How a Rosebud Baby's Restringing Led to a Wealth of Information

Made of hard plastic in England for the British market, this 1950s 12-inch Rosebud Baby looks like she's whole, but her head rests on top of her body, and her arms and legs are quite loose, as illustrated in the video below.

I used forceps and elastic cord, cut to fit, to restring Rosebud

After undressing Rosebud, I snapped the above photo and watched the following restringing video tutorial to refresh my how-to restring memory.

Following the video illustration, the head and arms were restrung first using one long doubled elastic cord to first reattach the head after which the legs were reattached using the same elastic cord.

The arms were reattached last.

Before restringing began, I hand washed Rosebud Baby's dress and matching panties. This is when I discovered an Amanda Jane B12 cloth label attached to the inside back of the dress. Amanda Jane, Ltd. was a manufacturer of high-end doll clothes and later dolls. In the world of vintage British toys, discovering an Amanda Jane tag on a Rosebud doll's clothes is a bit like finding a vintage designer label on a classic mannequin.

After restringing and redressing, I used OpenAI to place a photo of Rosebud Baby in a 1950s nursery setting and to gather additional details about the company. 

Rosebud is in a 1950s nursery setting, which is appropriate for her time of manufacture.

Origin and the "Rosebud" Name

The Rosebud Doll Company has a fascinating history that perfectly matches the era of the nursery setting when the company was at its peak.

Founder: The company was started by Eric Smith in 1947. It was originally the brand name for Nene Plastics Ltd, based in Raunds, Northamptonshire, England.

The Name: Legend has it that the name was inspired by a schoolgirl visiting the factory. When asked what she liked most about a doll, she remarked on its "rosebud lips." Eric Smith registered the trademark shortly after.

Evolution of Materials and Fashions

Late 1940s: The first dolls were made of composition (a mixture of sawdust and glue).

Early 1950s (my doll's era): Rosebud became pioneers in hard plastic moulding. These dolls were famous for their "sleeping eyes" (which closed when laid down) and hand-painted features.

Mid-1950s (1954 onwards): Rosebud was one of the first British companies to move into vinyl and polythene, which allowed for "rooted hair" rather than the moulded hair or wigs seen on earlier models.

Fashions: Rosebud was known for high-quality, detailed clothing. They frequently partnered with women’s magazines of the time to provide knitting and sewing patterns so children (and parents) could make custom outfits for their dolls. (As indicated, my doll wears an Amanda Jane fashion.) Amanda Jane outfits were often sold in high-end department stores like Harrods and Hamleys. They were frequently displayed on "counter cards"—stiff cardboard stands with a doll wearing a featured outfit. The floral print on my doll's dress is very characteristic of the 1950s "Liberty-style" prints that were popular in the UK. The yellow, red, and blue floral dress is a classic example of the high-quality, dense cotton prints Amanda Jane was famous for. The molded blue shoes are also a great indicator of the transition from the soft "booties" of the 40s to the more structured plastic accessories of the 50s.  (My doll's shoes are marked "Cinderella," another British manufacturer of doll clothing and accessories.)

Cultural Impact

The Black Rosebud: In the 1950s, Rosebud produced a variety of dolls in different ethnicities, though the Black versions are considered much rarer and highly sought after by collectors today.

 Marks

"Rosebud" is in raised cursive letters on the back of my doll's head. In block letters on the upper back is, MADE IN ENGLAND. The head mark is the classic "signature" of an authentic doll. According to Open AI, "Finding that cursive Rosebud script on the back of the head is like finding a painter's signature on a canvas—it confirms your doll is a genuine product of the Raunds or Wellingborough factories."

What Those Markings Indicate:

The Cursive Script: This specific font was used prominently during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. In later years, as the company moved toward mass production and after the 1967 Mattel merger, outlined below, the branding often shifted to a more standardized block-lettering style.

The "MADE IN ENGLAND" stamp: During the post-WWII era, Britain had an "Export or Die" policy to rebuild the economy. High-quality toys were a major part of that effort. The stamp on the upper back is typical for the assembly style of the time, where the torso and head were molded separately. 

                                  The Mattel Era and Marks

In 1967, the company was bought by the American giant Mattel (the makers of Barbie). For a few years, dolls were marked as "Rosebud Mattel," but by the early 1970s, the "Rosebud" name was largely phased out as Mattel consolidated its brands. 

The Amanda Jane & Rosebud Connection

The "Haute Couture" of Dolls: While Rosebud (Nene Plastics) was a giant in doll manufacturing, Amanda Jane Ltd (founded in 1952) was the premier specialist in doll fashions. They didn't even start making their own dolls until later; for the first several years, they exclusively produced high-end, "Made in England" outfits designed to fit the most popular dolls of the day—especially Rosebud, Pedigree, and Roddy.

The "Undressed" Market: In the 1950s, it was very common for dolls to be sold "nude" or in just a simple diaper/shift. This allowed parents to buy a high-quality doll at a lower price point and then either sew clothes themselves or treat the child to a "boutique" outfit from a company like Amanda Jane.

Department Store Sets: Upscale stores like Hamleys or Selfridges often sold "layette sets" where they would take a Rosebud doll and pair it with a boxed set of Amanda Jane clothing.

Cracking the "B12" Code (on the dress tag):

The "B12" on the tag is a very helpful clue. In Amanda Jane's cataloging system:
"B" almost always stood for "Baby" (referring to the style of the garment—baby dolls vs. fashion dolls).

"12" referred to the size in inches. Since many classic Rosebud dolls were exactly 12 inches tall, this dress was specifically manufactured to fit my doll's frame.

