Doll Collector Seeks Info on Amos 'n Andy Dolls

After receiving the following email (next paragraph) without images, I asked the owner of these dolls (Amos, on left; Andy, on right) to forward images of the dolls in question.  I was not able to provide additional information beyond what the collector already knows about these circa 1930s-1940s, 14-inch composition advertising dolls, but offered to share the images and the information  that she has obtained about them thus far.  (Click on images to enlarge in a new window.)

I own a pair of Amos and Andy composition head dolls with cloth bodies. They have clothes and small paper tags stamped with "Hello Folks I'se Andy". The other says "Howdy Folks I'se Amos". Makers Gerlins Toy Co. New York. I have researched some and cannot find any information on these dolls. Please let me know if you can help me as to value and where and if I could sell them. Thank you. V. Meier

On the dolls' paper tags, the maker's name is spelled "Gerling" with a "g" on the end. The Andy doll has a cigar in its mouth, which was often the case for the character, Andy Brown, played by actor, Spencer Williams, on the Amos 'n Andy TV show. 

Both dolls have suffered a considerable amount of crazing to their composition exteriors (crisscross cracks and lifting of the surface), which is clearly visible in the close-up image of Andy. 

Additionally, Ms. Meier shared a 1990s reply she received from a doll publication after requesting information about the dolls.  The publication suggested the dolls were made by the Gerling Toy Co. in New York (instead of Gerlins as Meier spelled it in her correspondence to them).  According to the publication, Gerling was "listed from 1912 to 1930 and later. The firm is known to have made character dolls, black dolls, and composition dolls." They added, "Amos 'n Andy were leading characters in a radio comedy show that premiered in 1928 and ran through the 1940s. It became a television series on CBS from 1951 to 1953. The show lived on in reruns until 1966, when opposition to black stereotypes forced it off the air. The characters inspired a number of toys. Your dolls probably date from the 1930s to the 1940s." The reference sources cited by the publication were Collector's Encyclopedia of Dolls, Vol.2 by Dorothy, Elizabeth, and Evelyn Coleman (Crown, NY, c1986); The Collector's Encyclopedia of Black Dolls by Patikii and Tyson Gibbs (Collector Books, Paducah, KY, c1987); and Prime-Time Television by Fred and Stan Goldstein (Crown, NY, c1983).

Amos' tag reads: 

Howdy Folks!

I'se

Amos

_____

Makers

Gerling Toy Co

New York

Ms. Meier did not share an image of Andy's tag, but indicated it reads the same as Amos' with the exception that Andy's tag contains Andy's name.  As the dolls' paper tags read, they were indeed manufactured by Gerling Toy Company of New York.  I have scoured my doll references: Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide books 1 and 2 by Myla Perkins (Collector Books, Paducah, KY 1993 and 1995), and several other general-doll and composition doll reference books without finding these dolls documented.


Ms. Meier is attempting to assess a value and obtain additional information about these advertising/character dolls.  If you have seen dolls like these or have additional information about them, please share your knowledge as a comment.

Thanks in advance.

dbg

BDHT: President's Day Installment 2

With the exception of the Abraham Lincoln image that is part of Temperance Freedom's display bench, three-dimensional dolls, bobble heads (that look nothing like President Barack Obama*), and paper dolls in his and his family members' image are the only presidential doll-related items in my collection.  I gathered the 3-D dolls and bobbleheads and took the above photograph to create today's President's Day Installment 2.

The paper doll images follow.

Happy President's Day.  Do you plan to stimulate the economy by participating in sales that retailers offer?

*BDHT:  President Barack Obama is the first African American president of these United States. 

dbg

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BDHT: 1942 Kid Chocolate

"Kid Chocolate" is the brown-skinned baby doll shown on page 40 of the 1942 Sears Christmas Catalogue.

