April 13, 2025, Meeting

Member Jenell Howell did a program on Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, and the Madame Alexander dolls inspired by her book. She gave the club a brief biography of Mitchell, who was born into a wealthy family on November 8, 1900. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a suffragist. There were a number of Confederate veterans in her family, so she heard lots of stories about the Civil War. When she was six years old, her mother took her on a tour of burned plantations. Mitchell stated that she was 12 years old when she discovered that the Confederacy did not win the Civil War.  At 22,  Mitchell became a journalist. She injured her ankle at the age of 26 and her husband encouraged her to write a novel while she was recuperating. Ten years later in 1936, Gone with the Wind was published. The novel was an immediate success and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The novel resonated with those who were prosperous in the 1920s and suffering in the Great Depression. In 1939, the Gone with the Wind movie was released.  Mitchell was struck by a car on August 11, 1949, as she was walking to the movies with her husband and passed away five days later due to her injuries. 

Jenell discussed the novel and the movie. She said that the novel was controversial due to the inherent racism throughout: Black people were portrayed as inferior; Yankee soldiers were portrayed as corrupt and mean; and, freed slaves were portrayed as lacking direction and prone to base instincts. The novel also had a strong female protagonist in Scarlett O’Hara. Themes of resilience, survival, and struggling to maintain an identity amidst societal upheaval are found throughout the novel. 

Galley proofs of the novel were provided to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Brothers, and RKO studios prior to the novel’s release, but they all rejected the idea of making a film version. The proofs were also offered to producer David O. Selznick. He initially turned the offer down as he felt it was too much for his small independent company. However, when book was released and sold 176,000 copies in the first three months, Selznick paid $50,000 for the movie rights.

Jenell told the club that Madame Alexander read the novel when it was published in 1936. and immediately contacted Mitchell to secure the rights to make dolls based on the characters in the novel. The first Scarlett dolls produced by Madame Alexander were identified as Southern Girl. Madame Alexander created and sold Scarlett/Southern Girl dolls based on the novel from late 1936 through the release of the movie in 1939. Some of these early Scarletts may have had blue eyes instead of green as the novel did not specify the color of her eyes. Madame Alexander designed Southern belle doll clothes that were later reflected in the movie. 

Jenell said that after the movie came out, Alexander created dolls based on Vivien Leigh's portrayal of Scarlett, with green eyes, black hair, and dresses with full skirts. These dolls ranged in size from nine to 21 inches. Jenell showed a wide variety of early composition Madame Alexander Scarletts to the club. She pointed out one that was particularly special. Jenell told the club that she had obtained the doll at the Theriault’s auction of Jane Withers’s dolls. Jane Withers was a contemporary of Shirley Temple and they frequently starred together, with Jane playing the “brat.” Jenell indicated she was thrilled to have been the high bid and was even more thrilled to discover that Jane Withers had signed the back of the doll. 

Jenell said that Alexander continued to make dolls based on Scarlett and other characters in the novel and movie for many years. She displayed a hard-plastic Maggie-faced Bonnie Blue doll, representing the daughter of Scarlett and her husband, Rhett Butler; the doll had her original costuming and gold Madame Alexander wrist tag. Jenell stated she had not been able to find any mention of this doll, so it appears that she is rare. In the 1990s, Alexander produced a series of characters using 8-inch Alexander-kins dolls, like this "Mammy."

Jenell noted that other doll companies sought to capitalize on the "Gone with the Wind" craze, creating dolls identified as Southern lady or belle, as Madame Alexander had the rights to create dolls based on the characters in the novel. This doll by Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls is called “Southern Belle.”

Jenell also shared this vintage Vogue Ginny doll she had recently acquired

Other members shared their "Gone with the Wind" character dolls. This Alexander Cissy as Scarlett, dressed in scandalous scarlet, belongs to Jan Irsfeld.

Pam Hardy shared this Alexander Scarlett in a white ruffled gown, 

as well as this creation by Avon known as Southern belle. 

She also brought this sweet antique bisque German doll.

Sylvia McDonald displayed these Alexander Alexander-kins dolls dressed as Mammy, Scarlett, and Rhett. 

Nancy Countryman shared three versions of Scarlett, a Alexander Scarlett portrait doll in a floral gown, 

another gowned in green and white,

and an early composition version, as well as 

this vinyl Rhett.

