flap 14 is not stitched to the pillow, to provide a bottom opening through which a child may insert his hand to manipulate the puppet doll 10, as described hereinafter. The pocket forming flap 14 has an elastic band 18 bounding one side of the top opening to the pocket to provide expansion when a child's hand is placed into the doll. The pocket forming flap preferably is styled to resemble a blanket.

It should be understood that the use of the term "pillow" herein, and in the claims, is meant to include not only a pillow having a pillow case 20 and filler material 22, as shown in FIG. 2, but also all types of "solid" pillows formed by a body of resilient material such as foam material onto which the pocket forming flap 14 may be secured directly.

The pillow case 20 is shown herein as formed by a pair of sheets of fabric, or the like, secured around three sides thereof by stitching 24. The fourth side of the pillow case (the left side shown in FIG. 1) is closed by a plurality of releasable snap means 26 to permit a pillow body (such as 22) of foam rubber to be inserted within and removed from the pillow case.

The hand manipulatable baby doll puppet 10 is shown best in FIG. 3 and includes a dress-like garment 28 of fabric or other appropriate flexible material having sleeve portions 30 and a collar portion 32. The dress-like garment has an opening 40 at the bottom thereof through which a child may insert his hand into the inside of the doll's body, formed by the garment 28, and manipulate the doll in a manner as a puppet. A child's hand is shown in phantom in FIG. 3, as at 41, with fingers thereof inserted into the sleeve portions 30 and the collar portion 32 to manipulate the hands and head (described hereinafter) of the doll.

The doll 10 is provided with hands 42 fabricated of plastic material or the like which are received in the ends of the sleeve portions 30 of the garment 28. More particularly, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the wrist portions of the hands have annular recesses 44 about the outside thereof. Stitching or elastic bands 46 are sewn about the ends of the sleeve portions 30 for positioning within the annular recesses 44 to secure the hands 42 to the ends of the sleeve portions 30. The inner end of each of the hands 42 are provided with recesses 48 into which the ends of a child's fingers may be inserted to further facilitate manipulation of the doll in a manner as a puppet.

The doll is provided with a generally hollow head portion 50 which is secured to the collar portion 32 of the garment 28, similarly as with the hands 42. More particularly, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, an annular rib 52 is formed on the outside of the neck portion 54 of the head 50 forming an annular recess 56 therebehind for receiving a stitched portion or an elastic band 58 secured about the opening formed by the collar portion 32 of the garment 28. The elastic band 58 thereby seats in the recessed portion 56 and secures the doll's head 50 on top of the garment 28. The garment may be provided with a cap portion 60 positionable about the back of the doll's head 50.

Complementary male-female snap means, generally designated 62 in FIG. 2, are provided on the doll's garment 28 and on the pillow case within the pocket beneath flap 14. The snap means removably secure the doll directly to the pillow within the pocket formed by flap 14. Female snap portions 64 are shown on the doll's garment in FIG. 3.

With the present invention, it is apparent that the novel combination not only affords a pleasing and amusing hand manipulatable puppet-type doll for the enjoyment of a child, but complementary pocket means on the pillow 12 not only provides a support for the doll but permits a child to place the doll in the pillow pocket while the child sleeps or rests, using the remaining portion of the pillow 12 for the child's head, if he wishes. With the pocket for the doll, the doll is placed in close communication with the child while they both lie face to face on the pillow. The child can pretend, talk, imagine numerous situations (e.g., "mother is coming, let's pretend we are sleeping", "there is a boogey man in the closet", aren't you scared", etc.)

To enhance the enjoyability of utilizing the doll 10 both as a puppet as well as a sleeping companion, preferably the eyes 63 in the doll's head are conventionally weighted gravity type movably mounted spheres which effect opening of the doll's eyes when the doll is in an upright condition, as shown in FIG. 3, and effect closing of the doll's eyes when the doll is in a prone position as shown in FIG. 1. One type of such known construction would be to pivotally mount the eye-forming spheres in complementary sockets for pivoting about horizontal axes, the spheres being weighted at the base thereof to effect pivoting as described above.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. In combination, a doll, and distinct and separate therefrom, a stuffed pillow substantially larger than said doll with a pocket formed at one end thereof for removably receiving the doll with the remainder of the pillow providing sufficient space at the opposite end thereof on which a child may rest his head, at least the lower portion of said doll being receivable in said pocket, said doll and said pillow including means enabling a child to manipulate said doll, said means including an access opening in said doll through which a child may insert his hand into the inside of the doll and manipulate the doll as a puppet, and an open bottom in said pocket through which a child may insert his hand into said access opening and manipulate the doll while the doll is in said pocket and while the child may rest his head on the pillow adjacent to the doll disposed within the pocket.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein at least part of a top opening to said pocket is bounded by elastic material to provide for expansion when a child inserts his hand into the pocket.

3. The combination of claim 1 including complementary snap means on the doll and on said pillow case within said pocket to removably hold the doll to the pillow case.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said doll has gravity operated movable eye portions mounted for movement between closed positions when the doll is placed in a prone position, for instance on said pillow, and open positions when the doll is placed in an upright position, for instance when used as a puppet.