There is a gigantic one-owner doll collection going on the auction block Sunday, December 30 in Anna, IL. Martin Auction Co. is handling the sale with a two part auction beginning at noon. In the first part they will sell over 1,000 dolls in lots. As you can see from the photos below, there are lots of good dolls in these boxlots.
The second part, beginning at 1:30, is a cataloged auction of the rest of the collection, some individually, and others in lots. There are tons of composition, including a Black Scootles by Cameo, hard plastic and vinyl dolls including Hasbro‘s Little Miss No Name and Mattel’s Barbie, and some antique dolls too. While a lot of the dolls have been seriously played with, others are mint in the boxes. Something for everyone! They have absentee and internet bidding available on the cataloged dolls if you don’t live close enough to attend.
This 1958 12″ vinyl Shirley Temple doll with extra outfits was sold in a box resembling a TV set, tying in to Shirley Temple Black’s children’s television show. Photo courtesy of Withington Auction, Inc.
17″ vinyl Shirley Temple doll wears a cotton dress which may have been a Sears exclusive. This size was made from 1959 to 1963. Photo courtesy of Withington Auction, Inc.
Ideal made their first vinyl versions of the Shirley Temple doll from 1958-63. They had rooted blonde hair with Shirley’s famous curls and hazel sleep eyes. Some of the larger dolls had “twinkle eyes,” also known as flirty eyes, which could move from side to side as well as open and close. The 12″ version had lots of extra clothes that could be purchased; the 15″, 17″, 19″ and very rare 26″ sizes were sold in a variety of outfits but no clothing was sold separately. Most of these outfits were not from Shirley’s movies, but reflected typical little girl fashions of the period. 1950s Shirley Temple dolls came wearing a plastic pin of her name in script. The 15″ version was reissued in 1972 as a Montgomery Ward exclusive.
15″ vinyl Shirley Temple doll reissued in 1972 for Montgomery Ward was available in this outfit only. Photo courtesy of Lisa Hanson. Check out her eBay listings.
The Shirley Temple Playpal doll sold only in 1960 is 36″ tall and has the same blow-molded jointed vinyl body as Patti Playpal, with a Shirley Temple head. She most often wears a nylon dress but was also available in a Heidi outfit.
In 1973, a new 16.5″ vinyl version of the Shirley Temple doll was sold wearing her red and white polka dotted “Stand Up and Cheer” outfit. There were four additional outfits sold separately. This doll was available through 1975.
In 1982-3, Ideal made 8″ and 12″ versions of Shirley Temple with pale vinyl resembling porcelain. With this Collector’s Edition series, they returned to dressing Shirley in outfits from her 1930′s film roles. In 1984-5, a 16″ Shirley was made, available in three different costumes.
16″ vinyl Shirley Temple doll, the final version made by Ideal, wearing outfit from her 1934 film “Stand Up and Cheer!”
Before she started in the doll business, Mary Hoyer was a designer of knit and crochet patterns for children’s clothing. In the 1930′s, she opened her own yarn and craft shop in Reading, PA. Soon she added doll clothing and patterns to her inventory. To create a market for her doll designs, she purchased composition dolls from Ideal to sell along with the patterns. These dolls were 13″ tall with a double jointed torso known as a “body twist.” These early painted-eye dolls have Ideal markings. Photo courtesy of Nancy McKee.
When Ideal discontinued the style of doll she had been using, Mrs. Hoyer hired renowned doll designer Bernard Lipfert to sculpt a doll for her. Lipfert’s design, manufactured by the Fiberoid Doll Co., was slightly bigger at 14″ tall and also had painted eyes, but did not have the jointed torso. The earliest dolls are unmarked, but soon the Mary Hoyer logo in a circle was added to the back of the doll. Dolls with sleep eyes were also added to the lineup. The same model was used for both girl and boy dolls. Photos copyright Withington Auction, Inc.
In 1946 Mary Hoyer switched from composition to hard plastic dolls, using the same design. She continued to market her knit and crochet patterns, and sold finished outfits and sewing kits in her shop as well as by mail order. Photos courtesy of Nancy McKee.
