1950s » Vintage Doll Collector

Dollikin Ballerina by Uneeda (1959-62?)

Apr 242013

Dollikin Ballerina doll by Uneeda

Body Construction
The Dollikin Ballerina is the same doll as the regular Dollikin, but she has a few specific traits. Her hair is usually black, and is styled into either a chignon with severe widow’s peak, or a short fluffy bubblecut. This doll did not generally have pierced ears. Her eye paint is exaggerated, with long black painted lashes at the outer corner of each eye, and black eyebrows. The less common blonde dolls have eyelashes and brows painted brown instead of black.

Markings
Markings are the same as Dollikin.

Clothing
The Dollikin Ballerina seems to have been available in a wide variety of costumes, generally in satin with lace or tulle. All came with cotton tights and soft vinyl slippers. The dressed doll pictured above wears a very stiff ivory-colored (may have been white at one time) costume with ivory, purple and green lace sleeves, with the same lace forming the skirt over a layer of tulle. Other costumes included a tutu edged with silver braid, with pink or lavender tulle skirt and sleeves covered with silver dots; and a red long sleeved dress which looks more like an ice skating or majorette outfit.

Packaging
The Ballerina doll was sold in different packaging from the regular Dollikin. The Ballerina’s box has her posed as if she is dancing, attached to a black and white backing card illustrated with her in various positions. The front of the box is curved and has a large plastic window to display her beautifully. You can see a photo of her on Valerie Myers’ website.

Honey doll by Effanbee (1949-57)

Effanbee, Hard Plastic No Responses »

Jan 212013

Effanbee’s hard plastic Honey doll in one of her many day dresses.
Photo courtesy of eBay seller luving_dolls

Honey was Effanbee’s flagship doll during the brief hard plastic era. She was sold in many variations, under a few different names and in numerous outfits. Honey is one of the classic dolls of the 1950s.

Beginning in 1949, Honey was offered in 13.5,” 16″ and 18″ sizes. She was sometimes called Honey Girl during this early period. These dolls are all hard plastic, jointed at the neck, shoulders and hips. They have sleep eyes with brush lashes, and mohair wigs.

Effanbee’s Honey as a Majorette.
Scan from the 1950 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalog.

In 1950, a 21″ size composition (not hard plastic) Honey was sold with flirty eyes and a human hair wig.

This is the 21″ all composition version of Honey. She has flirty eyes and a human hair wig.
Scan from the 1950 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalog.

In 1951, the Tintair Doll was introduced. This is Honey with platinum blonde Dynel hair meant to be “tinted” with special redhead and brunette hair coloring. The smallest size doll was now 14″ tall. All Honey dolls had synthetic hair after this point. The Saran Yarns Company used Honey in their ads promoting the many uses of their Saran fiber.

There was also a special series of 18″ Honey dolls in 1951 with couture outfits by the famous Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

In 1952, the Honey Walker doll was introduced. She has a walking mechanism which also turns her head, but is otherwise identical to the regular Honey. Both versions were produced through 1957.

In 1952, Honey portrayed both Cinderella and Prince Charming. He is the only male doll made using the Honey mold.

14″ Honey as Prince Charming, the companion to Cinderella.
Photo courtesy of eBay seller luving_dolls

In 1954, 15″ Honey was offered in a carrying case or steamer trunk with extra outfits.

Honey got jointed knees and ankles in 1956. This doll is 20″ tall. The harder to find 15″ doll has jointed ankles, but not knees. She could wear high heels or ballerina shoes in addition to her regular flat Mary Janes and majorette boots. Honey sold in high heels was called Junior Miss, a Doll with Glamour.

In the last year of Honey’s production, 1957, she was offered as Honey Ballerina. She has vinyl arms which may or may not be jointed at the elbows.

Effanbee’s hard plastic Honey doll was sold in a variety of long gowns. Her hat may not be original.

Muffie, Style Show, and other non-Storybook Dolls by Nancy Ann

Fashion, Hard Plastic, Nancy Ann, Vinyl No Responses »

Jan 162013

Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls, Inc. is best known for their 4.5″ to 7″ bisque (and later, hard plastic) dolls, mostly of storybook characters, dressed in an endless variety of outfits and sold in polka dot boxes from the ’30s through the ’50s. But the company sold lots of other dolls, and this page is about them.

For details on the storybook dolls, see the Nancy Ann Storybook dolls page and the Nancy Ann Storybook series page.

