NANCY ANN STORYBOOK DOLLS - PHOTOS AND INFORMATION

NASB dolls from 1937 through 2011 (overview notes for doll club meeting on 4-10-2011)

On February 22, 1901, Rowena Haskin was born in Lake County, CA. As the years went by, she attended CA School of Fine Arts, changed her name to Nancy Ann Abbott, and moved to Hollywood. She danced and acted in Universal Studios silent movies, and became a Hollywood studio designer.

Her zeal for costume design became a consuming passion. By 1936 she was designing costumes for small bisque baby dolls that were made in Japan and giving them as gifts. Soon she was operating an actual business selling these small dressed dolls. Allan Leslie Rowland and Nancy Ann Abbott purchased a 400 sq. ft. shop with 4 employees and incorporated The Nancy Ann Dressed Doll Corp. on Feb. 23, 1937. In 1938, the company opened its own pottery plant in Berkeley, CA, to make its own bisque dolls, using its own molds. Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls were now being sold nationally. If you were a little girl growing up in the 1940s/1950s, you probably owned a Nancy Ann Storybook doll. These little dolls were made of bisque pottery.

Beginning in 1947 the company converted to plastic dolls. However, the wonderful costumes were still outstanding. Also, the dolls came in recognized boxes, which were white with either pink or blue polka dots. As always, there were doll companies who cam out with NASB look-alike dolls. K&H (Kerr & Heinz) looked closer to the real NASBs; one of the main noted differences is K&H dolls' feet were larger. Princess Dolls and Mayfair Dolls were also look-alike dolls.

Nancy Ann Abbott died of cancer on Aug. 10, 1964. Without here leadership the company closed its doors in 1965. Mr. Albert Bouria obtained the right to the name of the company in 1966 from the bankruptcy court at an auction. The Albert Bouria years of owning the company was from 1966 through 1973. After using all the dolls that were produced during the last years of Nancy Ann Abbott's life, Albert Bouris began using hp dolls with sleep eyes and painted eyebrows, and they were produced in Hong Kong. Production then transitioned to a 5 l/2" vinyl doll with rooted synthetic hair (instead of mohair) and black plastic slilp-on shoes. He used several kinds of boxes, usually with see-through lid or covering.

In 1986 the Jesco Co. marketed dolls using the name of the Nancy Ann Storybook Doll Co. These dolls were removed from the market when Mr. Bouria's attorney informed the company to "cease and desist" the use of the Nancy Ann Storybook Co. name and trademark.

In 2003 2 sisters, Claudette Buchler and Delene Budd legally purchased the rights to the company's name from Mr. Bouria (after the co. was listed on Ebay). These 2 sisters wanted to keep the innocent child of the original Nancy Ann bisque mold. They made the new 6 l/4" dolls of porcelain and fully jointed. The costume designer hired was Londie Phillips; the doll designer brought on board was Diane Effner. Claudette and Delene were delighted with the new little Nancy Ann Storybook dolls.

You may purchase one of these new wonderful little NASB dolls on the internet listed http://www.nancyannstorybookdolls.com. And you can still bid on old Nancy Ann dolls on ebay.

NANCY ANN STORYBOOK DOLLS

Janet gave an informative and interesting program on Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls, which many of us owned during the 40's (I, for one). Here are some of her examples.

'NEW' DOLL CLOTHES; VALENTINE BOX DISPLAY

 Here is Christine's (former member) Frenchy Simon Halbig (has pink kid body) wearing her ebay antique bonnet.  Think it's over the top?  Never mind.  She can carry it off.

I found this AM Mabel at the Tupelo, MS Doll Show.  Also bought the dress.  A dealer had lots of doll clothes for sale made by an Englishman from antique cloth and lace.

 My SFBJ has been without an outfit for years, and I found this at the Tupelo Show.

Here is an idea for doll display using valentine candy boxes.  The dolls are wired in through holes punched in the box.  NOTE:  I just realized they could benefit from a lacy or doily edging.

HINA MATSURI (DOLL FESTIVAL) EXHIBIT AT UNIV. OF AL

(Click on photos to enlarge)

These precious dolls representing the royal court have been handed down from generation to generation.  Originally a purification ritual, Hina Matsuri (March 3 in Japan) represents a day of hope for the growth, happiness and future of young girls. One legend says that if a girl displays her dolls for more than 3 days, she will marry later in life.

