Doll Repair Links

This is perhaps the oldest doll that I own personally other than the little half doll pincushion that was given to my by my great aunt. I found her for a few dollars in a flee market. She also has an old “cry box” that no longer works.

A composition doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of composition, a composite material composed of sawdust, glue, and other materials such as cornstarch, resin and wood flour. Composition dolls were marketed as unbreakable and hailed as an improvement in doll making from the fragile bisque and china material previously used. There are two types of composition manufacturing processes: cold-press and hot press. The cold-press composition manufacturing process was invented by Solomon D. Horsman in 1890s. Hot-Press composition began around 1920 and was an improvement in the processing. Composition doll manufacturing lasted until the late 1940s, when plastic began to be used for dolls.

Many antique German and French bisque dolls from the 19th century combine a bisque head with a ball-jointed body made of composition. In 1877 French dollmaker Jumeau introduced the Bébé Incassable, with a bisque head portraying a young girl and a fully articulated composition body. With realistic glass eyes and contemporary fashion styles, thousands of Bébé dolls were produced for an international market. The French Bleuette doll from S.F.B.J. has a jointed composition body with a bisque or composition head. The composition Bleuette was produced from 1905 to 1958.

Some early celebrity dolls were made of composition, like the Baby Peggy doll from Louis Amberg & Sons, which was a success in 1923. The American Ideal Toy Company began making composition dolls in 1907. They produced over 200 variations of dolls throughout the composition era. Their Shirley Temple doll was one of the most successful celebrity dolls. First produced in 1934, millions of the composition Shirley dolls were produced.

See the cracked paint down her arm and the fingers are wearing away! The fingers are made from a wood pulp/composite mix.

Early Baby-Walker Dolls: had entire bodies, including their cloths were made from composition

• Child in Walker Toy, Germany, c. 1860, molded papi

Kathe Kruse: Boy and Girl Dolls – pressed felt dolls had composition socket heads

• Early Boy by Kathe Kruse

Shirley Temple Doll: Ideal Toy and Novelty Company in New York City negotiated a license for dolls with the company’s first doll wearing the polka-dot dress from Stand Up and Cheer!. Shirley Temple dolls realized $45 million in sales before 1941.

• Shirley Temple, Dolls and Collectibles

Baby Peggy Doll – Diana Serra Cary (born October 26, 1918), best known as Baby Peggy, was one of the three major American child stars of the Hollywood silent movie era along with Jackie Coogan and Baby Marie.

• Helen’s Babies

More American Ideal Toy Company Dolls

• Composition Dolls

Repairing Composition Dolls: Nancy’s Doll Restoration * Care of Composition Dolls by Louise * Amazing restoration to a fire damaged Kestner doll! *The Art of Doll Repair * 1920 Shoulder Plate Composition Baby * Papier Mache Rediscovered *

The top of her head is cracked and the layer of Gesso exposed.

