Celebrity Dolls:

 

Everyone should have a Shirley Temple doll; the older compo dolls have fallen in price for dolls in good to fair condition, but there are porcelain reproductions available, whole series of Danbury Mint dolls, vinyl dolls from the 50s, 80s, 90s, paper dolls, figurines and much more.  It would be easy to collect DVDs, photos, or videos of her films, as well as books about her, if you don’t want a doll.


  She, too, had a doll collection, formerly displayed a Stanford Children’s Hospital, and there is a film about her and the collectibles she inspired called “Shirleymania.”  I even found a bottle of pop called “Shirley Temple”, inspired by the kiddie cocktail that bears her name.

 

Billie Nelson Tyrell, who was herself an actress, had the best collection of celebrity dolls I have ever seen, including the super-rare bisque Mary Pickford portrait doll.  Many were reproduced as 9 inch and 11 inch figures by various companies in the 90s and early 2000s.

 

Movie tie-ins abound today, but many represent actors and actresses in popular films. Hallmark Itty Bitty’s often represent characters from films as well.

 

Vintage celebrity dolls include The Dionne Quints,Judy Garland, Deanna Durbin, Sonny and Cher, Jackie Coogan, Charlie Chaplin, Baby Peggy, Farrah Fawcett Majors, Charlie's Angels, Brooke Shields, Susan Dey, Twiggy, Elizabeth Taylor, and more.  Some of these are also artists’ representations.  “Gone with The Wind Dolls” are very popular with collectors, and new examples are made by Tonner and others to celebrate the movie’s 75^th anniversary.

  The same is true of “Wizard of Oz” and memorabilia.  Mattel has created many personality Barbie dolls including Truly Scrumptious, Rosie O’Donnell, Deirdre Hall, Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Cindy Lauper and more.

 

Advertising Dolls:

 

The easiest of these to obtain are Happy Meal toys and premiums on various products.  The Gas Station dolls in international costume also fit this category, as do the Little Debbie dolls and Hostess Cupcake Characters.  You can find a lot of them in Goodwill and The Salvation Army for pennies or a dollar or two.  You only need one example.  Antique versions cost more, but are still out there, with the Aunt Jemima characters and Buster Brown dolls appearing frequently at doll auctions. 

 

Storybook Dolls:

 

Besides Nancy Ann Dolls, there are dolls by Hollywood, Horsman, Effanbee, Kehagias, Madame Alexander, and Royal Dolls.  The late Suzanne Gibson created a line for Reeves International in the 70s and 80s and even collaborated with Steiff on Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  R. Dakin has had a line, and Barbies often appear with storybook character outfits. Eden toys replicated Beatrix Potter characters in the 70s, and Target often features a famous Peter Rabbit line in its dollar section around Easter.  Ever After High dolls fit this category, as do some of the Monster High dolls.  Dozens of companies and artists have created Alice in Wonderland dolls; they are a collection in themselves. Disney dolls often represent fairy tale and storybook heroines like Sleeping Beauty, Snow While, Cinderella and Thumbelina.

 

Tiny plastic dolls were made in the 50s and 60s representing storybook folk, including tiny celluloid charms.

 

Ashton-Drake has produced many storybook dolls as has Madame Alexander. 

 

McFarlane Toys recreated characters from Grimm’s Fairy Tales a few years ago, but these are not for the fainthearted.

 

Little Red Riding Hood dolls are also popular, and many are made in the 7.5 inch plastic doll style.

 

Again, paper dolls of storybook characters have always been extremely popular.