Kid Chocolate's description reads: 

"Kid Chocolate"
30c 10 inches tall.  Body made of composition.  Inside jointed (the better way).  He's one of the perennial favorites. . . a pickaninny you'll simply adore.  Has painted eyes. Is dressed in romper suit and socks.  Every little girl should have one of these cute little dolls.  Shipping weight, 10 ounces 49 P 3427 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30c

The white counterpart is described as follows:

Round and Chubby

30c 10 inches tall.  Jointed composition doll.  Realistic painted face and eyes.  He's dressed in snug cotton romper and he wears cute baby booties that tie on.  Made of hard to break composition that is washable.  Here's a real value at Sears low price.  A thrilling gift for any child.  Shipping weight, 10 ounces 49 P 3426 . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30c

Except for color and description, the dolls are identical in appearance and price (30 cents). The white doll is described as round and chubby while the black doll is described in the typical 1942 way as a pickaninny (!).  It should also be noted that the manufacturer's given names for dolls were not often used in Sears catalogues Round and Chubby and Kid Chocolate were probably not the manufacturer-given names for these two.

dbg

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BDHT: The Problem We All Live With

Norman Rockwell character doll, Wilma, by Mary Moline

Wilma is an all-porcelain doll by artist, Mary Moline, made in Western Germany in 1981.  As stated on the  box, "This doll is one in a series of exclusive limited edition collectibles that authentically duplicate the 'true to life' detailing that Mr. Rockwell is remembered for.  He endowed us with over 3,000 such portrayals of the yesterdays he wanted us to remember..."

Wilma depicts the African American girl in Rockwell's painting, "The Problem We All Live With."  The 1963 painting illustrating school racial integration originally appeared in Look magazine in 1964.

The doll is further described in my book Black Dolls:  A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating Collecting and Experiencing the Passion on pages 287-288, as follows:

Illustration 603, Mary Moline, Wilma, 1981

Material: Porcelain

Height: 10-1/2in/26.67cm

Marks: 2557 (stamped on back of neck); ©MARY MOLINE/MADE IN W-GERMANY PPI/Nr. 5 (incised in back); Rumbleseat Dolls logo hangs from belt of dress

Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black synthetic wig styled in three braids (two side braids and one in the center of the head)/brown stationary/closed

Clothing: White dress, slip, panties, socks, and vinyl sneakers; school books, ruler, pencils tied to left wrist

Other: Doll depicts the [1963] Norman Rockwell painting, “The Problem We All Live With,” of Ruby Bridges escorted to school by white federal marshals, walking past a wall defaced by racist graffiti. Ruby Bridges became the first black child to attend William Frantz Elementary School and the first African American child to attend a white school in Louisiana.

Additional Reading/Images:
The Problem We All Live With -  The Truth About Rockwell's Painting
More About Ruby Bridges
Bridges with former elementary teacher

dbg

BDHT: Miss Black America

Effanbee's Miss Black America, pictured above, from the International Collection, circa 1980 was a gift to my daughter when she was three.  My sister was a freshman at a university in Denver, Colorado when she purchased this doll from a nearby doll shop. 

There are at least three versions of Effanbee's Miss Black America.  Each one wears an afrocentric style dress and headwrap.  The dress fabric varied each year.   My doll wears a brown paisley and floral-print  dress and originally had a matching headwrap.  After inheriting the doll from my daughter, whose interest in dolls ceased around age 17, I replaced the missing headwrap with a swatch from a brown bandana.  The doll's original brown sandals are missing and remain unreplaced. 

Miss Black America is 11 inches tall, has a soft vinyl head and plastic body.  The copyright date of 1975/1976 on the neck indicates the year this mold was introduced.  Effanbee, like many other doll manufacturers used the same doll to refashion, rename, and reintroduce to the doll market year after year, until the face mold was finally retired.   Miss Black America was discontinued in 1980.

After reliving the memories of how Miss Black America entered my collection, I wondered, "What ever happened to the Miss Black America Pageant?" and whether or not it inspired the creation of the Effanbee doll.   My pondering led to a Google search and link to the official Miss Black America website.  While there, I viewed the Miss Black America video and relived pleasant moments of my Black history.  I also read what inspired J. Morris Anderson to organize the first pageant in 1967.  Links to the website and the pageant's history follow.

