March 8, 2026, Meeting

Member Myrna Loesch did a program on dolls modeled after celebrities and famous people. She explained that "celebrity" refers to someone who is a recognized public figure in the media, often in the entertainment industry, while a famous person is generally known for an achievement, skill, or historical importance.  As early as the 1830s paper dolls were created in the images of famous performers, such as the renown ballerina, Marie Taglioni, as well as historical figures and royalty With the advent of silent films, companies such as Louis Amberg began producing celebrity dolls based on movie stars like Charlie Chaplin. Dolls were also made of sports figures, such as the early doll produced by the Ideal Toy Company modeled after the baseball player Ty Cobb. Movies inspired ever more celebrity dolls, as did the coming of television. 

Myrna said that from 1934 through 1938, Ideal produced composition Shirley Temple dolls. The child actress was so popular that almost a third of the dolls produced in the United States were Shirley Temple dolls. Numerous companies also made Shirley knock-offs. This vinyl Shirley by Ideal is from Myrna's childhood and dates from the late 1950s to 1960s.

The doll in the blue dress, Myrna said, is a composition Shirley knock-off.  The doll in pink next to her is another vinyl Shirley. Behind them is a hard plastic doll based on the actress and model Roxanne from the television show, "Beat the Clock;" the dolls was issued in 1952 by Mona Lisa Dolls, a subsidiary of Valentine Doll, Inc.

Another television personality, this cheerful child represents actress Angela Cartwright from the show "Make Room for Daddy" and was introduced in 1960. 

This trio of lovely ladies represent the skating and movie star Sonja Henie. An Olympic medal winner and a world champion, Henie retired from competition in 1936 to star in movies and ice shows. She transformed figure skating by incorporating dance moves intro her routines and wearing short skirts and white figure skates. These composition dolls were made by Madame Alexander in the 1930s and 40s.

Puppeteer and ventriloquist Shari Louis had her own show on television from 1960 through 1963, performing with puppets such as "Lamb Chop." The show was a hit and Madame Alexander made a number of dolls based on Lewis. 

Myrna ended her presentation with a more contemporary example of celebrity dolls, five male dolls modeled on the boy band "New Kids on the Block," introduced by Hasbro in 1990. 

Jenell Howell brought this  doll by Peggy Nesbit representing actor Bob Hope from the movie, "The Road to Morocco."

Jenell also displayed this Jane Withers doll by Madame Alexander. Withers was a child star in the 1930s and 40s, and in her adult life collected dolls. Jenell purchased this doll when Wither's collection was auctioned off and discovered that it has a note from Withers pinned under her clothing.

Produced by Ideal as part of its bendable Flexy line, this doll represents singer and comedienne Fanny Brice as her character "Baby Snooks."

Visitor Pam Matthews shared this example of a celebrity doll based on a cartoon character, in this case, Betty Boop. All original, this composition cutie is "Baby Betty Boop," made by the Cameo Doll Company in the 1930s.

She also brought this all-original doll representing the child actress Margaret O'Brien by Madame Alexander.

Elaine Jackson shared this Davy Crockett doll carved by Helen Bullard. Crockett was the star of a 1950s television series by Disney and was played by the actor Fess Parker. Elaine told the club that Bullard made only 40 of these dolls. 

Davis Craig displayed this Madame Alexander doll from the 1990s representing the television actresses Lucille Ball. He said that he had bought the doll for his mother, who was a big fan of the red-headed comedienne, but that it was given away. David later found the doll on eBay and was able to repurchase her; he said that his mother's initial's were on the doll's box.

Bette Birdsong told the club that in 1952 she saw a Madame Alexander doll representing Queen Elizabeth in a store. She asked for the doll for Christmas, but Santa failed to deliver.  Bette was able to purchase this example years later from Jenell.

Sylvia McDonald shared her childhood Shirley Temple doll in a dress made by her mother.

She also brought these Madame Alexander dolls dressed as Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabela.

Sharon Weintraub displayed this all-bisque doll based on the famous English clown, Joseph Grimaldi. Grimaldi is considered the father of the modern clown, as in the early 1800s, he performed in white face, dressed in colorful costumes, and was known for his acrobatics and exaggerated facial expressions. Today, in England, clowns are still known as "Joeys."

 

June 9, 2024, Meeting

Member Sharon Weintraub did a program on Hertwig and Company half-bisque and all-bisque doll families. She said that Hertwig was founded in 1864 in the city of Katzhutte, Germany, producing porcelain and earthenware items, including dolls. By the 1880s, it was the main employer in Katzhutte. Hertwig was generous to its employees, providing them health insurance, banking services, and even a swimming pool. 

