Tracy's Toys (and Some Other Stuff)

Liddle Kiddle Kologne Doll

2012-01-31T06:30:00.004-05:00

Found at a recent toy show, this Kiddle Kologne doll is so sweet! Made by Mattel between 1968-1970, it's from a whole line of scented mini dolls housed in plastic cologne bottles. The wee little vinyl doll is just 2 inches tall, while her bottle home measures a roomy 5 inches. This particular variety is Lily of the Valley, and while this isn't her correct bottle (there were different color combinations), she was still a steal at just a couple of bucks. Learn more about the Kiddle Kolognes (and some of their friends and relations) here.

Lily in her bottle...

...and out of her bottle.

Back of the bottle, marked "Kiddle Kologne".

Miniature Dime Store Teddy Bear

2012-01-31T06:00:00.008-05:00

Spotted at a recent toy show in a tray of miscellaneous smalls was this miniature teddy bear, just 3 inches tall. Bears like these were made in Japan from the 1930s-50s, and sold in dime stores and penny candy shops. They're not stuffed in the traditional way. Instead their velveteen fabric is glued over a molded composition or cardboard body. They have tiny glass eyes and bead noses, and often still retain their original ribbons when found.

Gold is the most frequently seen color; this brown one is a rarity.

Toy Show Trollapalooza

2012-01-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite toy shows takes place every January. Each year at this event I seem to find lots of one particular kind of toy, as if an unplanned theme runs through the show. For example, one year I found lots of vintage cereal premiums; the next year, it was robots; after that, old dollhouse dishes and tables. This year's show turned up loads of vintage trolls, very early ones made by Dam of Denmark in the 1960s, along with a couple of rarities. It was a veritable Trollapalooza!

The first finds were these two very early Dams, made in heavy European vinyl with glass eyes. The larger troll is the seldom-seen 5 inch size, and retains her original clothes and hair bows. Her mohair wig seems to have begun separating itself into dreadlocks.

The next finds included another 5 inch Dam, this one with short hair (which some early Dams did have), wearing a sweater lovingly knitted by his original young owner.

A troll biology tip---this one is a boy: you can tell by the pointy ears. Dam girl trolls have round ears (see above).

A particularly fine rooted hair troll.

At a nearby table the smaller 2 1/2 inch troll was spotted, a scarce rooted hair version with fabulous long locks and premium quality eyes.

What is a rooted hair troll? Well, most trolls were manufactured with swatches of mohair simply shoved and glued into their hollow head cavities. This was quick and therefore cheap, but not particularly secure. Rooted hair trolls had their hair inserted strand by strand through the vinyl, the same way a doll's hair is rooted. This made the hair very secure, but it also made the manufacturing process much longer and more expensive. Soooo...not a lot of rooted hair trolls were made, and if you find one, you should definitely scoop him (or her) up. These photos give a clearer sense of the difference between the two troll hairstyles.

My last find was an odd, rarely seen toy that was a knock-off version of the popular trolls. Itty Bitty Fings were made by Diener Industries of Sepulveda, California, in the early '60s. About 1 1/2 inches tall, the Fing is made from a rubbery substance similar to old pencil erasers. The hair is mohair, glued to the Fing's head. There were several different styles of Fings, all rather creepy looking. This one is still in his original bag...and he'll probably stay there, as he makes me a bit nervous.

An Itty Bitty Fing.

1950s German Kitchen Playset

2012-01-29T09:27:00.000-05:00

I found this 1950s-early '60s kitchen playset at a recent toy show. Made in Western Germany by Fuchs, the 16 inch wide kitchen features fabulous mid-century design elements, including a very fashionable salmon pink and turquoise blue color palette.

One of my favorite features is the printed-on window, which reveals a scene of a father arriving home from work, his vintage automobile parked just outside the gate.

The cupboard doors above the stove slide open, revealing tiny canisters filled with printed paper food. The little drawers under the cupboard slide open, too.

The copper mold forms, found in German toy kitchens all the way back to the 1700s, are in this case printed onto the wall above the counter.

An assortment of real miniature molds cover the countertop. These could actually be used to make such things as little chocolates or gelatins. A teeny tiny mezzaluna lies beneath the molds, useful for chopping herbs.

A basket of miniature flatware, each piece stamped "Germany", rests on the counter. They are quite delicate, and amazingly in perfect condition.

The stove top hosts the most adorable set of miniature cookware I've ever seen: pots and pans decorated with images of tiny toys.

The kitchen set was a great find: such playsets by this maker are highly sought items. But the price made it a fantastic find: only $25! I was hopping up and down with glee once I spotted the price tag. Typically kitchens like this sell in the $100+ range. Some of the accessories alone (the silverware tray, the mezzaluna) sell for more than $25 apiece from dollhouse and miniature dealers. It was the best bargain of the whole toy show!

Archer Space Woman

2012-01-27T06:35:00.000-05:00

If you've read this blog for awhile, you'll know that I have a thing for Archer Space Men, absolutely fantastic little 4 inch plastic figures sold in dime stores in the 1950s. If you haven't been reading this blog for awhile, you can catch up on the Archer Space Man posts by clicking here and here and here.

