Bisque Baby in Peanut Shell (Occupied Japan)

Just bought this on ebay.  Why?  Because I had one exactly like it when I was a little girl.  Love it.

Miss Jenny, Doll in 1953 film "Night of the Hunter"

This film noir, unsuccessful at the box office at the time, has come to be known as one of the best movies ever made.  Starring Robert Mitchum as the evil preacher man, the movie's plot includes Miss Jenny, a rag doll, as an important part of the story.

Uneeda Baby Dolls in a Wicker Duck

Sweet Uneeda vinyl and cloth baby dolls in a wicker duck.  This company has made many kinds of dolls since 1917.  One of these is marked 1999 and another 2003.  Notice the different expressions.  They are stuffed with pellets for a realistic feel.

Rare Blue Bird Dress on Shirley Temple Doll

1930's Composition Shirley Temple Doll dressed in original and rare Blue Bird dress from her movie "The Blue Bird."

Photos of Shirley Temple Dolls at June Meeting (Click on photo to enlarge)

 Here is Michelle with her wonderful group of Shirley Temples from the 1930's to the 1970's. On the shelf in the back is a Shirley in a very rare Blue Bird dress (from the movie).

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Left to right Deanna Durbin Doll from Ideal Toy Company; Sonja Henning Doll from Madame Alexander (also famous actresses in the 1930's); middle taller doll is a Shirley Temple look alike-Miss Charming; Shirley Temple on the far right is from the 1950's

On the left is a vinyl Shirley Temple from the 1970's; in the middle is a composition Shirley Temple Doll in the red and white "Stand Up and Cheer" dress; the Shirley Temple in the pink dress is from the 1930's in the dress "Baby Take A Bow"; Shirley Temple in the peach outfit is a look alike similar to the dolls made from Blossom Doll Company; sailor Shirley Temple is from the 1930's and the brown complexion doll is made with the Shirley Temple mold-"The Marama Doll."  

These are dolls brought by members.  The middle one is Baby Shirley.

Shirley with trunk and wardrobe.

Composition Shirley in very good condition

Shirley Temple Dolls - Program for June

Michelle gave a fascinating program on Shirley Temple dolls, and brought a table full that she had collected. Below is a summary:  

 Shirley Temple was discovered at the age of three by a film producer named Jack Hays, who saw her taking tap dancing lessons. He was excited to have her star in a series of short films. 
She later auditioned for "Stand Up and Cheer" and "Baby Take a Bow." After the success of these two movies and many, many others Ideal Novelty and Toy Company gained exclusive rights to manufacture dolls using her name. 

The first Shirley Temple dolls were marketed in fall of 1934, at that time, "Stand Up and Cheer" had just come out, and Shirley was just beginning to gain popularity. These dolls were made of composition. Because Ideal (the ONLY company licensed to sell the Shirley Temple doll) did not know how successful the dolls would be, the first dolls, the "prototype" doll, were not marked Shirley Temple, and were only marked on the inside of the head "(C) 1934 Ideal Novelty and Toy Co."(also might be marked just Ideal on the head), these dolls had chubbier cheeks than the Shirleys made later in production, probably because Shirley was so young, and chubby herself. These dolls are slightly more valuable than the later Shirley dolls.  Once Christmas of 1934 came, and Ideal saw how successful the Shirley doll would be, they got a patent on the Shirley Temple doll. For the first year of production, the name SHIRLEY TEMPLE was stamped on the doll along with a COP, which stood for Copyright Pending. Once Ideal got the copyright, the dolls said SHIRLEY TEMPLE on their head and back. The markings came as follows:

1.SHIRLEY TEMPLE (in the shape of a half circle)
2.SHIRLEY TEMPLE (in the shape of a half circle) IDEAL N.&T.Co. (inside the half circle, usually written IDEAL, straight across, on one line, and N.&T.Co. on the next), this mark also came with COP (C with the O and P inside it), to stand for Copyright Pending
3.Shirley Temple
SHIRLEY TEMPLE (just as written)
4.Shirley Temple with IDEAL in a diamond below it, I have also seen just the Ideal in the diamond on the back of some Shirley dolls.

