German Dolls and World War I

Usually when dating a German doll it is wise to assume that it was made either prior to World War I or after I920. The hiatus during the war years and shortly thereafter provided a period when there were very few German dolls being manufactured. Not only were the German doll maker involved with wartime activities but feeling against Germans and their products was also a deterrent

BY DOROTHY S. & EVELYN JANE COLEMAN

Source: May 1985 • DOLL READER , Pages 51-55

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Some idea of the forcefulness of this anti-German feeling in Britain can be seen by the following quotations from British toy trade journals.

February 1917: "Once upon a time ... when commercial travelers from the Fatherland were flooding the world with their eloquence - and their goods - those of us who had good taste feared for a moment that one day the world would be entirely invaded by the hideous products of German rubbish. ... Do you remember the abominable Teutonic ornaments (always adorned with English and French labels) ... ?

"And the German dolls! - The appalling dolls at Sonneberg. whose ugliness frightened the little children of England and France! ... The German doll will remain an unforgetable example of ridicule. And the awk­wardness of the gretchens, with their stiffness and inelegance, which seemed to be symbolised by the heavy clumsy dolls.

"Dolls from Sonneberg were all made after one model, angular and barbarous. If you saw one you saw them all. ...

"The dolls of Sonneberg were always dressed in showy colours, shock­ingly assorted . ...

"The Great War among other things, has delivered us from the Ger­man doll. This alone is something! Babies will never regret it!"

These quotations are from The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader; similar sentiments were also expressed by the British periodical The Toyshop and Fancy Goods Journal in February 1917:

"Prior to August 1914 we bought all [dolls] the country required ... from Germany; Sonneberg, in Saxe-Mein­ingen, being the chief centre of manufacture . ... The annual report of the Sonne berg Chamber of Commerce sets forth that the German Toy Trade must count on an extremely uphill struggle to regain its prewar position in world markets ....

"The [British] Committee on Enemy Influence is giving special at­tention to the matter. ... and will be glad to have any information that is likely to assist in the work of frustrating the wily Hun [German]." The use of the word "all" is questionable as regards dolls from Germany. It is known that Dean and others were making dolls in Britain and that the S.F. B.J. supplied dolls, also. Of course, it was possible that many of the S.F.B.J. dolls were actually made in Germany just prior to World War I.

In January 1918, The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader reported:

"German doll manufacturers are experiencing the utmost difficulty in obtaining materials for the dresses of the few dolls which they are producing, and for what is being got exorbitant prices are being paid. This is a striking indication of the great scarcity of textile materials in Hunland . ...

"The German toy manufacturers are keenly alive to the necessity for preparing for after the war trade. They realise that most of their overseas markets are closed against them and that they will need to use every en­deavour if they are again to resume commercial relations with their old customers."

The same British magazine in February 1918 stated: "A little over three and a-half years ago, at the time the war broke out, there existed in this country a perfect organisation for the distribution of German and Austrian goods in Great Britain. That organisa­tion consisted of certain importing houses of both British and German nationality ... and in some instances of actual English branches of German and Austrian manufacturers . ...

"It is quite true that the actual English branches of German houses have been closed down . ...

"We do not know whether we can rely on a period of total prohibition of certain or all German and Austrian good after the war. ...

"Messrs Heywood[Abel Heywood and Sons Ltd. handled wood toys and dressed dolls]. .. said that they had decided not to interfere with their business relations with the firms who previous to the war, were looked upon as German houses, but if any of these houses handled a single line of German goods after the war, their account would be promptly closed, and his firm would refuse to do any further business with them whatever."

14in (35.6cm) excellent quality bisque character head on a bent-limb composition body; wig, sleep eyes, open mouth; original homemade rompers. This doll was bought in Dusseldorf, Germany, only a few weeks prior to World War I. The head bears the mold number 152 which was made by Hertel, Schwab & Co.

A not her article in the same Febru­ary 1918, issue of The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader, discussed: "The Toy Trade in Germany .... the German Toy industry is showing the effects of over three years of war. Simplicity is now the rule in toyshops. Wood which was formerly used only for the cheaper sorts of toys, is now the chief material employed. The manufacture of new dolls is becoming impossible through want of flour, which mixed with cement forms the stuffing for the bodies. Wax, which is used for the heads of the better-class dolls, is almost unobtain­able; the same remark applies to the stuffs and lace used for the making of dolls' shoes, hats, dresses, stocking, etc."