Anyway, the Archer Space Men had a couple of female companions, the Archer Space Women. They're rather scarce today: it appears the women weren't manufactured in nearly the same amounts as the men, probably on the assumption that they wouldn't be as popular with the target audience of little boys. I've kept an eye out for one for several years, but had nary a sighting until this one turned up at a recent toy show. Isn't she just fabulous?!

The Space Woman is on the left, wearing what appears to be a micro-mini skirt.

Clanky the Chocolate Syrup Spaceman

2012-01-27T06:30:00.044-05:00

The space race of the 1950s and '60s resulted in all sorts of fabulous interstellar themed products for children ranging from toys to snack foods, including some like Clanky that were a little bit of both.

Clanky Chocolate Flavor Syrup debuted in 1963, with a bizarre but catchy commercial (see it by clicking here.)

From the commercial, Clanky's theme song:

"We love Clanky, Clanky the Spaceman.
He can do a lot of things nobody else can!
We just squeeze him,
(bloop, bloop, bloop)
And he makes our milk all chocolatey.
Chocolatey!"


Clanky's ingredients: a little bit of stardust and a whole lot of sugar.

The 9 1/2 inch plastic Clanky the spaceman came filled
with chocolate syrup that could be stirred into milk,
poured onto ice cream, or simply squirted directly into your
mouth if your mom wasn't watching. Once all the chocolate was gone (and, presumably, mom had thoroughly rinsed him out)
Clanky could be used as a toy, a sort of large scale action figure
(minus the action features).

Today Clanky serves as a great example of vintage space race product tie-ins, and he looks fab smiling from a shelf full of related toys.

Toy Show Finds

2012-01-26T06:30:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite toy shows takes place each January, which is really an unfortunate month for a toy show, don't you think, coming right after Christmas? Nevertheless, we went, we jostled our way through the crowd of manic toy collectors, and we came home happily with all this:

Wheeeee!!!! I'll post everything soon. There were a couple of long-sought space toys in the haul, and, as you can see, it was a Trollapalooza.

Antique Travel Dollhouse

2012-01-25T06:30:00.010-05:00

I received one of my most unusual dollhouses as a Christmas gift this past year. American made and dating from the 1890s to early 1900s, the 17 inch long house features detailed decoration lithographed directly onto the wooden surface. It appears to have been made as a travelling dollhouse, as the pieces disassemble and pack neatly inside for storage and transport. I've never seen anything quite like it, and can't find anything similar in any of my dollhouse books. The house has a lot of play wear, but it was so unique, I couldn't pass it up.

Here's how it looks all packed up:

One long side slides off to reveal the contents inside:

Two little china dolls have lived in this house for a very long time, along with a tiny bisque man. (Clearly, correct scale did not matter to the child who originally owned this house!)

Here are all the parts unpacked:

The pieces all stack onto the box base to build a Victorian mansion, complete with a tower and porch:

One of the house's most interesting
features is the garage
on the left side,
complete with its
own sliding door:

The now faded and worn lithographed detail is still wonderful, including curtained windows (some with tiny people peering out) and tiles on the roof:

The house is lithographed inside as well, with pictures, windows, and Victorian bric a brac:

I added some old furniture, and now the little dolls have somewhere to sit:

The little man fits perfectly on the front porch,

where he seems to welcome us to his house.

Mr. Cranberrie

2012-01-21T06:30:00.006-05:00

Meet Mr.Cranberrie, a wee little four inch ted made by bear artist extraordinaire Peng Peng. (She made his tiny outfit, too!) This very Christmasy-looking bear was, in fact, a holiday gift this year.

For a sense of just how small he is,

Mr. C. is pictured sitting on a dollhouse porch.

Antique Cast Iron and Tin Bell Pull Toy

2012-01-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

This beautiful 1880s toy was one of my favorite Christmas presents this year, acquired from a collection I appraised in the autumn. Made of cast iron and pressed tin, a melodious chime rings as the 5 inch tall toy is pulled.

The little girl at the front is made of tin (is she skipping rope?) and retains some of her original paint. The cast iron wheels hold a bell between them. Toys like these were made by American companies such as Fallows of Philadelphia; Althof, Bergmann of New York; and Gong Bell of Connecticut throughout the mid to late nineteenth century.

The cast iron assembly holding the chime bell.

1890 Frozen Charlotte Doll with Homemade Wardrobe & Cigar Box Armoire

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

Oh, I just love love love these sorts of toys: homemade, much-loved things that have been kept together for a century (or more!) and come with information about their original owner. This was another of my favorite Christmas gifts.

This wonderful dolly's armoire was made from two cigar boxes, probably by a father or grandfather. 11 inches tall, the armoire still retains many of its original cigar labels, including one with a patent date of 1886. The decoration on the outside of the box was applied, and consists of antique paper which gives an appearance of marquetry. The words on the armoire seemed rather cryptic, but research revealed "Our Dickie" was a pet name used for the pictured canary bird in the 1890s, while "Lula" was a popular girl's name at the same time.