Many of Ideal dolls used the Shirley Temple body, and therefore just because a compo doll is marked SHIRLEY TEMPLE on her back does not mean that she is a Shirley Temple doll. Two Ideal dolls actually used the Shirley face mold as well, these were the compo Ideal Snow White doll, and the "Marama" doll, a cute doll with a brown complexion, long dark yarn hair, and painted eyes dressed in a hula skirt. These two dolls are also collected by some Shirley collectors because they were made with the Shirley mold and are slightly more valuable than if they had not been made with the Shirley mold.



In 1935-1936 came the Shirley Temple baby dolls. These dolls had a composition shoulder plate, head, legs, arms and a cloth body. Vinyl dolls were made from 1957-1963 during Shirley's popularity and during the Shirley Storybook Series on TV. They were made out of vinyl, with a smiling dimpled mouth and saran hair. In the 1970's Montgomery Ward came out with a Shirley doll. She was made of vinyl, with saran hair, curled in front and short in the back. In the 1980's the vinyl Shirley Dolls were made. They came in 8" and 12" sizes and in a variety of her movie costumes. These dolls have pale white skin supposedly because the actress Shirley Temple wanted them to look more like porcelain dolls. From 1986 to now, Danbury Mint makes Shirley Temple dolls. They are limited edition dolls with elaborate costumes.



Many parents in the 1930's could not afford to buy a Shirley Temple doll for their own children, because they were so expensive. So, many companies offered their own version of the Shirley Temple doll. Some of these dolls have the names: Miss Charming, Little Miss Movie, The Movie Queen and Little Sweetheart. These dolls are not marked.

Blog on Making 1" Scale Dollhouse Furniture

http://1inchminisbykris.blogspot.com/

Very interesting blog!

Happy Birthday, Janet Hoyle!

We hope you have had a Happy Birthday, Janet!  Here is an interesting old cloth doll for you.

Beauregard/Keyes House, French Quarter, New Orleans, with Doll Collection

Confederate General Beauregard lived here in the 1800's, and author Francis Parkinson Keyes lived here about 30 years (1940-s to 1970's), and wrote many of her 52 published books here.  Below are a few of the most interesting dolls from the collection - an SFBJ, a parian, a blonde common hairdo china, a wonderful dollhouse completely furnished, and a wax-over with pupilless glass eyes in a case.

2013 Annual Doll Sale B'ham Doll Club of AL

Note:  Click on photo to enlarge.

Here are some highlights of our Annual Doll Sale held in Vestavia Hills, AL yesterday.  We had a fun day selling and buying, and it is always educational.  I always find out something new about doll collecting and costuming.

Annual Doll Sale - B'ham Doll Club of AL

Antique and modern dolls and accessories

Free appraisals

May 4, 2013 from 8 to 2

1809 Mission Road, Vestavia Hills, AL

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

Happy Birthday, Michelle!!!  Here is a stuffed rabbit by Hansa for you.  Hope your day is great.

Happy Birthday, Dorothy!!!

Here are Md. Alexander Ginny dolls from the New Orleans UFDC Convention last year.

Teddy Bear Display

Here are some of my favorite bears - including artist bears, one offs (one of a kind), an antique, and a crocheted set of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, which makes me smile.  The bear on the bicycle won 3rd Place in his category at the United Federation of Doll Clubs Convention in New Orleans last year (out of 23).  Click on photo to enlarge.

Delicious Party Pound Cake

Besides giving a delightful program on small dolls, Debra served this delicious pound cake.

Kathy’s Party Pound Cake



1 box pound cake mix
4 eggs
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 box powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese

Have eggs, butter and cream cheese at room temperature.
Combine cake mix, butter, and 2 eggs.  Mix well (batter will be stiff).  Spread in a greased 9x13 pan.  Combine cream cheese, sugar (save enough to dust on top after baking), 2 eggs, and vanilla.  Spread over cake.  Sprinkle pecans on top.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Cool slightly.  Sprinkle sugar on top and cut into small squares.