In September 1918, The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader, painted a very bleak picture of the many substitute materials that had to be used in Ger­many for dolls and toys. It stated:

"The shortages of countless kinds of raw and subsidiary materials is so great that the manufacture of very many sorts of toys and dolls would have been impossible but for sub­stitutes. For many things, indeed no suitable substitutes have yet been dis­covered, a for instance, for furs. leather, and plush. ... Sheepskins, goatskins, calfskins, and hareskins are almost out of the question. Nor can the poor-quality felts and paper materials take the place of leather and plush; while for dolls' clothing no substitutes will do. The public reject dolls' dresses made of paper or paper stuff, alleging that paper substances are ugly and stiff and soon wear out. ...

5in (12.7cm) excellent quality bisque character head with molded and painted hair, glass eyes and an open mouth. This doll is shown in its original brown cardboard box and is mold number 151 made by Hertel, Schwab & Co. The late Eleanor Jean Carter Collection.

"One of the most important subsidiary articles for making dolls is mohair. ... Sonneberg alone worked up several million marks' worth annually. In the meantime, however, a substitute had to be discovered for mohair, and it was found in artificial mohair. which unlike artificial silk, scarcely differs from the real article. But it suffers from the disadvantage of being too expensive, and apart from that has been placed under embargo for Army requirements. There was, therefore, no other course open but to use human hair. Of this, however, the quantities are not large, and as its price is high it came into use only for the very best kind of doll.

"Sewing thread is another subsidiary article for which a substitute had to be found, because the original has become very scarce indeed. It has been replaced to a limited extent by paper thread. Varnish has become so expensive that it is out of the question for the toy industry . ... ft is difficult to find glue substitutes, and there is therefore an enormous demand for bone glue. Pasteboard has taken the place of cork."

Mark on the 5in (12.7cm) socket head. The 151 mold number is probably the molded hair version of the wigged mold number 152. Both of these heads were made by Hertel, Schwab & Co. The late Eleanor Jean Carter Collection.

In January 1919, Games and Toys published an article on the "Toy Industry in Germany" from an earlier German periodical. It read:

"Dolls cannot be made any more owing to the lack of the meal and cement used in making the bodies. Also the material for heads for the better kinds of dolls can no longer be obtained, and the same is true of the goods from which the shoes, bonnets, clothes, etc., are made . ...

"The biggest German toy factories have secured large Government con- tracts to do war work."

The war finally ended in November 1918, but the return to peace was not followed immediately by the full resumption of the German doll making industry. The Toyshop and Fancy Goods Journal in July 1919 reported:

"Although Trading with the Enemy restrictions have been somewhat modi­fied, it is hoped that patriotism, com­mon-sense, and good taste will prevent dealers in toys and fancy goods from handling German-made goods for a long time to come. It is amazing, but true that German bagmen are on the warpath already, beating up for orders." But their presence was most unwelcome in Britain.

These two 5in (12.7cm) bisque heads made by Armand Marseille, mold number 390, are very poor quality and were probably made during World War I. Other examples of mold number 390 found with fine quality bisque were probably made before or after the war. These heads are marked: "Armand Marseille//Germany// 390// A 11 /0 M." The late Eleanor Jean Carter Collection.

The report on the Leipzig Autumn Fair-published in The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader, October 1919, stated:

"Nearly all branches of German industry are on the verge of bankruptcy, due principally to the shortage of coal and secondly to the loss of export trade, which carries with it the inability to purchase much needed foreign raw materials ....

"In the doll trade it appears there has been comparatively few actual sales made at the Fair. ...

"The dolls in most cases were poorly clothed and made of cheap material. Better class dolls were four- or five-times pre-war prices, the reason being of course, the shortage of raw materials (cotton, wool and linen), which the Germans must purchase at the present unfavourable rate of exchange."

In December 1919, The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader, reported the following items:

"France has decided to place a big tariff on toys coming into the country from Germany . ...

"During the last few weeks many neutral and also English and American toy buyers have visited Sonneberg. ...

21 ½in (54.6cm) bent-limb character baby made by Kammer & Reinhardt with a bisque head made by Simon & Hal big. mold number 126. This doll was received in America for Christmas 1920. The quality of the bisque is not up to Simon & Halbig's usual standard and the body has metal spring joints rather than rubber elastic which was in short supply during World War I. The doll has a wig, sleep eyes and an open mouth. Mark on head is: "K * R//SIMON & HALBIG// 126." Circumference of head is l4¾in (37.6cm).

"An association of Sonneberg Doll and Toy Manufacturers is being formed ....

"A luxury tax of 15 per cent, to be paid by the manufacturers, has been pronounced on ... dolls or animals over 50 cm. long. Others not named are to be tax free."