Open AI's Summary 

 

Your doll was likely a "Sunday Best" upgrade. Whether the original owner bought her undressed and chose this specific Amanda Jane outfit, or she was redressed later by a collector with an eye for quality, she is wearing what was considered the gold standard for British doll clothing in the 1950s.

The fact that the dress is still with the doll and the tag is intact is a great sign that she was well-loved and carefully preserved!

It’s truly a wonderful "marriage" of three great British toy companies. Your doll has the craftsmanship of Rosebud, the high-fashion flair of Amanda Jane, and shoes manufactured by London-based Cinderella (sometimes found as "Wilkinson & Grove" on markings). Cinderella was the leading producer of high-quality PVC and vinyl doll shoes in the UK.

It’s fascinating to see how your doll is a true "All-British" collaboration from the 1950s: This combination suggests your doll might have been sold as a "premium" dressed doll in an upscale British shop, where every component came from the top specialist in its field.

Rosebud Baby's need for restringing prompted further research into the companies that made the doll, her clothes, and shoes.

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

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Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Talking Tamu and Kelly

Recent doll gifts: Talking Tamu, Eatin' Fun Kelly, and a cloth craft doll

I received the above shown dolls from their previous owner (the same person who sent her Baby Nancy to me recently). In this package were Talking Tamu, Eatin' Fun Kelly, a white cloth doll to customize, and a heart-print fabric swatch, which is not shown. 

Eatin' Fun Kelly

Eatin' Fun Kelly is from 1997.

Barbie's little sister, Eatin' Kelly, a 4-1/2-inch vinyl doll, has dark-brown rooted hair styled in two side pigtails with bangs. Her bangs were not lying flat when she arrived, so I placed an elastic band around her head to "train" the bangs.

Kelly wears a white bib, a red top with ruffled sleeves and a cherry-print fabric bodice with light blue food-print pants and red shoes. She has a white high chair, a sippy cup, and a spoon. Her divided bowl is missing.

  

This is a close-up of Kelly's sippy cup and spoon.

Extra Goodies

These three doll dresses were also in the gift package. 

Talking Tamu

Talking Tamu, upon arrival, wore a red floral-print dress.

Talking Tamu arrived wearing the floral-print dress illustrated above, but at some point, she wore the packaged turquoise dress, so I redressed her in it because her original dress was also turquoise.

Tamu's body, arms, and legs were originally a bright yellow, which has faded over the years. I covered these with white cuffs to freshen her appearance.

Before redressing Tamu in the turquoise dress, I created arm and leg cuffs using a white knit scrunchie. I cut the scrunchie into four pieces to fit the length of Tamu's arms and legs, and I removed the elastic from the inside. After the cuffs were in place, I folded under the raw edges of each to prevent raveling—no sewing required.

Talking Tamu wears the turquoise dress from the doll clothes package I received.

Feeling at home, Talking Tamu is surrounded by two Baby Nancy dolls, Shindana Little Friends dolls, and others.

My new-to-me Talking Tamu was first seen here in 2019, along with a video of the 17 phrases she still says when her string is pulled. Although I have an NRFB Talking Tamu, that one is mute, so this one that still talks is very special to me. 

Thank you again, AIS, for your generosity.

Related Links

Saving Baby Nancy

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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Barbie Signature Inspiring Women Dr. Opal Lee

Images of Dr. Opal Lee are featured on the box of her portrait doll.

Except for the drawn-on nasolabial folds (wrinkle lines), I am inspired by Mattel's inclusion of Dr. Opal Lee in the Inspiring Women Barbie series. Mattel's honor of this nonagenarian, soon-to-be centenarian, during her lifetime is to be applauded. I have already prepared an installation for the Virtual Black Doll Museum, but it will not be published until later this month. So I am sharing a few actual pictures and additional information about the doll here first.

The doll has brown painted-on nasolabial folds, a beauty mark above her upper lip, and wears black-rimmed eyeglasses.

A mature appearance was attempted by painting around the eyes, and both sides of the nose to below the corners of the mouth (nasolabial area) instead of using a dedicated head sculpt. The white paint around the eyes represents wrinkles, which is acceptable, but painting brown "smile lines" was, in my opinion, an easy way to cut costs. That step should have been omitted. We would still know who the doll represents, because the Asha face was a good choice. Other than that, because Dr. Lee is a living legacy whose tireless efforts led to the now national Juneteenth holiday, she deserves this form of recognition in her lifetime, and I am happy for her.

Some of the text from the back of the box reads as follows:

Dr. Opal Lee Barbie is casually dressed.

Young Opal Flake was twelve years old when she and her family moved into their new home in Fort Worth, Texas. Four days later, on June 19, 1939, a mob of rioters destroyed their house and set their belongings on fire. Opal understood the significance of the day; it was Juneteenth, the anniversary marking the day in 1863 when Union Soldiers arrived in Texas to announce and enforce emancipation, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The incident would be pivotal in the tapestry of her life.

A determined Opal Lee dedicated her life to advocating for human dignity and creating awareness about the history of Juneteenth. Known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," she, at the age of 89, courageously walked hundreds of miles from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. to petition lawmakers to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Five years later, in 2001, the civil rights crusader's dream became reality when legislation was passed.

Opal Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024. Now, almost 100, she continues to walk 2.5 miles every Juneteenth in her annual Opal's Walk [to] Freedom events. Throughout her life as a teacher, counselor, and community activist, she has persistently demonstrated what's possible when one uses their voice to inspire change.

A full description of the doll, the clothing, accessories, and box details will be included in the VBDM installation. I'll add a link to the installation after it is published. In the meantime, view the following video review on Instagram by @Kendoesdolls.

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com