David Craig brought this resin ball-jointed doll by JAMIEshow USA, wearing a dress from a Franklin Mint Scarlett doll. 

Big thanks to Ann Meier for the pictures and Myrna Loesch for her notes!

March 9, 2025, Meeting

Our club has received a certificate from the United Federation of Doll Clubs congratulating us for 50 years  as a member.

Members Jan Irsfeld and Pam Hardy did a program on Madame Alexander and her dolls.  Her father, Maurice Alexander, was born in Russia, but later emigrated to Germany, where he became interested in toy manufacturing. He arrived in New York City in 1891, founding a doll hospital. His daughter, Bertha, also known as Beatrice, worked at the hospital with her sisters, and dreamed of becoming an artist.  She began making cloth dolls, which were sold at the hospital, In 1923, she started the Alexander Doll Company. With the help of her sisters, she created cloth dolls with the idea that the dolls would be playthings for children. The dolls were inspired by stories and literature, including Alice in Wonderland and Little Women. Scarlett O'Hara from the novel Gone With the Wind was her first licensed character doll, and she would create other dolls based on famous people, such as the Dionne Quintuplets and Queen Elizabeth II. Madame Alexander died in 1990 and the company was sold in 2012 to Kahn Lucas, owner of Dollie & Me.

In 1955, Cissy was introduced as the first American fashion doll, with production ending in 1962. Large, (20 to 21 inches), Cissy was beautifully coifed and dressed. But she was a luxury doll; in 1955, a Cissy just her undergarments cost $12.95, which was a bag of groceries for many families.  Cissy was reintroduced in 1995 and became more modern and often edgier, with outfits sometimes created by renown designers. Cissy appeared as everything from queens to storybook characters to pirates. Jan said, however, that when manufacturing was moved to China, the quality of the dolls declined. Jan told the club that one of her favorite outfits for Cissy is the torso dress, which she has recreated in a variety of fabrics. This is a hand-beaded example is one of her creations.

The Cissy on the left models the original black velvet torso dress and belongs to member Bette Birdsong. Her companion belongs to member Sharon Weintraub and wears the "Ribbons and Roses" ensemble from 1956.

Another iconic outfit for Cissy is this 1957 Toreador outfit.

This example of the reintroduced Cissy belongs to our newest member David Craig. She wears a version of the famous Mondrian cocktail dresses created by designer Yves Saint Laurent in 1965 as a tribute to the artist Piet Mondrian. 

The 10.5-inch tall Cissette, introduced in 1957, was a smaller version of Cissy. In this picture, one Cissette wears the famous toreador outfit. Like Cissy, Cissette was reintroduced. Jan said that the doll in the black velvet gown is a newer version of Cissette dressed after a portrait by famed artist John Singer Sargent. 

This Cissy was issued in 1997 and wears the Gardenia Ball Gown. She belongs to member Nancy Countryman.

This regal Cissy, belonging to Jan, was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. 

Nancy brought other examples of Madame Alexander dolls, including this ballerina, 

Winnie Walker with a Cissy-type face, and

Maggie Mixup.

Member Kathie Tovo shared this box of beauties. The smaller dolls are Cissettes, while the other doll is Lissy, issued in 1956 as a more affordable and youthful version of Cissy.

Kathie also shared two larger examples of Alexander dolls. The baby on red and white is a big (and heavy) child, while the other is a scarce Barbara Jane doll issued in 1952 and dressed as Alice in Wonderland. 

Member Jenell Howell displayed this sophisticated Sheri Lewis doll,

as well as this stunning Cynthia. issued in 1952.

The little girl so pretty in pink is a composition McGuffey Ana belonging to member Sylvia McDonald. The sweetie in stripes belongs to Bette. She is a "Quiz-Kin" issued in the early 1950s and has buttons on her back that allow her to nod her head "yes" or "no."

Another composition version of McGuffey Ana belonging to Sylvia.

Myrna shared these Lissy and Elise dots in matching nifty nautical outfits. Myrna told the club that Alexander often offered the same outfit in different sizes.

Member Kenneth Reeves brought  "Tess," a Cissette dressed in an elaborate Victorian ensemble.

He also shared this doll by artist Susan Wakeen representing the storybook character Rapunzel.