In February 1920, the same maga­zine reported that "Nearly everything manufactured or sold in Germany is subject to one or more taxes. A tax of I½ per cent is primarily imposed on all goods sold."

The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader, in May 1920, published an article written by an American which stated; "There are here, as in England, a number of firms showing German toys. These however, it is easy to see, are nearly all either pre-war produced or assembled from old pre-war parts. and I have not yet come across any firm who is taking orders for regular German lines. It is interesting also to know that the two great toy trade journals in this country have adopted the same policy toward this trade which we have taken, and under no circumstance wiJI they accept German advertisements or ad­vertisements for German goods."

However, in April 1921, The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader, published an advertisement for Charles W. Baker of London who offered "some of the prettiest and best finished dolls on the market." The accompanying picture showed a fully-jointed doll dressed in a chemise and having a six pointed tar label with the words "Meine/ / Einzige/ / Baby." on it. This label identifies the doll as having been made by Kley & Hahn of Germany. But it is not known whether this doll i from old stock or is a recent German post World War I product. A similar advertisement by Charles W. Baker a few months later in the December 1921 issue of the same magazine, showed a bent-limb baby version of the Kley & Hahn Meine Einzige Baby.

16in (40.6cm) bent-limb character baby made by Kley & Hahn with a bisque head made by Hertel, Schwab & Co. using mold number 158. Since dolls made by Kley & Hahn were one of the first German dolls to appear in British toy trade journals in 1921 after the war and since mold number 158 could have come after mold numbers 151 and 152, which appear to have been used just prior to World War I, it is possible that this was one of the early dolls made after the German recovery following World War I. Mark on bisque head "K & H/ /Germany// 158-6." Circumference of head is 10¾in (27.4cm). Dorothy Annunziata Collection.

The Toyshop and Fancy Goods Journal, in May 1921 reported: "A big shipment of German ... dolls reached Swansea on the 12th ... German toy manufacturers have branches in France which are not stated to be German and toys are sent there all ready to be assembled."

Martin Raphael & Co. Ltd. of London advertised in The Toyshop and Fancy Goods Journal in August 1921 that they "are direct agents for the leading Continental Manufacturers and quote lowest possible prices. Wholesale and Merchants only supplied BABY DOLLS Dressed & Undressed. DOLLS HEADS of China, Celluloid and Steel, Socket, Baby, Shoulder, with and with­out Wigs." The British used the word "china" for "bisque" and the doll illus­trated was named "Melitta." The "Melitta" dolls made by Edmund Edelmann of Sonneberg had bisque heads made by Armand Marseille.

12in (30.5cm) bisque head character doll marked: "255//3//0. I. C.," a doll identified by the Ciesliks as made by Kestner about 1921. The bisque in this doll's head is not as good as we usually find in the Kestner dolls, probably because it was made soon after World War I. Courtesy of Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, New York.

The same magazine in September 1921, reported: "That Germany is recovering rapidly from the economical calamities under which it has suffered is perfectly obvious. ... Wagner & Co., manufacturers and wholesalers of Bayern [Bavaria], Germany and prom­inent exhibitors of dolls and toys at the Leipsic [sic] Messe." stated "We are too full up with orders from the United States of America to undertake any further orders for your country," meaning England. Wagner & Co. appears to have been D. H. Wagner & Sohn.

By the end of 1921 German dolls were back on the British market and the animosity and problems of the war years appear to have been forgotten.

The Toy and Fancy Goods Trader in December 1921, published an advertisement of W. Seelig of London. This advertisement included: "Kestner “Crown” Dolls; Pfeiffer's Viennese Dressed Dolls; Gerlachs Dolls House Articles; Wagner & Zetzsches Kid body Dolls, Shoes, Stockings, Etc.; Sehms Miniature Dressed Dolls; and Sonneerg Dressed and Undressed Dolls." In the same issue there was also an advertisement by Dennis, Malley & Co. with heir doll factories in Neustadt, Waltershausen and Catterfeld.

4in (10.2cm) all-bisque doll known from its label as Chin Chin made by Gebruder Heubach shortly after World War I. During World War I Japan supplied bisque dolls, among them the all-bisque Queue San Baby dolls. Chin Chin was the slightly smaller German version made after World War I when Germany was trying to regain its market from Japan and the rest of the world.

