Effanbee was started in 1910 by two businessmen who operated neighboring shops on Atlantic City's boardwalk. Bernard Fleischaker and Hugo Baum began by selling toys and dolls; within a couple of years they were having doll heads made especially for them, and by the 1920s were making their own composition parts. Although the company was officially called Fleischaker and Baum, they began using the trademark EFFanBee (from the first letters of their last names) by 1915, and eventually that became the name of the company.

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11.5" Baby Grumpy		12" Coquette		Kid body compo doll

In the teens and early twenties, many Effanbee dolls were composition copies of popular German bisque head dolls, like Baby Grumpy and Coquette, pictured above. They also produced original designs, including the popular baby doll Bubbles in 1924. But in 1928, they came out with a doll that was so original she would vault them to the forefront of the business. The doll was 14" Patsy, and she was a sensation. Patsy was so popular that Effanbee introduced several other "family members" (similar dolls in different sizes, including Patricia, pictured below) throughout the 1930s and they were big sellers. Patsy was also extensively copied by other manufacturers. She also has a place in history as the first modern fashion doll, for whom extra outfits were available.

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Patricia	Suzanne bride		Clippo the Clown

Rubber dolls became popular in the '30s and Effanbee's Dy-Dee Baby was another big seller. In 1935, the company entered into a contract with independent doll artist Dewees Cochran to design the American Children series of dolls. These dolls had hard rubber arms with separated fingers, with the rest of the doll made of composition. Effanbee continued making other composition dolls as well and their Little Lady/Anne Shirley dolls were sold through WWII. 13" Suzanne (pictured above) was produced in 1940 and was sold in a variety of outfits. Effanbee also produced a line of marionettes with composition heads, hands and feet, including Clippo the Clown.

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Hard plastic Honey		Honey as Prince Charming

In 1946, Effanbee was sold to Noma Electric Corp. The new owners continued making composition dolls for a few more years before switching over to hard plastic beginning in 1949. During this period, Honey debuted and became the company's top seller. In 1953, a new group of partners including Bernard Baum, son of one of the original founders, bought the company back. That was also the year that Effanbee sold their first vinyl doll, Baby Cuddle-Up. During this decade, the company gradually phased out hard plastic dolls in favor of vinyl. They made a line of high-heeled glamour dolls and ballerinas, including Jr. Miss Ballerina, pictured below.

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Jr. Miss Ballerina		Mickey Football Player		Most Happy Family

Fluffy, a toddler fashion doll designed to compete with Arranbee's Littlest Angel, debuted in 1957. Mickey, a popular boy doll sold in many different outfits, was introduced a few years afterward. He had a variety of head molds to match his outfit, like the football player doll above. Most Happy Family (pictured above) is a set of dolls Effanbee sold during this period. It includes a high-heeled mother, Mickey and Fluffy dolls as her children, and a vinyl baby doll. This set was produced in two different sizes and was also copied by other companies. Throughout the 1960's, Effanbee continued to produced child and baby dolls in beautiful outfits.

In the '70's, the company began to look toward the collector market and devised a new business strategy in which the dolls were catalogued in "collections" wearing matching outfits. For example, the Strawberry Patch Collection of 1972 advertised seven different dolls, all dressed in pink and white gingham check outfits with a strawberry print. 1974's Carousel Collection featured six different dolls wearing white dresses trimmed with strips of bright multicolored diagonal stripes. Every year there was a bridal collection as well as a sleepwear collection. In 1976, Effanbee introduced a standard basic doll that was used for many different historical and storybook characters, both male and female. The dolls were initially 11" tall, but in later years, 15" and 18" basic dolls joined the lineup. These dolls were offered alongside the baby and child dolls, and in some cases were part of the same collections.

In recent years, many of Effanbee's classic dolls have been reissed in vinyl. Effanbee exists today as part of the Tonner Doll Company.

View vintage Effanbee dolls on eBay!

Sources for this page include:

• "Effanbee: A Collector's Encyclopedia, 1949 thru 1983" by John Axe
• "Dolls & Accessories of the 1930s and 1940s" by Dian Zillner
• "Collector's Encyclopedia of American Composition Dolls 1900-1950" by Ursula R. Mertz

Copyright 2006-7 by Zendelle Bouchard.

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