Sleepy Baby by Shackman

Sleepy Baby by Shackman, 1957

Shackman's 6-1/2-inch Sleepy Baby had been on my doll wish list for quite a while. I recently found the mint in box version shown above and in the additional pictures below.

Sleeping peacefully, Sleepy Baby's eyes are stitched closed.

The doll reminds me of the doll in the book, Becky, by Julia Wilson.

Sleepy Baby is photographed with the character, Becky and the doll Becky longed for, in the book by the same name by Julia Wilson.

This is a closer photograph of Sleepy Baby and the doll in the book, Becky, by Julia Wilson, published in 1966.

Sleepy Baby dolls sold in five and dime stores during the late 1950s to early 1960s for $2 (which is written on the top of my doll's box). According to the Rinker on Collectibles website in an answer to a question about a white Sleepy Baby,  "Bertha Shackman, an early American female business pioneer, founded B. Shackman & Co. in 1898. The company wholesaled inexpensive cards, novelties, and toys to five and dime stores, catalog merchandisers, and small businesses, such as drug stores, that devoted a small merchandising area to toys. Located initially on Broadway Avenue, Shackman moved its headquarters to Madison Avenue and finally 31st and Fifth Avenue. Bertha Shackman attributed the success of her company to innovation, quality, and service. Dan Shackman assumed control of the business in 1935 and continued to head the company until he sold it to the employees in 1985... Shackman products often closely resemble those of major manufacturers. Although Shackman carefully avoids copyright infringement, the similarities are noticeable."

Rinker continues, "The [Sleep] Baby was available in at least three colors—blue, pink, and red." Rinker did not include information about Black versions.

My version wears a sewn-on red knit hooded top with aqua and white gingham pants that have enclosed feet. The head and hands are stuffed stocking material; the rest of the body is stuffed cloth.

My research found there were variations made of the Black dolls. Some had open eyes and thus were not named Sleepy Baby. The earliest open-eyed versions were presented in boxes that described the doll as "colored." One example has "Colored Girl" on the box of an open-eyed doll.

Related Link

Rinker on Collectibles 

Open-eyed 1950s Shackman "Colored Girl"

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