Nancy Ann Abbott (real name Rowena Haskin) was born in 1901 in California and worked as an actress and dress designer in Hollywood before opening a book lending shop in San Francisco in 1935. In her shop, she also offered dolls for sale that she dressed herself in the evenings. Prior to this, dolls had been just a hobby, but when they proved popular, she was inspired to leave the bookshop to start her own doll company, Nancy Ann Dressed Dolls. In 1937, Les Rowland joined her firm as a partner, bringing to it his financial and selling skills, and they were off and running.
 |
 |
In the earliest days of the company, Miss Abbott dressed dolls which she purchased from other manufacturers. Many were made in Japan. These painted bisque babies are 3.5" and 4.5" tall. |
 |
 |
Later on, the company had its own production facility. The first dolls made in the USA were marked "Judy Ann". By the mid-40s, the company was called Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls. The diminutive bisque girls in creative costumes were very popular. They ranged in size from 4.5" to 7". The early dolls had strung jointed arms and legs. Beginning in 1943, the torso and legs were all one piece and only the arms were jointed.
|
 |
 |
 |
While most of the dolls were dressed to represent little girls, some were dressed as boys (see doll at far left) and some painted brown and dressed as "mammies." Many of the dolls were sold in series, such as Nationalities, Days of the Week and Nursery Rhymes. The doll at center left is March from a series of Months of the Year. In 1948, the company began making the Storybook dolls from hard plastic. Most of these dolls had sleep eyes and were jointed at the hips. The largest size dolls had jointed necks as well. Hard plastic babies were also made. |
 |
 |
In 1952, Nancy Ann branched out to other types of dolls with the Style Show series. These dolls are 18" tall, all hard plastic with stunning outfits. These dolls are unmarked and difficult to identify unless wearing a documented outfit. They were only produced for a few years.
Photos courtesy of Nancy McKee. Visit Nancy's shop. |
 |
 |
 |
In 1953, the 8" hard plastic toddler, Muffie, was introduced. She was similar to Vogue's very popular Ginny doll. Muffie's head was made of vinyl beginning in 1957 and she was produced into the 1960s. She had an extensive selection of extra outfits available.
Photos courtesy of Lisa Hanson. Check out Lisa's eBay listings. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Debbie was a slightly larger version of Muffie at 10.5" tall. She was a hard plastic walking doll. Some Debbies were made with vinyl heads as well.
Photos courtesy of Lisa Hanson. Check out Lisa's eBay listings. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
10.5" Miss Nancy Ann was the company's answer to Ideal's popular Little Miss Revlon. An 8" Little Miss Nancy Ann was also made. These dolls are all vinyl with mature figures and high heeled feet. They had extra boxed outfits available. For more information, go to the Miss Nancy Ann and Little Miss Nancy Ann pages. |
In the late fifties, Miss Abbott became ill with cancer and the company struggled to keep up production. She died in 1964, and her partner, Mr. Rowland, who was also ill, was unable to keep the company afloat. Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls closed its doors in 1965. The assets of the company were sold to Albert Bourla, who produced a series of Muffie Around the World dolls in 1967. He owned the company for nearly forty years before selling it (on eBay!) to the current owners, Claudette Buehler and Delene Budd. The company has undergone a renaissance with a new sculpt by Dianna Effner in the tradition of the original Storybook dolls.
Sources for this page include:
- Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls company website
- "Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls" by Marjorie A. Miller
- "Small Dolls of the 40s and 50s" by Carol J. Stover
- "Dolls and Accessories of the 1930s and 1940s" by Dian Zillner
- "Dolls and Accessories of the 1950s" by Dian Zillner
- "Glamour Dolls of the 1950s & 1960s" by Polly and Pam Judd
Copyright 2004-2010 by Zendelle Bouchard.
