Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Galoob Baby Face Dolls

Mel Birnkrant is the creator of the Galoob Baby Face doll. He has been in the toy industry for many years and is a leading toy designer. Mel Birnkrant was the Creative Director for Colorforms Toys for over 20 years. While in this position he created a cornucopia of products that included the Mickey Mouse and Disney Colorforms toys. He licensed the Baby Face doll design in partnership with Kiscom Toys to the Lewis Galoob Toy Company in 1990. All the original outfits worn by the Baby Face dolls were created by Judy Albert, who also has fame for the Cabbage Patch family of dolls.
Mel and his wife, Eunice converted a three-story schoolhouse in upstate New York into a home for themselves and their unusual collection of rare comic character toys.
The first dolls’ names were:
· So Surprised Suzie
· So Happy Heidi
· So Sorry Sarah
· So Shy Sherry
· So Delightful DeeDee
· So Playful Penny
· So Innocent Cynthia
· So Loving Laura
· So Sweet Sandi
· So Funny NatalieAll the dolls have acrylic glass eyes and real eyelashes. The dolls are made of a high quality vinyl and are about 13” tall. Being jointed at the neck, shoulders, elbows,

Read on at: http://smalldogs2.com/VintageDollCollecting

Monday, August 18, 2008

Vintage Doll Collecting: Engel-Puppen


Vintage Doll Collecting: Engel-Puppen

Engel-Puppen has been in business for more than 100 years. It is the oldest doll factory at its location in Roedental, Bavaria, Germany.

The Engel-Puppen dolls are almost any type of doll from small playable vinyl dolls to decorative dolls in original German costumes, from nostalgic collectable dolls to valuable artist dolls made of porcelain in limited editions. The company also produces a large variety in dolls clothes and accessories. One very important fact about the Engel-Puppen doll lines and accessories is that they are all made in Germany and meet the standard of quality that German products are known for all over the world.

At the end of the 19th century, home-workers in the city of Rodental, collected materials from their contractors located in world city of toys, Sonneberg. The dolls were usually complete within a week and wages were paid. Most of the workers worked from workshops in their living rooms.

The first doll factory was established in Monchroden in October/November of 1896 by Edmuch Knoch and his wife, Emilie. Together they started working in one room of their her father’s house, but soon outgrew the space and moved to another house in Rothinestr 7. They moved into their own factory building in 1908 in Lange Wiesen 6.

The first big success of the Edmund Knoch company was the small princess dolls sold mostly by exporters from Hamburg. Their next biggest customers were the export companies from Sonneberg, which is the oldest toy city in the world.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

A Brief History of the Italian Doll Company: Lenci Company



The Lenci Company was founded in 1919 in Turin, Italy by Enrico and Elana Konig Scavini. It is reported that the company continued making dolls into the 21st century, however, there is conflicting information about the year company was founded and exactly how long they continued making dolls.

The dolls made at Lenci during the 1920s and 1930s are particularly desired by collectors because of their superb craftsmanship, and also because they are so irresistibly adorable.

The most notable among the Lenci’s 83 years of history was the period between the two World Wars. These are said to be the most valuable and best well made of their creations.