Thus, by the end of 1921, after seven years of war and post-war prob­lems the production of German dolls appears to have been resumed. In dating German dolls one must remem­ber that they were probably made before 1915 or after 1920. A few dolls were made in Germany at the beginning of the war and in J 919 some dolls were made for German children but in the Ciesliks' book Lexikon of the German Doll lndustry, there is a void for the years from 1916 to 1919 in nearly every entry. The German dolls that were made in these years probably can be identified because of the wartime substitutions which had to be used in their manufacture.

Authors' Note: The wartime propa­ganda against German dolls is pure propaganda and in no way should it reflect on the quality of German dolls. Only the wartime shortages of materials caused inferior German dolls.

Tongue-Twisting Tomboys

Sandi McAslan's porcelain creations roll their eyes curl their tongues and pucker their lips. Now her vinyls are about to do the same.

BY STEPHANIE FINNEGAN

Source: May 1996 • DOLL, Pages 72-75

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This 17-inch one-of-a-kind African American doll was created out of high-fired clay. She has a black custom-made mohair wig, painted eyes, and hand-painted sculpted shoes. Her costume was made from a variety of colorful silk brocade fabrics.

When people see a doll they should be able to identify that doll with a particular business or artist. Different, but recognizable," Sandi McAslan observes. "I think we've managed to do that."

McAslan dolls are certainly eye-catching. They gesticulate, giggle and grimace; they scrunch up their eyes and pull down their lips. In other words, they disport themselves like a typical antsy seven-year-old on School Picture Day.

"I see my dolls as six-to ten-year-old children. A lot of them have oversize teeth so you know they're six or seven, and those new teeth are growing in and they don't fit their faces," McAslan, the mother of three young children - Devon, Morgan and Lennon explains. "And I've started making some of the teeth to be crooked and overlapping. It just seems like a real gawky-kid thing."

Store owner Patt Sessa of Patt & Billy's, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, applauds McAslan's quirky faces. "Not all kids are that gorgeous. We have a picture of my sister when she, was six years old. Her two front teeth were missing, and her hair was stringy. She hates that photo of herself, but that's really what she looked like at that age. Sandi McAslan's dolls remind me of her, and of my grandchildren now. They absolutely make me happy."

The Canton, Connecticut, doll artist began mapping the many moods of childhood in the fall of 1989. Her son, Devon, had just started kindergarten, and she was home with her toddler daughter, Morgan. She had begun collecting dolls, ostensibly claiming that they were being set aside for her children. As her taste in dolls became more sophisticat­ed, leaning more and more toward lim­ited-edition pieces, McAslan decided to try her own hand at making a col­lectible. "I had been an artist by train­ing. I had done some sculpting as a teenager, but let me tell you, it was a long hard road. It took eight months be­fore I completed my first doll. I went to the library and did research, but there's almost nothing written about how to make a mold."

Drawing upon her storehouse of inge­nuity, she attempted to make a mold via creative shortcuts. "I'm not a techni­cian. When I paint, I paint with acrylics, not oil, because I don't have the patience to wait for the paint to dry. I tried shortcuts over and over until I fi­nally admitted I had to do this one step at a time. It was now the spring of 1990, eight months after I had begun, and I had made my doll."

Cynthia is a 1996 porcelain child. "I think when people come to Toy Fair they expect my children. People do come to expect a certain type of thing from you as an artist," McAslan states.

She brought her first effort, Kelly, to a doll shop, where she had developed a friendship with the owner. "I told her my family thinks it's pretty nice, but what do you think? She looked at it and ordered a couple. She thought I was pretty promising." McAslan then pro­duced a second doll, Lisa, from chat same facial mold. "We sold 25 or 30 of those first dolls. I even sewed their clothing, and 1 don't sew well. So I knew chat the dolls only had to get bet­ter when I eventually stopped sewing." McAslan laughs as she needles her own reputation as a seamstress during those novice days.

Initially, McAslan's dollmaking was perceived by her family as a rewarding labor of love, one-half hobby and one-half business venture. That perception would change rather quickly. In 1991 Jim McAslan was let go from his management position at an insurance firm. He received a healthy severance bonus, but didn’t know where he should turn for a new position. His wife's budding talents as a dollmaker seemed a risky, but potentially rewarding, career path. The husband and wife joined forces that year.

"There's no denying that Sandi is the artist. I throw my two cents of opinion in, but she has the final say. Maybe in other areas-business or marketing - I have 51 percent of the say," Jim McAslan explains. "Since day one Sandi and I have want­ed to produce affordable dolls, even if it meant making a few more dolls, having to work a little bit harder, doing a lot to keep the dolls at a reasonable price. Our objective beyond making a living is to get the dolls out there so people can enjoy them. If they're priced too high, no one will buy them anyhow. Dolls should not be status symbols."