Sharon told the members that in 1910, Hertwig received a patent for a dollhouse doll with a bisque torso and head. Slots in the shoulders allowed the insertion of fabric arms ending in bisque hands and the dolls had cloth legs with bisque feet. In 1914, these half-bisque dolls were featured in the company's anniversary catalog. She displayed one set that represented a peasant family, including the grandfather and grandmother, the mother and father, a young son and daughter, and a maidservant. The adults were only available in sets, but the children could be purchased separately and came in a variety of sizes. For this reason, the adults dolls are much harder to find. Hertwig was very clever when it came to cutting costs, so the dolls' cloth arms doubled as their sleeves and the fabric lower bodies as the men's pants (the girls and women came in simple cloth skirts and aprons). Sharon noted that collectors have often updated the dolls' outfits by adding sleeves and fancier outer garments, as with the little girl doll in this set.

She also displayed a pair of half-bisque dolls known to collectors as the “city children” because they have fancier molded clothing. There were no adults in this set. Like the country children, these dolls came in a variety of sizes and even as shoulder head dolls. 

Sharon displayed a doll with a city girl shoulder head that had belonged to friend. The friend's mother had found the doll in a trash bin in the 1930s and later gave it to her when she was a little girl. 

The doll is on the typical Hertwig cloth body with bisque lower arms and china lower legs. Both French and German makers sometimes placed heads on elongated bodies so that they could advertise the doll as a larger size and give buyers the impression that they were getting more doll for their money.

Sharon shared other family sets of dolls created by Hertwig. One consisted of eight tiny all-bisque dollhouse dolls in their original box, ranging from the grandparents to two children. An old note in the box dated the dolls to “circa 1926-1927.” She explained that these dolls were made of precolored bisque. Originally the slip used for bisque has white and the complexion coat had to be padded on and refired; around WWI, German companies began experimenting with a precolored bisque that already had a pink tint, saving the step of complexion coating. Hertwig extensively used precolored bisque for its all-bisque dolls and novelties, often going a penny-pinching step farther and cold painting the features, rather than firing them in, so that they may wear or wash off over time. 

She also displayed this all-bisque dollhouse family of a father, mother, and son in their original clothing and still attached to their display card; she noted that the set should have also included a little girl, but the card was torn and that doll was missing. 

Sharon said that Hertwig was very skilled at creating cute outfits from inexpensive materials to make its dolls more appealing to consumers. She passed around a pair of boy and girl all-bisque dolls dressed in their original matching outfits of felt and rayon ribbon as examples. 

Sharon told the club that Hertwig often created dolls in boy and girl pairs. She displayed a matching all-bisque boy and girl, jointed at the shoulders, in molded outfits from the 1910s. As is often typical of Hertwig pairs, their side glancing eyes are painted so that they are looking at each out. Sharon also shared two all-bisque girls, one in a molded cowboy costume and the other dressed in a Native American outfit; she told the club that there were matching boy dolls, but she had not yet been able to add examples to her collection.

This little precolored all-bisque boy and girl are dressed in their original net bathing suits. 

Also in their all-original outfits is this pair of tiny Black all-bisque dolls. 

Member Jan Irsfeld bought this Dollikin by Uneeda Doll Company. She told the club that when she was a child she wanted a Cissy fashion doll by Madame Alexander, but her parents bought her a less expensive Dollikin instead. Jan bought this doll to replace her childhood doll and restored and redressed it. 

Member Elaine Jackson shared her newest acquisition, a Sunny Sue Bendy doll designed by Joseph Kallus. She has the matching boy, Sunny Sam, already in her collection.

Member Kenneth Reeves shared this beautiful composition by Madame Alexander of the child movie star Margaret O'Brien. The doll is all original. 

Member Sylvia McDonald brought this boy and girl pair,  two ceramic choir singer figurines.

Member Kathy Tovo displayed these two charming primitive dolls. The larger one is wood and cloth and the smaller doll has a composition head. 

A Breath of Spring

With Austin just emerging from a week of unusual ice, snow, and freezing weather, we all need a reminder that spring really is coming. This beautiful Margaret O'Brien doll from member Michele Thelen, so pretty in pink, is dressed for a bright spring day. The doll, which Michele purchased at her first United Federation of Doll Clubs convention in 2019, is by Madame Alexander. The composition doll is 20 inches tall and all original, except for her shoes. Alexander introduced the composition O'Brien dolls beginning in 1946, but in 1948, in an attempt to create a more durable doll, produced a version entirely out of hard plastic. This new medium proved so successful that by the mid-1950s hard plastic dolls had replaced composition.

Born Angela Maxine O'Brien in 1937, O'Brien began her career as a famed child actress at the age of four in the 1941 movie "Babes on Broadway." It was the following year that her role in "Journey for Margaret" won her fame and acclaim. Her name was changed to reflect the success of the movie. She would appear in a number of films, including "Jayne Eyre," "The Canterville Ghost," and "Meet Me in St Louis." In 1944, O'Brien was honored with the Juvenile Academy Award. O'Brien continued

to work in television and film throughout her life.