Miss Black America website - (Please watch the video.)
History of the Miss Black America Pageant (Please read this.)

Additional Information: 
The first African Americans (AA) to appear in the Miss America Pageant performed as enslaved people in 1923.  1970 marked the first year an AA woman entered the Miss America Pageant, which is why there was a need for a Miss Black America Pageant.  Read more here. 


dbg

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BDHT: Shindana's First Fashion Doll

#1 Wanda Career Girl by Shindana Toys ©1972

She's ebony in color, made of soft, pose-able vinyl, has rooted hair and eyelashes, and resembles Mattel's vintage Christie.  She's Shindana's first fashion doll, Wanda Career Girl and stands a diminutive 9 inches. 


The original Wanda  Career Girl, stock #2050 is described in the 1973 Shindana Cataglogue as, "Shindana's all new career girl. Her shag hairdo gives her that 'in look' for work 'n play.  She is 9" tall with a twist waist, movable arms and legs, and real rooted hair 'n lashes.  Wanda is dressed in a basic green tunic with matching shoes."  Like a few other Shindana dolls, a white version of the original Wanda Career Girl  was also made, stock #2150. 

A scan of page 4 from the 1975 Shindana Toys Catalogue features Wanda Career Girl as a singer/performer; sky diver/race car driver; tennis pro; doctor (described as a nurse in the accompanying booklet); stewardess; and ballerina.  With the exception of the sky diver/race car driver, each Wanda Career Girl came with an extra casual fashion and a booklet describing the career the doll depicts. 

The booklet, illustrated above, features pictures of and comments from an African American nurse, a ballerina, and a stewardess (now known as flight attendants).  There is also an invitation for girls to join the Wanda Career Club.  To learn about their favorite career, girls were urged to send letters to a South Central Avenue address in Los Angeles, California.

In addition to the #1 Wanda Career Girl, I own the others illustrated in the 1975 Shindana Catalogue.  Their images are included below:

Wanda Career Girl Singer/Performer and Tennis Pro

Wanda Career Girl Skydiver/Race Car Driver

Wanda Career Girl Nurse

Wanda Career Girl Stewardess

Wanda Career Girl Ballerina

Shindana's attempt to educate children and inspire career goals and aspirations through the dolls, toys, and games they manufactured was certainly successful with Wanda Career Girl.  Wanda plays an important role in  doll history, too.  She is the first multi-career-oriented fashion doll mass produced by a black-owned company in America. 

BDHT = Black Doll History Tidbit

dbg

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BDHT: Remco's Mimi

The Spirit moved me to share a black-doll history tidbit (BDHT) on Remco's Mimi, pictured above with three boxed fashions.

Singing Mimi by Remco ©1973 was on my wish list for several years.  Thanks to fellow black-doll enthusiast, Linda Hayes, this past summer, I acquired a mint doll with three of the six boxed fashions that were made.

Mimi is a 20-inch, battery-operated, world-traveler with a voice box and records that allow her to sing "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" in 8 different languages.  When working, she sings fluently in English, French, German, Greek, Polish, Hebrew, Spanish, and Italian. Six extra boxed outfits representing fashions worn by different nationalities and extra records and song sheets were sold separately.  The song sheets with each fashion include popular songs sung by that nationality.  

According to Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide, page 242, "Mimi knows no boundaries... only the brotherhood of song."

White versions of Mimi were made, but the black versions are very rare (not as many were made and many did not endure the rigors of child's play). 

Mimi's body is sturdy, similar to Ideal's Crissy; however, she stands approximately three inches taller.  My doll, like most Mimi's today no longer sings.  The voice box was not as well made as the body.  Even though Mimi is mute, I was happy to add her and her extra boxed fashions to my collection. 


dbg

PS:   What came first the song, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" or the Coca-Cola commerical that used the song as a jingle? Find the answer here.




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