The dollmaker echoes her husband’s sentiments. Philosophically, I don’t agree with the idea behind a one-of-a-kind. To me, a doll should be something that if you like or want as a collector, you should be able to have. I mean, it's only a doll! They are just out of the reach of the normal person's pocketbook," McAslan em­phatically states. "I feel that the editions I make with the tongues and the teeth are really close to a one-of-a-kind style. For each and every doll I have to retool the eyes and the whole mouth com­pletely back in. So each doll gets my personalized attention. I like doing it, though, because it's more interesting than a plain face. It's never boring."

Libby is a 1995 porcelain creation. "I see my dolls as pure kids-no fancy costumes-just tomboyish girls. That's why they have messy hair, like I did as a kid," McAslan chuckles.

An animated countenance combined with an easy-to-display size are McAslan trademarks. The 15-inch porcelain characters made their debut at the 1992 American International Toy Fair, where they went over big. "When I first started out, 1 thought that large equated with realistic. My first dolls in 1990 and then in 1991 were 24 inches. In 1991 I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, Lennon. She was born on July l. I had a lot of work to do, and I was starting to have my doubts about the size of the big dolls. I had only made a few, and I had nowhere to put them. I started to wonder what do the collectors do with them. Are they really out on display, or are they packed away in the basement? Are they in boxes and only rotated out occasionally?

"Well, it was summer, and I love to hold babies, especially wonderful newborn ones. And I sculpted all of the smaller-size limbs for that 1992 line of dolls during the six-week period that I was holding Lennon. I know it sounds contrived and made up, but that's really how the 15-inch dolls came about. They were an easier size to make when holding a baby. I sculpted the limbs in the day and the faces at night. I've been doing that size ever since. I think they are wonderful because you can have them out all the time. They're small and manageable."

Lennon McAslan is also responsible for her mother's fabulous tongue­twirling faces. "When I first did that crazy-tongue expression with my doll Cassie, I thought where in the world did that come from? This doll is pretty wild. And then a few nights later, we're sit­ting at the dinner table, and Lennon was two then. She's in the high chair and she was making an absolute mess, and she was doing all of these wild movements with her tongue. I had picked it up from her subconsciously."

Chloe is a 1996 porcelain. "A lot of my porcelain dolls have freckles. I always wanted to have freckles as a kid, and never got them!"

Intuition and gut instincts help moti­vate McAslan's hands as she fashions her initial designs from Super Sculpey. "When I used to paint canvases, they were all abstracts. My favorite period of art is the Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s. I'm an action painter, and if you will, I'm an action sculptor. I work on a face until it just doesn't work for me, or else it will communicate back to me when it's done. I don't work from pho­tographs or anything like that. I might cut out articles that inspire me, but l could never do a portrait doll. I'm not technically competent enough for that."

McAslan and her porcelain offspring have developed a loyal following in six short years. Along the way she has received critical lauds as well. From 1992 to 1995 one of her designs has received a Dolls Award of Excellence nomination each year. In 1992 Tommy was n01ni­nated in the Porcelain $251-$500 cate­gory; Piper was a nominee in 1993 for the Porcelain $301-$550 category; Maggie got a nod in 1994 in the Porcelain $150-$300 grouping; and 1995's Nell was recognized with a nomination for Porcelain $301-$550. This run of acknowledgments is quite a feat for the self-taught dollmaker. McAslan revels in the recognition from her peers­their support and appreciation help her to carry on-and she especially loves the kudos from her fans.

Karen is a 1995 porcelain. "I love playing den­tist as I clean my dolls' teeth," McAslan teases. "You need a sense of humor to like our dolls."

We’ve started a brand-new collector's club, and it already has over 100 members,” says McAslan. ''That's a pleasant surprise. Our club doesn't charge a membership fee; we send out a packet to members, which is nothing fancy. It's not in color; it's a booklet of all the arti­cles about us and a Xerox of the paper doll that I did for Dolls magazine two years ago (Alice in the May 1994 issue). Members can buy clothes and acces­sories from us. We're also planning to do a Christmas doll for club members only. It'll be a vinyl one, most probably."

If the mention of vinyl has perked up your ears, you are not alone. McAslan realizes that with this 1996 innovation a whole new breed of collectors will be able to snatch up her creations at dra­matically lower prices. Patricia Park, a collector from New York City, was ecstatic when she first heard rumors of McAslan going vinyl. "I only own two McAslan porcelain pieces, but now I think there may be no stopping me. I already have my eye on four vinyls. It definitely is a more affordable packaging." Why does Park enjoy McAslan so much? "I like her dolls' non-beauty. They remind me of real kids with sticky, ice-cream-covered fingers. You know that they're cute and have good hearts, but you wouldn't want them sitting on your living-room couch."