WOODEN DOLL CARVING CLASS BY JANET CORDELL

The Birmingham Doll Club of AL sponsored a Wooden Doll Carving Workshop March 3-6, led by Janet Cordell. There were many happy and talented carvers working, and with her direction, turned out some amazing works. A few had never carved before, and were doing an excellent job. Someone years ago found an old wooden doll in an antique shop named Hitty, and this inspired a book HITTY, HER FIRST HUNDRED YEARS, which has inspired many to carve their own wooden dolls.



Here is the group of proud carvers.

Some carved the Hitty doll, but Sharon learned to carve a tuck comb doll.

Here is Janet with her tuck comb doll, partially finished.

Here is the Hitty book surrounded by finished examples of Hitty dolls and a Grandmother doll.

WOOL FELTED ANIMAL SHAPES FOR YOUR DOLLS OR YOURSELF

We saw these marvelous wool felted animals by Kathy Bailey (from Oklahoma) at the Tupelo, MS Doll Show. By using long felting needles and continuously poking while shaping, you can come up with some realistic shapes. Our doll club had a felting workshop last year, and we were amazed at what we could do. Here are sites that give tips on felting and a felting tutorial:

http://chushka.com/felting_tips.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcfbgtyrz2U

PHOTOS FROM TUPELO DOLL SHOW & SALE MARCH 5

Some of our Birmingham Doll Club of Alabama made the trip to Tupelo, MS in the rain yesterday, and it was definitely worth it.  Here are a few dolls we saw for sale:


                                                          

Here is Margie by Cameo, a 1929 doll with compo head and jointed wooden body.

                   

Here are some minty Madame Alexanders all dressed up for the show.

This Betsy McCall by Ideal is in her original box!

This F.G. French Bebe is begging to go home with you.  She is 24" tall.

HOW TO WASH AND SET A DOLL WIG; IT IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK

Thanks to Dorothy for these instructions.  She has been doing doll repair for years, and is an expert.  I tried it on a Deanna Durbin wig, and it turned out great.

First consideration, is the cap strong and is the hair NOT rotten. Remove the wig as carefully as you can. Take out all pins and any other things that are there. Fill a bowl with cool water and add some Woolite or baby shampoo. Shake the wig to free it of as must dust as you can and then dip it into the bowl holding it by the center . Dip it up and down until it is good and soaked. Leave it in soak and lifting it up and down every so often. Do not disturb the wig anymore than necessary. After it soaks awhile, dump the water and rinse it in a fresh bowl. Continue the rinse until the water is clear. Next , fill the bowl with fresh water and add a conditioner . Dip the wig in the bowl. Squeeze the wig getting most of the water out and then lay it onto a clean towel and roll it in the towel. While the wig is still damp , put it on a ball or anything of the size of the doll's head. Try combing it some while it is still damp so it won't dry in a matted condition. You can be more direct after it dries. When dry, you can then glue it back on the doll., (A drop on the front, ,back and a drop over each ear should be enough. It is easy to style it on the doll. Comb small sections at a time. I use rollers for perms and using endpapers. When you have a piece combed out, wet the end paper and wrap the end of the hair and roll it. After all the hair is rolled, take a damp rag and touch all the rollers to get all the hair damp. DO NOT get the compo damp. You can blow dry if you like. When ready, gently remove the rollers trying to keep it in the rolled shape . You can gently arrange the curls with your fingers the way you like. I usually leave the rollers in over night. If the hair and cap are in good condition , the finished job should be great. This works for human hair, mohair, or synthetic, but never use regular shampoo for plastic hair. It takes forever to rinse. On all wigs, it is best to use a conditioner. You will lose a little bit of hair when you comb it. You can save it to patch other wigs that are sparse. If you scrub the hair like you do your own hair, you run the risk of felting it. Then it won’t comb out very well. Just remember to dip it up and down in the water, keeping the fibers separated as much as possible

One thing, this info is about composition and bisque dolls only.  Hard plastic and rooted hair dolls would not apply. You should wash their wigs while still on the doll. The hard plastic doll wigs are glued on with a special glue that is made to wash  while on the doll. If you try to remove a Toni doll wig you will tear it up. The Ideal Toy Co. spent a lot of time and research to develop a glue that would not come off while the child washed and styled it. The Md. Alexander Cissy and other hard plastics were trying for the same thing, but were not as good as Ideal, and therefor some have come off. I have had to reglue a lot of Cissys and other hard plastics because the glue failed..R&B s wigs seem to hold fairly well.  If you don't know the difference between hard plastic and composition, make sure of the material before you wash.

HALF-DOLLS

Our February program featured half-dolls as pincushions, candy holders, vases, porcelain containers, brushes, and just plain ornaments. We were amazed at the variety, and realized they are fun to collect. See the post below for information on half-dolls.

