January 6, 2020, Meeting

Member Beverly Evans did a program on the history of Madame Alexander dolls.

These dolls belong to Beverly.   Just 5 inches tall, they are part of the Alexander Madame miniature porcelain collection, produced only in 2000.

Member Bette Birdsong brought this composition Princess Margaret.  Pretty in pink, this doll dates from the 1940s.

Member Myrna Loesch  shared this vintage lady in a lacy peignoir.  The doll is Cissy, introduced in 1955.  A sophisticated fashion doll, her shapely female figure caused some consternation.  Member Jan Irsfeld made this sultry sleepwear.  

This is Cissette, a miniature version of Cissy introduced by Madame Alexander in 1957.

Myrna also brought this example of a more contemporary Cissy.  Called "Coquette Cissy," she is 10 inches tall and has painted eyes.

Member Sylvia McDonald brought these Madame Alexander dolls from her childhood.   The doll in yellow is Wendy Ann and Sylvia received her for Christmas in 1949.  Although the doll is wearing the dress she originally came in when she was purchased, the dress is labeled "Polly Pigtails," another Madame Alexander creation.  Sylvia thinks that either there was an error at the factory or the dresses were switched at the store.  The following Christmas brought Sylvia the smaller doll, Beth from the Little Women series. She has the Maggie face mold.  The toddler in green is Little Genius, a gift from Sylvia's parents in 1961.  Sylvia said that her parents told her that this would be her "last doll."  Sylvia has gone on to acquire many dolls since then.

Member Jenell Howell brought this doll, Elise, from the mid-1960s.

This all original vintage 20-inch tall Cissy is one of the dolls in the banner of the club's Facebook page.  She wears Style 2082 from 1956, also known as "pink ribbons and roses."

July 2, 2018, Meeting

The refreshment table decorations were suitably patriotic for the upcoming Fourth of July.

Member Nancy Countryman did a program on bears created by artist Robert Raikes. She told the club that Robert Raikes began carving wood sculptures while still in school and continued carving during his stint in the military.  He carved everything from award-winning bird sculptures to carrousel horses.  When bears became popular in the 1980s, Raikes created bears with fabric bodies and individually hand-carved wooden faces.  The bears were so popular that Raikes entered into a contract with Applause, Inc., a toy company, who made versions of his bears with resin faces, although he continued to produce wooden-faced bears as well.   Nancy said that it appears that Raikes' company is no longer active.

This is a resin-faced bear made by Applause.

Although best known for his bears, Raikes created other animals, like these bunnies, as well as dolls, including his version of the famous Hitty.

Member Jenell Howell brought two beautiful vintage Madame Alexander dolls to share, a hard plastic bridesmaid doll with the Maggie mold face and an exquisitely outfitted composition Wendy Ann.

Wendy Ann has magnets in her hands and came with a variety of special objects that she could hold.

Pam Wolf, who is the United Federal of Doll Clubs Region 3 director, displayed a center piece she had won at a recent regional meeting.