In the mid-fifties, Mary Hoyer decided to branch out by adding other dolls to her line. The first was Gigi, an 18″ hard plastic girl. She has the same markings as the 14″ doll, and several outfits available for her. Photo courtesy of Nancy McKee.
The company then decided to try vinyl dolls; they marketed high-heeled glamour dolls that were reportedly made for them by Ideal. The larger sizes were quickly discontinued, but they sold 10.5″ Vicky (similar to Ideal’s Little Miss Revlon) for a couple of years. The glamour dolls are unmarked and very difficult to identify. Margie, a 10″ vinyl toddler, and babies Cathy (10″) and Jamie (8″) were also offered.
The company had continued to sell its 14″ hard plastic doll throughout the fifties, but in the early sixties, they switched to a new vinyl doll called Becky. Mary Hoyer retired in 1972, but her company was resurrected in 1990 by her granddaughter, Mary Lynne Saunders. They continue today making high-quality play dolls for children and collectors. Mrs. Hoyer passed away in 2003 at the age of 101.
Cosmopolitan is best known for their 8″ hard plastic Ginger doll, a competitor of Vogue’s Ginny. She was introduced in 1954. The hard plastic Gingers underwent several changes during the course of production, which makes identification a little tricky.
Hard plastic Ginger wears outfit #883 from the 1955 North and South series. Photo courtesy of Tina Moreau. Check out her eBay listings.
Collectors should also be aware that Cosmopolitan sold Ginger bodies to other companies. The book “Small Dolls of the ’40s and ’50s” by Carol J. Stover gives detailed information on the Ginger variations.
Vinyl head Ginger wears outfit #444 from the 1955 Holiday Series. Photo courtesy of Tina Moreau. Check out her eBay listings.
In 1957, they started making Ginger with a vinyl head. She also “grew up” with her new medium “cha cha” heels.
Miss Ginger doll by Cosmopolitan
That same year they entered the glamour doll market with 10.5″ Miss Ginger. Like Ginger, she had many extra outfits available. All-vinyl Miss Ginger is very similar to Little Miss Revlon and Miss Nancy Ann.
Little Miss Ginger wears Special Bride outfit #71 from 1958. Photo courtesy of Tina Moreau. Check out her eBay listings.
8″ Little Miss Ginger also has a grown-up figure and extra outfits. She is also all vinyl. She is very similar to Little Miss Nancy Ann. Learn more on the Little Miss Ginger page.
Most Baby Ginger dolls have rooted hair. This is a rare molded hair version. Photo courtesy of Tina Moreau. Check out her eBay listings.
8″ Baby Ginger is an all-vinyl drink and wet baby doll, similar to Vogue’s Ginnette. She, too, has an extensive wardrobe.
Dee an Cee’s 17″ Cindy was sold in the late 1950s in a variety of outfits, including a bridal gown.
Dee an Cee was a Canadian doll manufacturer from 1938 to 1964. The name was derived from the first letters of the last names of the two founders, Max Diamond and Morris Cone. The company motto was “Quality above all”.
Through the 1940s, the company made composition dolls, mostly babies, including Snuggles, Sweetums and Little Darling. They briefly experimented with rubber dolls before switching over to vinyl beginning in 1949.
Many of the their products were licensed from U.S. companies and made from the original molds. They held the Canadian licenses to produce Mattel’s Chatty Cathy and Alexander’s Marybel. Sometimes the dolls names were changed; American Character’s Baby Dear was sold by Dee an Cee as Dream Baby, while Mattel’s Scooba-Doo became Kookie in Canada.
The company produced their own original dolls too. Mandy and Dusty, designed by Morris Cone, were black brother and sister dolls with realistic features and molded hair, first produced in 1956.
Dee an Cee was the first Canadian doll company to advertise on television. After the firm was sold to Mattel in 1962, manufacturing in Canada was gradually discontinued. The name was no longer used after 1964.
Dee an Cee dolls show a variety of markings, including D&C, Dee an Cee, Dee and Cee, and DEE & CEE.