Doll Repairs/Hospitals: Doll Repair Home *A Doll’s Dressmaker & Doll Hospital *AAA Doll Hospital * All Dolled Up, Inc *All for a Doll *All-Dolled-Up by Shelley *Anderson’s Dollworks *Andrea Salkowe Doll Restoration *Antique Child *Attic Antiquity Dolls *Audrey’s Doll Gallery *BG’s Doll House & Hospital *Billings Doll Hospital/Legacy Doll Museum *Cathie Lee Doll Hospital *Chili Doll Hospital *China Doll, Inc. *Dana’s Antique Doll Studio *Dancing Dolls and the Doll Nursery *Dawn’s Dolls *Dear Dolly Friends *Deborah’s Doll Shoppe *Debra’s Dolls – Doll Hospital & Shop *Dee’s Place of Dolls *Diane’s Doll Hospital *Doctor Toni’s Doll Repair *Doll Cottage *Doll Doctor Kathleen *Doll EE Hospital *Doll Haven *Doll Hospital Inc *Doll Parts & Supplies *Doll Repair by Karen O’Shea *Doll Restorations *Dollightful Things *Dolls 4U *Dolls to Make *Donna’s Children *Dr Re’s Doll Clinic *Dr. Toni’s Doll Repair *Elaine’s Dolls & Restoration *Garrett House Antiques & Doll Hospital *Heirloom Doll Costumes & Restoration *Intensive Care Doll Hospital and Shop *Klein’s Dolls & Restoration *Linda Lee Sutton Original Dolls *Louise’s Little Ladies Doll & Toy Repair *Loved To Pieces Doll Hospital *Luel Restoration Studio *Mel’s Belles *Modern Doll Repair Parts *Mommies Doll & Stuffed Animal Hospital *ole babes *Patti Ann’s Teddy Bears & Dollies *Porcelain Classics *RaggedyLou’s Dolls *Rose Apple Acres Dolls *Royale Affair Dolls *Santa Maker *Secaucus Doll & Teddy Bear Hospital *ShenValley Doll Hospital *Sherman’s Antiques and Doll Hospital *Sherman’s Antiques and Doll Hospital *Southside Doll Workshop *Sowatzka’s Dolls *Suzanne’s Doll Hospital *T & D Porcelain Dolls and Supplies *Taggerty Doll Clinic *Tender Mercies Doll & Toy Repair *The Doll Company *The Doll Hospital *The Doll Hospital *The Doll Hospital & Toy Soldier Shop *The Doll Shop *TLC Doll Hospital/ Shoppe *Treasured Collectibles & Doll Hospital *Valarie Moyer’s Dolls *We’re Makin’ Dolls *

The backside of my composition baby doll. Note the doll has painted red shoes on her feet.

My composition baby with her eyes shut.

Related articles

• A Miracle Sent to Me (jlue.wordpress.com)

Links to Toys & Dolls by Ideal

Above is a “Saucy Walker Ad,” made by Ideal Toy Company

Ideal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. The company changed its name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938. In 1982, the company was sold to CBS Toy Company, which in turn sold Ideal to Viewmaster International in 1987, which renamed itself View-Master Ideal in the process. View-Master Ideal was later bought by Tyco Toys, Inc. of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, upon its purchase of View-Master Ideal. The Ideal line remained part of Tyco until Tyco’s merger with Mattel, Inc., in 1997.

Certain brands and toys that originated with Ideal continued to be manufactured by Mattel, most notably the Magic 8-ball and Rubik’s Cube.

Ideal began making dolls in 1907. Their first doll was “Yellow Kid” from the “The Yellow Kid” comic strip by Richard Felton Outcault. After that they began making a line of baby and character dolls such as Naughty Marietta from the Victor Herbert operetta and Admiral Dot. Ideal advertised their dolls as unbreakable since they were made of composition, a material made of sawdust and glue. Ideal produced over 200 variations of dolls throughout the composition era.

During the Baby Boom era, Ideal became the largest doll making company in the United States and began selling dolls under license in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Their most popular dolls included Betsy Wetsy, Toni, Saucy Walker, Shirley Temple, Miss Revlon, Patti Playpal, Tammy, Thumbelina, and Crissy.

Play Pal Doll Commercials

• commercial one
• commercial two

YouTube and web pages

• Roscoe Antique Mall – Dealer Display Ideal Dolls
• Ideal’s Playpal Family Dolls
• Patti Play dolls…1959 – 60s

Shirley Temple Doll Commercial

• commercial

YouTube and web pages

• Shirley Temple sings, “Animal Crackers In My Soup“
• Shirley Temple Dolls and Collectibles

Betsy Wetsy

• first commercial
• second commercial

web pages for Betsy Wetsy

• C&G Design
• 1932 Ducky Baby (Betsy Wetsy)
• A quiet walk and old pictures

Crissy Doll commercial

web pages for Crissy Doll

• Doll Land’s Crissy, Kerry and Cinnamon vinyl dolls
• Crissy Dolls by Ideal

Thumbelina Doll

• commercial

web pages

• photographs of Thumbelina Dolls

Saucy Walker dolls

• Restore you Saucy Walker

Related articles

• A Brief History of The American Made Composition Doll (rubylane.com)