Storybook Dolls

One of my favorite childhood memories is looking at Storybook Dolls with my Mom.  She kept them in their signature polka dot boxes in her own closet and it was a special treat for Mom to take out the boxes.  She would display them on her bed and the two of us would open each lid, speaking in hushed tones and taking out each of the fifteen dolls.   The dolls were my Mom's when she was a little girl in the late 1940s, and it was obvious that they were well-loved.  I knew to take special care of them when they were in my possession and they were always returned to their polka dot boxes when we were done for the day.

Not long ago, I took the polka dot boxes out of my closet and shared the dolls with Alice.  She treats them just as I did when I was a little girl - with a little bit of awe and very careful fingers.

This little doll was my favorite.

 Recently, I did some research on Storybook Dolls and discovered the following:

Nancy Ann Dolls began in 1936 when Nancy Ann Abbott started her doll-making venture in San Francisco, California.  The first dolls made were small 3-3/4" bisque baby dolls from the "Hush-a-Bye" collection with the doll bodies made in Japan.  The 5" Storybook Dolls began being produced in late 1936.  Doll bodies began being made in California in 1939.  Artists painted the facial features, therefore, giving each doll its own special look.  By the late 1940s, the company was producing the largest doll volume in the nation.   

One of Nancy Ann's main line of dolls was "Storybook Dolls" which were named after nursery rhymes and jingles.  The dolls were marketed to little girls, but, it is obvious that they had appeal to the mothers as well.  The bisque Storybook dolls were produced from 1936 to 1948.   By 1943, Nancy Ann had created 125 different characters.  Nancy Ann changed her characters' outfits from year to year, and often used different materials so that identifying a Storybook doll that does not have her original wrist tag and labeled box with her name can be a challenge.  Also, many times dolls are found in the incorrect boxes.

Indeed, my Mom's fifteen dolls said goodbye to their wrist tags and correct boxes long before I came along.  Many have frizzy hair and crumpled dresses.  But they are precious to me.

This is one of the two brides.

 She looks like a Spanish dancer.  Not sure what story or nursery rhyme she could have been from.

 This one is much smaller than most of the others.  She always played the little sister or baby in my imagination.

 As the research notes, without the original wrist tag, it's difficult to know the names of each doll.   I always believed this one was Mary Had A Little Lamb.

  Although there are fifteen dolls, there are only five of the polka dot boxes.   Each one has a label on the side.

 Of the five boxes, one has an original Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls brochure.

 This one is so pretty.

 Such a sweet face.

 This one is different than the others.   Of all the dolls, she's the only one without clothes.  She's wearing the undergarments and painted-on black slippers which all the dolls have - but I'm not sure what happened to her dress.   There are two dolls with sleepy eyes that open and close.

 This is the second bride.  She's unique because she's the only one with a really small head.

 This one is sweet.  I always loved her hat.

 I'm fairly confident this is Little Miss Donnet.  The "Big Bonnet" gives her away.

 I know I'll continue to treasure these Storybook Dolls and find joy in watching Alice with them.  I couldn't resist taking a peek at how much they're selling for these days.... the pristine ones with the original boxes and wrist tags are $200-$500 each.   Ours are well-loved with mix-matched boxes and no wrist tags, but even if they were in perfect condition, I wouldn't part with these fifteen dolls.