CELEBRITY DOLLS
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CELEBRITY DOLLS |
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Golden Girls of Hollywood ~~
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Celebrities and Hollywood - those Golden Beings that exist in a celluloid world where they never grow old and are immortalized forever on film, posters, magazines and collectibles. From mugs, clocks, collector plates, posters, radios, cookie jars and of course, Dolls. We love, adore and idolize them. Although some of our modern day celebrities tend to be a bit scandalous, as comparative to their wholesome predecessors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The 1930's & 40's were a time when Hollywood was just beginning to rise. The economy was desperate and families were in need of release from the daily hardships of life. Many sat by their radios for entertainment but a Saturday matinee at the local movie theater to see your favorite movie star was an undeniable treat! For the admission price of 15 cents, the young and old would get to watch their stars dance and sing their way to becoming some of the most famous Hollywood Legends of all time. Among the many faces of this era were three unforgettable young girls who left their mark on Hollywood and the Doll Industry. Deanna Durbin, Margaret O'Brien, and Shirley Temple. Deanna Durbin was born in Winnipeg, Canada on Dec. 4, 1921 and her given name was Edna Mae Durbin. She would eventually reside in Los Angeles with her parents where her remarkable singing voice would lead her to Hollywood.
By the age of 14, Deanna (renamed for show business purposes) had signed a contract with MGM, which shortly was picked up by Universal Pictures. She would go on to be one of the biggest box office attractions of this time. Her beautiful, operatic singing voice and dancing would allow her to star in 21 movies in just 12 short years. By the age of 21, she was the highest paid film star in the world. Yet this did not affect the wholesome goodness, which was her persona that many young girls could look up to and admire. Sadly, at the young age of 27, Deanna Durbin turned her back on Hollywood Forever. Deanna Durbin's popularity was not overlooked by the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company of Long Island, New York. The company had famous doll designer, Bernard Lipfert sculpt her lovely likeness, and distribution began in the fall of 1938. By Christmas, most stores had sold out of the doll.
The dolls each came
in a labeled gift box along with a photograph of Deanna. The doll was
made of composition and came in 15", 18", 21”, and 25". She was marked
Deanna Durbin on her neck and Ideal on her back. She was available in 16
different outfits; all based on costumes from her movie roles. Attached
to her clothing was a lithographed photo pin with her autographed
signature. The doll came with a dark human hair wig. She had glassene
sleep eyes, which came in hazel, brown, and sometimes blue. The dolls
were manufactured into the 1940's.
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Angela Maxine O'Brien was born on Jan. 15, 1937 in San Diego California. She would take the name Margaret after a major role that made her famous. Margaret began her young career as a model but very shortly would become a major child star of the 1940's.
She was cast in a role in 1942, Journey For Margaret which launched her career and gave her a new name. Margaret had many memorable performances but her role as "Tootie" in Meet Me in St. Louis won her an Academy Award as "Outstanding Child Actress". By 1950, Margaret had starred in 21 films and had made MGM and herself very wealthy. She retired from the silver screen in 1951. The Madame Alexander Doll Company of New York City began marketing and distributing Margaret O'Brien dolls in 1946. The dolls were composition and came in 14", 18”, and 21" sizes. She was unmarked. But the now famous "Margaret" face was unmistakable (Madame Alexander used this face mold for many of their other dolls). She also had a brown mohair wig with turned up braids. She came with gray, brown, and blue sleep eyes. She was dressed in different style dresses and her straw hat, which came in different colors. Her clothing was always tagged and she had a four-leaf clover paper tag which read: "A/Madame Alexander/Doll.” By 1948, the dolls were being made of hard plastic. We love our Celebrities, past and present. They never grow old in the public eye as long as we have our movies and memorabilia. The Composition dolls, which have captured the likenesses of our beloved Hollywood Stars, help to keep them and us forever young, as should all of our dolls.
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Shirley Jane Temple dubbed "The World's Darling" was born on April 23, 1928 in Santa Monica California. Who would have any idea what this little girl would become?
Shirley began her career at the age of three and her stardom was launched with a little musical number called "Baby Take a Bow" in the movie Stand Up and Cheer. Shirley had captured the heart's of old and young alike with her sweet dimpled face, those 56 bouncing curls, (her Mother set them every night!) and that adorable voice. She danced, sang, and captured the attention of a doll clothing designer by the name of Mollye Goldman who contacted a friend in New York concerning the up and coming star. One contact lead to another and the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company would begin negotiations with Shirley Temple and her parents. Ideal had the doll designer, Bernard Lipfert sculpt Shirley's face in wax for the molds to be cast in composition. Mollye Goldman would design her clothing. History was set in motion. Ideal had the exclusive copyrights to manufacture the Shirley Temple dolls. Many companies tried to copy the Shirley doll but that is what they were, just copies. The first Shirley doll was issued and distributed in the fall of 1934 and by that Christmas, little girls across America had their very own Shirley Temple doll. The early clothing for the doll through 1936 was made by Mollye Goldman and carried the Mollye label. The dolls were made of composition and came in nine sizes- 11", 13", 16", 17", 18", 20", 22", 25”, and 27". The dolls were always marked either on their head, back or both. They were not unmarked. She had sleep eyes, which were sometimes flirty (move from side to side) made of glassene in hazel, green, and blue. The 11" Shirley can be found with blue or hazel tins eyes. Her wig was exclusively made of golden blonde mohair to curl those fabulous sausage curls. The very first Shirley was dressed in the “Stand Up and Cheer” outfit, which was red, and white polka dotted. The outfit was also available with blue or green polka dots. In 1935, Ideal introduced Baby Shirley. She had a chubby cloth body with composition arms, legs and a flange shoulderplate head. All of the dolls were presented in a labeled gift box with an 8" x 10" photo of Shirley. Later dolls had curlers in the box with them. Each doll also had a celluloid pin attached to their clothing with her picture and on the pin it read, "The World's Darling/Genuine Shirley Temple Doll" An Ideal Doll. These buttons have been reproduced. Shirley has been dressed in so many famous and sought-after outfits. She also came in trunk sets. By the late 1940’s, it was estimated that $45 million dollars in total sales of this doll was realized, making her, at the time the single most successful doll ever produced. ©2009, Doll Castle News |
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