Kelly is McAslan's first doll from 1990. "To be a dollmaker, you have to be a costume designer, a hairstylist, an artist."

Grace O'Hara, a collector from Hol­lywood, Florida, has a similar pro-vinyl reaction. She already owns one McAslan porcelain, Steffie & Stuffie. O'Hara purchased Steffie because she "prefers sad dolls to happy ones." She admits that she thought long and hard before buying her. "She was such a sad­looking child. But then I realized that with childhood, sadness comes deeply and goes away very quickly."

O'Hara recently picked up three of McAslan's vinyls. "I bought Cindy, Holly and Charlotte. Charlotte is my fa­vorite because of her bright red hair and closed lips. I have the three vinyls standing rogether. They seem to be having a conversation, and appear to be enjoying themselves thoroughly," she muses. "Also, there's usually a loss when an artist moves from porcelain to vinyl, but not with Sandi."

The doll artist would be gratified to hear this critique. She and her husband toiled for months to insure that there wouldn't be any detectable downgrade in quality. The only discernible difference between the porcelain and the new vinyl line is the height. The vinyls measure 18 inches. "The vinyls have the exact same mohair wigs that I use for my porcelains. The ready-made wigs made them look too much like all the other dolls on the market. Their limb design is identical to the porcelains, too, except for the material used, and they both have soft cloth bodies," McAslan states. "I paint the first vinyl's mouth and eyebrows, and then a stencil is made from my work. A stencil process is then used for all the rest of the dolls in that line, and they are airbrushed to my original pattern. However, I hand paint the eyes of every vinyl, and l paint the tear ducts, and then l touch up the col­oring on all the lids, and I put the shad ing on their lips. So I still do those kinds of details myself."

Lettie is a 1996 vinyl. "Lettie has a country feel to her. I see her as a rustic, with her wreath of flowers and Raggedy-style dress."

McAslan's hands-on approach to her vinyls allows her to maintain that spe­cially crafted look. Though the notion of vinyl might conjure up impersonal assembly lines, McAslan would never allow that to happen to her creations.

"We have our goals and we have our objectives," McAslan theorizes, "but we never want to grow so big that I feel like I'm just managing a staff all the time. I never want to sacrifice my time with the dolls for paperwork." The McAslan Doll Company currently consists of Sandi and her husband, along with six subcontractors. Together these eight hardworking folks have produced an ambitious 1996 line of dolls. There are six vinyls: Trixie, Lacy, Lettie, Holly, Cindy and Charlotte. The vinyls come in editions of 750 and are priced at $295. The porcelains are issued in edi­tions of 50, and are priced at $460. The 1996 porcelains are Nessie, Chloe, Deb­bie, Abigail and Cynthia. There's a sixth porcelain, Patty, which was designed and executed completely by McAslan's apprentice, Lorrie Pinto. "If anyone internally is interested in developing, I am more than happy to offer assistance and work with them," McAslan says, beaming.

The potential success of her apprentice seems to genuinely please McAslan. Ann Rozell, owner of The Doll House, in Edmond, Oklahoma, seconds McAslan's geniality. "Sandi and Jim are two of the nicest people. They are a joy to know, and Sandi's personality comes out in her dolls. They have such character in their faces that they make me and my customers smile."

Rozell has been carrying McAslan dolls for nearly five years. She considers them to be excellent sellers because of "their true-to-life expressions." She predicts that their vinyls will do extremely well because "they look just like the porcelains. She hasn't lost a thing in the switch, not even in the eyes which are always so expressive."

"I worked with Nancy Cloutier, who made the dragon. It was fun collaborating," McAslan observes about Elf and Dragon, 1994.

McAslan's eyes always seem to stand out because she invests so much time and labor perfecting them. It takes 12 or 15 layers of paint and glaze to make her porcelains' eyes. Her vinyls' eyes are five or six layers deep with paint and glaze. McAslan admits to being partial to her dolls' eyes. "Painting the eyes is my fa­vorite part. It's the eyes that bring them to life. Many collectors communicate to us not just about the dolls' expressions but also their sense of movement. Tech­nically, there's a reason for that move­ment. Everyone's face is out of balance, and none of my dolls are symmetrical. The eyes are deliberately off and the mouths arc crooked-that gives them the movement that they have. It looks like they are in the middle of changing an expression. When you look at them, your eye is trying subconsciously to rec­oncile the differences. It's your eyes that are moving the features around."