April Meeting - Program on Small Dolls (8" and under)

COLLECTING SMALL DOLLS
PROGRAM FOR APRIL



Our program for April was about collecting small dolls eight inches and under.  There are a multitude of dolls made of various materials that fall into this category , but we focused on the original all bisque and subsequent bisque-head with composition body small dolls.

During the 1860’s and 1870’s there were already miniature dolls such as all-wooden dolls, bisque and china-headed dollhouse dolls, and china “frozen Charlottes.” However, in 1878 a different kind of miniature doll was born.  In that year an advertisement appeared in La Poupee Modele, a French children’s magazine.  It announced the birth of “poupees de poches,” or pocket dolls.  These little all-bisque dolls looked like a realistic child, with real wig and glass eyes.  They were fully articulated and could be dressed and undressed.  Earliest production of the little all-bisque dolls appears to have been French, but within two years the French doll shops started using German doll firms for their “French” all-bisque dolls.  The German firms of Simon and Halbig and Kestner made many of the early all-bisque dolls for the French trade.  The all-bisque dolls were immediately very popular, but for some reason the name “pocket doll” was not.  In 1880, only two years after their introduction, they were re-named “Mademoiselle Mignonette.”

Around 1900, the meaning of the word “mignonette” changed.  Instead of meaning only the all-bisque doll, a “mignonette” became any small bisque-head doll regardless of the body material or quality.  The doll firms began putting the bisque heads on small composition bodies and these were also known as “mignonettes.  These dolls were much less expensive than the all-bisque dolls.

We had the largest doll attendance we've ever had at a meeting, I think!  Sorry I couldn't post all the photos.  We had all kinds of dolls for show and tell including bisque, china, papier mache, cloth, composition, wood, and celluloid.

A great book

Bisque Kewpie, all bisque, Hitty, etc.

Some great small bisque heads with compo bodies

Cloth ethnic dolls

Bisque heads

A mix of bisue, cloth, and wood

Palmer Cox Brownies, cloth

Happy Birthday to you, Beverly!

Here is an arms away flapper pincushion doll for you!

Heebee Shebee 1926 - Mint Condition

This Horsman doll designed originally as a cartoon character by Charles Twelvetrees stands 10" tall, and is all composition with joints at shoulders, head, and hips.  The Shebee companion (not pictured) has pink shoes and pink silk ribbons.

Alexander, a 1920's ll" Steiff ? Monkey

He belongs to JoAnn, who considers him a favorite of hers.  Can anyone positively identify him as Steiff?

Donate to Miss Iwate Fund at Birmingham Public Library

http://www.bplonline.org/programs/Iwate.aspx

If clicking doesn't work, copy and paste the URL in the URL box.

This is the library's site that makes it easy to donate for the fund for our Friendship Doll Miss Iwate (see information on other posts) to have a display case for herself and all her accessories, and also to return her to Japan for some needed conservation.  She is an historical doll and piece of history that should not be forgotten in a box in a dark storage room.

Evening with Miss Iwate at Birmingham Public Library

Japanese doll expert from Montana Alan Pate visited Birmingham's own Friendship Doll Miss Iwate, and gave a very interesting and animated lecture about the complex story of Japan's gift of 58 Friendship Dolls to the children of the U.S. in 1927.  A Harvard graduate, he has done extensive research regarding this important piece of history, and is about to publish a book on the subject.  Our Birmingham Doll Club helped sponsor Mr. Pate's lecture, and brought some Japanese dolls of our own for him to see and appraise.

The following 3 photos are some of members' dolls that Mr. Pate explained and discussed with us.

Double left click to enlarge photos.

Below  Mr. Alan Pate is talking with Birmingham Doll Club members about their own Japanese dolls.

Photos below are of Mr. Ben Peterson of the Birmingham Public Library setting up Miss Iwate and all her accessories.

Click on URL below for more interesting information about Miss Iwate and about how to donate to her conservation and display fund.

If that doesn't work, copy and paste in the URL box.

http://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2013/02/come-meet-miss-iwate-tonight-at-central.html

Happy Birthday, Sharon!!!!

Here is an antique Gaultier for you!