CHILDREN’S STORY DOLLS
Introduction | Nursery Rhyme Dolls | FairyTale Dolls | Comic Strip Dolls | Children's Story Books | Bibliography
Major companies who made dolls based on stories are: Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls; Madame Alexander; Ideal; Effanbee. The tradition of story dolls continues with American Girl Dolls - although that company is a bit reversed, as they started out making dolls, writing books about the characters represented by the dolls, and selling them in sets along with accessories.
Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls
Nancy Ann Abbot worked in the film industry. She had been a shy child and likely spent much of her free time reading and imagining stories. It was a natural progression for her to focus on stories to create her dolls. She began by dressing little bisque dolls during the 1930s and eventually transitioned to hard plastic. The dolls were primarily based on children’s literature and dolls in national costumes. Eventually she made Muffie dolls to compete with Madame Alexander’s Wendykins and Vogue’s Ginny dolls (Miller)
Madame Alexander Dolls
Madame Alexander was recognized and collected by Hollywood stars and other celebrities for the outstanding quality of her dolls. Her dolls were collected by Shirley Temple, Jane Withers and even by England’s Queen Mary. I suspect these connections account for the company being awarded the rights to make the Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret dolls and the rights to the character dolls based on Gone With The Wind. Her reputation in the doll world likely made it easier for her to negotiate terms on the Disney characters such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Her hard plastic Little Women dolls, based on the beloved book by Louisa May Alcott, were very popular. With all the main characters represented, several children could enjoy playing together and acting out the story. I suspect Jo would be especially happy about that. Other popular stories that inspired Madame Alexander and other doll companies over the decades are Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Mary Poppins.
Vogue Dolls
The Ginny Doll was more into activities than stories. She could be an ice skater, a swimmer, a cowgirl or cowboy. Anything she wanted to be. There were some lovely Ginnies dressed in storybook costumes however. Examples are the beautiful Mistress Mary, the adventurous Little Red Riding Hood, and the adventurous Davy Crocket.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls
Nancy Ann Abbot worked in the film industry. She had been a shy child and likely spent much of her free time reading and imagining stories. It was a natural progression for her to focus on stories to create her dolls. She began by dressing little bisque dolls during the 1930s and eventually transitioned to hard plastic. The dolls were primarily based on children’s literature and dolls in national costumes. Eventually she made Muffie dolls to compete with Madame Alexander’s Wendykins and Vogue’s Ginny dolls (Miller)
Madame Alexander Dolls
Madame Alexander was recognized and collected by Hollywood stars and other celebrities for the outstanding quality of her dolls. Her dolls were collected by Shirley Temple, Jane Withers and even by England’s Queen Mary. I suspect these connections account for the company being awarded the rights to make the Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret dolls and the rights to the character dolls based on Gone With The Wind. Her reputation in the doll world likely made it easier for her to negotiate terms on the Disney characters such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Her hard plastic Little Women dolls, based on the beloved book by Louisa May Alcott, were very popular. With all the main characters represented, several children could enjoy playing together and acting out the story. I suspect Jo would be especially happy about that. Other popular stories that inspired Madame Alexander and other doll companies over the decades are Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Mary Poppins.
Vogue Dolls
The Ginny Doll was more into activities than stories. She could be an ice skater, a swimmer, a cowgirl or cowboy. Anything she wanted to be. There were some lovely Ginnies dressed in storybook costumes however. Examples are the beautiful Mistress Mary, the adventurous Little Red Riding Hood, and the adventurous Davy Crocket.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Dolls and Dummies
A list of links to dolls based on stories. Most of them are obscure or modern dolls based on animated stories
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Fictional_dolls_and_dummies - Big Susan
The plot deals with the Doll family, a family of dolls that belong to Susan, or Big Susan as they call her, for she is more than double their size. One night a year (Christmas) they come to life, and a fantastical story of Christmas miracles begins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Susan - The Adventures of Pinocchio Published in 1883, the Pimocchio character is more of a puppet than a doll - but this is a much loved story with a moral lesson.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Pinocchio