Many of her collectors and shop owners repeatedly kick around the phrase "real life" in connection with McAslan's work. Lou Camilleri, owner of Dear Little Dollies, in Bellmore, New York, feels chat "Sandi has real children completely figured out. She puts personality into their expressions. Her dolls are sweet, but still exaggerated. They're a nice collection to have at home."

At the dollmaker's home, which also functions as her studio and club head­quarters, a history of her development as an artist is arranged in discreet nooks and crannies. She always keeps one of each doll for her personal collection. "l keep my favorites out of each of the editions. Sometimes it will be number 50 in an issue that will say something to me. After all the dolls that I've made I have to tell you that it still surprises me when I stand back and see all of them as a group. I still get that strange feeling that I didn't really make them. They sort of created themselves."

McAslan's talk of self-evolving dolls ties in with her and her children's love of Star Trek and all of its spin-offs. The dollmaker has toyed with the idea of producing a line of sci-fi alien children. She's not certain if her fans would appre­ciate strangely domed children, or mutant babies with spotted foreheads and ridged noses. But don't be surprised if McAslan does boldly go where no doll artist has gone before.

The Many Faces of Snow White

Snow White lives in the part of our heart that holds childhood memories, so no wonder we love Snow White dolls.

BY PENNY NEWMAN

Madame Alexander's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs brings all of the beloved Disney characters to life. Photo Courtesy Alexander Doll Company, Inc. © Disney

Source: November 2003 • DOLL READER , Pages 34-37

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Did you know that in the original Grimm fairy tale published in 1812, the dwarfs were completely anonymous and played a very mall part in the Snow White story? Walt Disney gave us those seven little fellows, after consider­ing different names and personalities such as Blabby, Gaspy, and Hotsy on that initial draft. The animated full-length feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was completed in 1937, and Disney's movie masterpiece gave us the version of the Snow White story we cherish o much today.

There are practically as many Snow White tales a there are cultures in the world. In Scotland the story is known as "Gold-Tree and Silver­Tree," and in Italy the tale is handed down as "The Crystal Casket," or "The Young Slave." Snow White is known as Nourie Hadig in Armenia, and she is Mirabella in Portugal. In some of the fables, Snow White comes back to life by coughing up a sliver of the poisoned apple, and in other versions the tender kiss of a royal prince does the trick.

Approximately 17 inches tall, Jan Fuqua's Snow White was sculpted from polymer clay with a posable cloth body. She has German blown-glass eyes and a human-hair wig. Photo courtesy Carolyn Isenberg, Sweetheart's Dolls, Saratoga Springs, N. Y.

Creative minds in the doll world have given us varied and important three-dimensional interpretations of this charming fairy story. By bringing forth a body of work immortalizing the beloved tale, doll artists and manufacturers give Snow White a future for generations to enjoy. Happily, ever since the film's premiere, Disney has continually allowed various toy makers in the United States and other countries to reproduce Snow White as a doll.

Following the release of the Disney movie, Chad Valley in England produced a series of the characters from the film. Chad Valley made a fawn, several rabbits, and squirrels, many of whom became friends of the little medieval princess, and Snow White herself. Chad Valley even issued Snow White dolls with music boxes, and all are very hard to find today.

Fortunately, Snow White dolls are still being made today. The col­laboration between Walt Disney and Madame

This musical 16-1/2-inch Snow White was made by the Chad Valley company in England in 1938 and is one of the earliest Snow White dolls. The doll still has her standard original dark auburn wig and a Chad Valley label sewn onto her back. The fabric doll has been lovingly restored and the music box still plays With a Smile and a Song from the Disney movie. Photo courtesy R. John Wright Dolls, Inc.

Alexander is legendary, and Alexander has produced a variety of beautiful and collectible Snow White dolls. Along with a traditional Storyland 8-inch Snow White and a 5-inch Petite Storybook version as well, the 2003 Alexander catalog offers a gift set based on the classic Disney film. The set includes a 10-inch Cissette Snow White and the dwarfs. "It is a great honor for us to now work with Disney, as this gives us the op­portunity to transform our beloved dolls into the characters generations of children have grown up with. We have added that special Alexander touch to this classic, timeless film," says Gale Jarvis, president of the Al­exander Doll Company.

