 Hard plastic Nina Ballerina by Alexander Photo copyright Nancy McKee. Visit Nancy's shop. |
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Beatrice Alexander Behrman, or "Madame Alexander," as she became known, grew up in the doll business. As the daughter of Maurice Alexander, a Russian immigrant who opened the first doll hospital in this country in 1895, she learned to appreciate the beauty of dolls from her early years. Her father's teachings stayed with her into adulthood, and seeking a professional and artistic challenge, she founded the Alexander Doll Co., Inc., in the 1920's. She went on to become the leading lady of the doll industry as she guided a company famous for the beauty and high quality of its dolls and their clothing.
Early Alexander dolls were cloth and composition. They had big hits in the 1930's with their licensed Dionne Quintuplets and Sonja Henie composition dolls. In the late '40s, they turned to hard plastic and their Margaret and Maggie face dolls were the epitome of the well-dressed little girl. The 8" Alexanderkins were introduced in 1953 and are still produced today for collectors young and old.
Madame Alexander focused on producing the highest quality, most beautiful doll clothing in the world. The same molds were used over and over again, with the costume and hairstyling creating the character of the doll.
Alexander initiated the modern era of the fashion doll with the introduction of Cissy in 1955. In the company's catalog for that year, Madame describes her as "A Child's Dream Come True." Elise, a doll with jointed ankles to enable her to wear low or high heels, was introduced in 1957, and in 1959, 10" Cissette joined her "big sisters" as Alexander's newest fashionable lady. All of these dolls had extensive lines of extra clothing and accessories which could be purchased.
Although Madame is no longer with us, Alexander continues to be a leader in upscale fashion dolls with the 1990's reintroductions of Cissy and Cissette and Jacqueline in updated versions, and the new fashion dolls like Alex and her friends.
Sources for this page include:
- "Madame Alexander Collector's Dolls" by Patricia Smith
- "Madame Alexander Catalog Reprints, 1942-1962, Vol. 1" published by Barbara Jo McKeon
Copyright 1997-2007 by Zendelle Bouchard.
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