MORE HALF DOLLS

Half-Dolls - February 13, 2011 Meeting at Debra's (Thanks for the informative program, Debra!)

Half-dolls are sometimes called half-dolls, pincushion dolls, pincushion figures, half-figures and other names. They were usually attached to items that served a utilitarian purpose, such as pincushiions, tea cozies, lamps, whisk brooms, powder puffs, powder boxes, and perfume bottles. While we can sometimes find the dolls still attached to their original item, many times we can only imagine their original purpose.

Half-dolls offer many positives to a doll collector. They are small and therefore require limited space and are easy to display. Common ones are easily found and are reasonably priced compared to other types of dolls. The more elaborate and rare models are more expensive, but they are quite a beautiful addition to any doll collection.

Half-dolls are classified into three basic types denoted by A, B, and C.

A. Dolls with arms molded into the body in one piece. They were easy and inexpensive to make, do not break easily, and therefore are the least expensive.

B. Half-dolls with arms extending away from the body and the hands returning to touch the body. This adds some support in the arms to prevent breaking.

C. Half-dolls with arms extending away from the body entirely. Theyt generally are very graceful and fragile. These are the most expensive.

Many half-dolls were modeled on famous historical ladies. Marie Antoinette, Jenny Lind, a Swedish singer, and Mrs. Siddons, a British actress, are some of the womenh that were featured. While not as common as the ladies, some half-dolls represented children, babies, male Pierrot, and female Pierrette. Other rare models include those with mohair wigs and those with moveable arms.

Many porcelain factories made half-dolls. Dressel, Kister & Co., F. & W. Goebel, Hertwig & Col, Carl Schneider, and Weiss, Kuhnert & Co. are a few that are known to have manufactured half-dolls. Some dolls have a specific maker's mark and many have only a mold number and "Germany."

Doll Carving Class March 3-6 in Alabama

March 3-6, 2011, Doll Carving Class, Vestavia Hills, AL

Teacher: Janet Cordell, Master Carver for the state of Arkansas. To learn more about Janet and see her work go to www.janetcordell.com

What We’ll be Carving: Hitty, a 6 1/4" wooden doll based on the book, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field. If you would like to carve something beside Hitty this is fine but please contact Janet ASAP to make arrangements for her to bring you a blank.

When: March 3-6, Thursday through Sunday from 9:00 until 4:00 with a break for lunch (on your own). You can stay later than 4:00 and carve and Janet will be available for assistance.

Where: We will be carving at my house in my basement. We carve in the double garage and set up tables. On this level, there is a finished room where we have coffee and snacks (got to keep our strength up) and a bathroom. It’s very easy to get around if you have a handicap.

Cost: The cost for the four day workshop is $250 with a $50 deposit which includes one blank. There are a limited number of places available so please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to take the class.

Contact Information:
Sharon Kirby
barbiesr@mindspring.com

Janet Cordell
janet_cordell@yahoo.com

http://www.janetcordell.com/gallery.html

HOW TO MAKE THE BODY OF A CHINA DOLL (Double click to enlarge)

Here are instructions I used for many years to make bodies for the reproduction china dolls I used to make.  Pardon the stains.   It may seem difficult, but is readily understandable when you get into it. Many old chinas have deteriorating bodies that can't be saved, and it is acceptable to make a new body for them. I am about to make a body for an old bald china; I patched and patched her sawdust-filled body, and even considered covering it with a soft jersey material, but she was falling apart; therefore she will get a new body. I like to use cotton for stuffing, as the weight is right.

DOLL COLLECTOR LINKS

http://dolllinks.blogspot.com/

Here are many links to doll collecting - enough to keep you busy a while.  Some of the subjects are identifying dolls, photographing dolls, doll repair, and doll study.

CARVED WOODEN DOLLS

Here are hand carved dolls, based on the antique Hitty doll found in an antique shop years ago. Some of these were carved by Sharon, the one at bottom right, for instance. Notice the unusual wood. She says it smells sweet. Mock orange? Notice the heart shapes. The dress is made by smocking a vintage handkerchief. Really nostalgic, and a way to use those old hankies. The carvers usually start with a blank provided, and go from there. They are sanded, finished with a sealer and have features painted. Sharon doesn't want to paint the one with wood grain showing, except maybe a few facial features. Very unusual.

If you are interested in joining a carving workshop in March in Birmingham, AL, sponsored by the Birmingham Doll Club of AL, contact Sharon (see post below about carved wooden dolls).