Need UK collectors help. Typhoon scuba doll info.

[dead dog]

I have seen the Cressi ones sell for over $200.

Hey, Mikey, congratulations on your doll purchase.

 

[David Wilson]

I have never seen this one. I have two Cressi scuba divers like it. This came from England. Any info would be great. It dose have the Cressi mask and fins. I don't have any Typhoon catalogs or many UK dive mags. It appears to be from the 1960's.

@Mike Lev. I grew up in England with Typhoon (E. T. Skinner & Co.) diving equipment in the 1960s. If you are after Typhoon catalogues from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, I have four of them scanned on my Google Drive. None of them feature the doll, however, and I have never seen this item before. It does not surprise me that the fins are Cressis, as E. T. Skinner & Co. imported Cressi Rondines from Italy and later made their own under licence, crediting Cressi with the original design on the fin. I know this because I bought a pair when I joined my university branch of the British Sub Aqua Club in the late 1960s. The wetsuit, however, is recognisable as a Typhoon Divemaster wetsuit (example below from a Lillywhites catalogue of 1963):

The distinctive yellow trim on the otherwise black jacket and hood is unmistakeable. My guess is that the doll is a commercial traveller's "sundry" from the 1960s, donated by E. T. Skinner & Co. to stockists of Typhoon underwater gear for advertising purposes, although I have no further evidence to support this hypothesis.

 

[David Wilson]

As for Cressi dolls, the following appeared in the December 1961 issue of the Italian diving magazine Mondo Sommerso:

Italian: "'BAMBOLA' - Il più bel regalo di Natale per i bimbi dei sub: un magnifico bambolotto articolato, alto mezzo metro, con occhi mobili, che vagisce ed è completamente equipaggiato con maschera, pinne e muta di neoprene espanso autentici di produzione ‘Cressi Sub”. È’ in vendita a 5.000 lire al dettaglio."
Rough translation: "'DOLL' - The best Christmas gift for the children of divers: a magnificent articulated doll, half a metre tall, with movable eyes that cry, and which is fully equipped with mask, fins and genuine 'Cressi Sub' foam neoprene suit. It is on sale for 5,000 lire at retail outlets".

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[Mike Lev]

Hey, Mikey, congratulations on your doll purchase.

 

[Mike Lev]

Thanks Billy your such a doll.

 

[Mike Lev]

Hello David thanks. I knew if anyone had info it would be you. That Cressi one shown is different than the two i have. I collect vintage skin diving and scuba toys and games also. I knew the Typhoon doll was rare. Thanks again Mike.

 

[dead dog]

Thanks Billy your such a doll.

I KNOOOOOW! ! !