Carolyn Isenberg, owner of Sweetheart's Dolls in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., considers Snow White her signature doll. "Snow White was the first movie I saw as a child, and the first doll I purchased as an adult was a Madame Alexander Snow White." Isenberg commissioned a Disney-inspired Snow White for her personal collection from artist Jan Fuqua. Fuqua's one-of-a-kind, $990 Cernit creation captures Snow White as a young girl. The painstaking care and skill that went into the doll's costume is typical of Fuqua's work. Using a pulled-thread technique on the blouse that weaves red-silk ribbon through the cotton dimity, the elabo­rate costume, including red Cabretta leather shoes, was fashioned entirely by Fuqua.

Two new Snow White dolls from Mattel bring the fairy tale lo life for a new genera­tion. Photo courtesy of Mattel, Inc.

The Smith family purchased the Vogue and Ginny names in 1995, and they have brought lovable Ginny back into the spotlight. For a number of years Vogue has been producing licensed Disney products for the an­nual Disney World Doll and Teddy Bear Convention. "After several years of Pooh-related items, we decided our collectors would like to have some of the princesses," says Linda Smith, president of Vogue. This year's 300- piece limited edition Snow White, the highlight of the 2002 Disney event, is available for purchase. Vogue's 8-inch hard plastic Ginny wears a knee-length traditional Snow White costume and red Ginny snap shoes.

"In Love with Snow While" is the theme Ruth Treffeisen chose for her porcelain grouping. Snow White is resplendent in an intricately sewn dupioni silk gown, and the dwarves have painted eyes to give them a "mystical" expression. Photo courtesy Atelier Ruth Treffeisen, Wiggensbach, Germany.

Disney princesses are a favorite Mattel theme, and the company has historically produced two types of 11-1/2-inch Snow White dolls. There are Snow White dolls that relate di­rectly to the character as presented in the Disney film, as well as Barbie® as Snow White dolls that retain the conventional Barbie sculpt and face paint. The 1997 Collector Edition Snow White commemorated the 60th anniversary of the original release of the motion picture. This year's Party Princess Snow White and Dreamtime Princess Snow White continue Mattel's exciting Snow White tradition.

R. John Wright has created many extraordinary dolls based on Disney characters. Available from 1989-1993, his Snow White series features jointed, molded felt figures display­ing exceptional detail and realism.

In Wright's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White appears in a tra­ditional Disney-inspired dress. The 9-inch dwarfs are remarkably expressive and are faithful to their characters as portrayed in the film. A 16-inch jointed Snow White in Rags was also released from 1989-1993, along with exceptionally well-made accessories that include a wooden wash bucket and scrub brush. All of the dolls were created in limited editions of 1000 and are considered by many to be among Wright's best work.

Doll artist Anna Brahms did not look to Disney for her Snow White group. "I would say that my vision comes from an old Grimm's fairy tale picture book from Europe, with illus­trations painted in the early 1900s," she says. Brahms' one-of-a-kind figures are made of fimo with bodies of cloth over wire armatures. Intricate costumes of silk and velvet adorn all of the wonderful characters. The sculptures are so expressive that the viewer can actually feel the emotional ties and tension that exist among the dolls in the collection. The set includes Snow White and all seven dwarfs, as well as the evil stepmother.

"I did some fairy tale scenes before, but none like the variety the dwarf scenes brought along," says German doll artist Ruth Treffeisen. Ruth created a limited edition of seven sets of her porcelain Snow White Collection in memory of her beloved childhood friend Elisabeth. The most sumptuous fabrics embroi­dered with genuine pearls and garnets were used in Snow White's costume. Specially designed wigs help emphasize the unique character of each dwarf, and all have different body types, appropriate accessories, and spirited poses. Each figure is available separately, and the group as a whole retails for $16,000.

Doll artists Judith and Lucia Friedericy created eight one-of-a-kind wax-over porcelain figures for Dear Little Dollies in Bellmore Village, N.Y. The unique set, priced at $3300, features Snow White and seven lively dwarfs seated on a log that was dis­covered by Louis Camilleri, the shop's owner. "I found the log in the Ver­mont woods some 15 years ago," he remembers. "The shape and features fascinated me, and the log rested in my basement until I saw the Friedericys' unique Snow White concept. Lucia's reaction was enthusiastic, and just look at the remarkable results."

The magic of folk and fairy tales give us a cross-cultural glimpse of myths, legends, and knowledge that has scrupulously been collected for hundreds of years. Each story is a gift and each interpretation a valuable in­heritance. The doll maker adds greatly to this tradition by giving a distinct three-dimensional voice to the stories. Their figures become an important part of the treasure we call fairy tales, which are destined for generations to cherish and enjoy.