The babies are some of the earliest dolls sold by the company. They were purchased from other companies and dressed by Nancy Ann. Many were made in Japan. These painted bisque babies are 3.5″ and 4.5″ tall.

Find Nancy Ann baby dolls on eBay!

After having great success with the Storybook Dolls for a number of years, 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 eBay seller luving_dolls

Find Style Show dolls on eBay!

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 eBay seller your-favorite-doll

Find Muffie dolls on eBay!

		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 eBay seller your-favorite-doll.

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. Aline, a low-quality Barbie-type doll, and her little sister Missie were produced during the ’70s. Mr. Bourla 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.

Learn More:
Encyclopedia of Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls, Vol. II by Elaine M. Pardee More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.	Dolls & Accessories of the 1950s by Dian Zillner More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.	Hard Plastic Dolls II by Polly and Pam Judd More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.

Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls

Bisque & China, Hard Plastic, Nancy Ann No Responses »

Jan 162013

Clockwise from top left— Goose Girl, Dainty Dolly Pink and Blue, See-Saw Marjorie Daw, Flossie Came From Dublin Town, Over The Hills To Grandma’s House, and There Was a Maiden Bright and Gay.
Photos courtesy of Withington Auction, Inc.

This page is about the small bisque and hard plastic Storybook character dolls produced by Nancy Ann Dressed Dolls and Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls, Inc. from 1936 through the 1950s. For info about the company’s other dolls, go to the Muffie, Style Show and Other Dolls by Nancy Ann page.

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.

The first dolls were made in Japan and dressed here. 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.

Early Nancy Ann Storybook Doll marked “JUDY ANN” wearing her original dress.

Nancy Ann Storybook character dolls only came in a few variations of size and body construction; instead they are identified by the outfit they are wearing, and many of the outfits look very similar. A doll without her original box or wrist tag can be very difficult to identify. Most of the dolls were produced as Caucasian girls; boys and African-American girls are much less common. The same molds were used for both genders and races.

Body Construction
The Storybook dolls were produced in bisque from 1936 to 1948, when they changed to hard plastic. They are mostly 5.5″ tall, but can range from 4.5″ to 7″ tall. They may or may not be jointed at the hips or neck; all dolls are jointed at the shoulders. Most dolls have glued-on mohair wigs; a very few dolls have painted hair. Many of the hard plastic dolls have sleep eyes, but all the bisque dolls and some hard plastic have painted eyes. For more information see the Nancy Ann Dolls website.

Clockwise from top left: Here I am Little Joan, To Market To Market,
I’m Going A-Milking, Little Betty Blue, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not and Mistress Mary.
Photo courtesy of Withington Auction, Inc.

Markings
Most dolls are marked on their back, but the markings may be faint if the mold had been used for a long period of time. A variety of marks were used. Most of the marks include the words “Story Book” but some of the earlier dolls are marked “Made in Japan” or “Judy Ann.” For more information see the Nancy Ann Dolls website.

Series
Most Storybook dolls were produced as part of a series. Go to the Series List for individual doll photos.

From the Dolls of the Month Series – Clockwise from top left: A Shower Girl for April, A Very Independent Lady for July, A November Lass To Cheer, A Breezy Girl and Arch To Worship Me Thru March,
A February Fairy Girl For Ice and Snow, A Rosebud Girl to Love me Thru the June Days .
Photo courtesy of Withington Auction, Inc.

Packaging
Most dolls were packaged in white boxes with large pink, red, silver or blue polka dots. Some of the earlier boxes had different backgrounds or graphics. The hard plastic dolls have “Nancy Ann Storybook Doll” written in between the dots. Beginning in 1941, each doll had a gold foil wrist tag bearing her name. Prior to that, gold stickers were attached to the doll’s outfit.

Learn More:
Encyclopedia of Bisque Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls by Elaine M. Pardee & Jackie Robertson More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.	Encyclopedia of Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls, Vol. II by Elaine M. Pardee More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.	Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls by Marjorie A. Miller More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.

Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls Series

Bisque & China, Character, Hard Plastic, Nancy Ann No Responses »

Jan 162013

Most Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls were produced as part of a series. Click on a photo to see a larger version.

Learn More:
Dolls & Accessories of the 1950s by Dian Zillner More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.	Effanbee: A Collector’s Encyclopedia, 1949 thru 1983 by John Axe More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.	Hard Plastic Dolls by Polly and Pam Judd More info from Amazon or Find it on eBay.

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