Barbies and other dolls from the collection of Lisa Jacobs-Watson
If you are in the Buffalo, NY area or plan to be in the area before the end of this month, the annual Black Doll Exhibit curated by Lisa Jacobs-Watson is open at the Buffalo Museum of Science through February 28, 2026.
Address:
Buffalo Museum of Science
1020 Humboldt Parkway
Buffalo, NY 14211
Phone:
(716) 896-5200
Read more about the exhibit here and about the curator here.
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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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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 Spam comments will not be published.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
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.
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
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.
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
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