The inside shelves, with original cigar box labels.

According to the pencilled note on the back of the armoire, this belonged to a little girl named (as nearly as I can decipher) Dorthea Sison, who lived in Maryville, Missouri, a town founded in 1845 in Nodaway County.

Still more historical information was found inside the armoire. Written on a beautiful Victorian Easter scrap were the words: "From Miss Pressler 1890."

Who was Miss Pressler? Perhaps a teacher, governess, or friend of the family? That part remains a mystery. My guess is she gave Dorthea the little Frozen Charlotte doll, 4 1/4 inches tall, who lives in the "Lula" labelled bottom drawer of the armoire:

My heart skipped a beat when I slid open the drawer to reveal this!

Lula?

The little blonde doll has a particularly lovely face; however, her hands are broken off. But since Dorthea clearly didn't care, neither do I! (Besides, you can't tell they're missing when she's dressed...)

Dorthea made an entire wardrobe and even some accessories for her little doll, including red silk bloomers, a matching laundry bag, several blouses, two lace dresses, a cape, a blue tweed coat, a pillow, and even a tiny belt made from an orange ribbon and an itty bitty buckle.

A second set of clothes in a larger size appear to have been made for a companion doll who is now, sadly, missing. These pieces include a feedsack apron and a black lace mourning veil.

Everything packs neatly

into the armoire for storage:

Somehow, this small lot of much-loved toys made their way from Missouri to an estate sale in New Hampshire, and from there, to an antique doll dealer in metropolitan Detroit before coming home with me. Quite a journey for such fragile toys! I plan to keep them together for the rest of my life, but who knows where Dorthea's dolly may travel to then?

Wind-Up Doggies

2012-01-09T06:30:00.001-05:00

We spotted these two little wind up doggies at an antique flea market just before Christmas. Probably German and circa the 1930s, they measure 4 and 1/2 inches long. When their keys are wound, their tails spin in wild circles, while the ears on the larger dog flap back and forth in spectacularly comic fashion.

The littlest dog wears a red felt sweater. He reminds me of Asta, Nick and Nora Charles' dog in the Thin Man movies.

The doggies are just the right size to hang out in my doll kitchen.

1930s German Doll Kitchen

2012-01-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

An antique German doll kitchen had long been on my wish list, and this past Christmas, Santa did not disappoint! This 1930s example came complete with its original floor covering, wallpapers, and furnishings. I added some accessories and a dolly cook. Measuring a hefty 27 inches wide by 11 inches high, the scale is larger than dollhouse, sized more for actual doll play. The kitchen is a delightful combination of classic Dutch kitchen decor and 1930s Art Deco styling.

The kitchen cabinet has wonderful Deco curves, a paper "linoleum" counter top, drawers that open, and real glass sliding doors.

The wonderful dry sink swivels into the counter, out of the way:

The little blue and white stove is adorable, and the door opens. I added the china plates to cover the burner holes; they are much older, circa the mid 1800s, but fit perfectly.

One of my most loved accessories is now in the kitchen: this tiny (1/2 inch tall) Royal Worcester pudding bowl, made in England in the mid 1800s. The piece is so very small and fragile, it's amazing to me that it survived.

My china doll seemed to be the perfect match for this kitchen, in her color coordinated dress. She's looking forward to trying out the pudding bowl.

The doll kitchen is a very old and traditional German Christmas gift, dating all the way back to the 1700s. In her wonderful book, Doll Kitchens, author Eva Stille explains that doll kitchens would be brought down from the attic each Christmastime by parents who would freshen them up with more grocery supplies, a new pie plate or two, and a bright new coat of paint. All winter, the kitchens would entertain the family's children, until with the warming spring weather, the toys, now depleted of provisions, temporarily lost their interest. They would be packed back up and returned to the attic as the children moved their play outdoors, only to be brought back down once more, restocked, and placed under the tree again the next Christmas.

The toys were usually passed down through several generations. Stille gives an example of an 1885 doll kitchen ordered by a wealthy family in Bregenz. The toy was passed down among girls in the family all the way to 1979, when it was bequeathed to the most recent descendant, who was still playing with it at the time of the book's publication in 1988!

I feel very fortunate to have finally received my own doll kitchen for Christmas.

Miniature Teddy Bear by Schuco, 1920s

2012-01-02T06:30:00.021-05:00

My smallest Christmas gift this year was one of my very favorites. This tiny two and a half inch tall bear was made in Germany by the Schuco company in the 1920s.

Schuco was a major manufacturer of tin and mechanical toys, and their early teddy bears reflect this history. Instead of being stuffed in the usual way, these tiny teds have an internal metal framework over which the mohair was affixed. The earliest of these bears had delicate felt paws, a feature that was quickly discontinued. They came in a wide range of colors, from standard gold to vivid violet. Their structure made them fragile and their size made them easily lost, both of which make them rare bears today, very desirable even in this worn condition.

Here he is with his long lost siblings,
who have lived in my collection for several years.

German Room Box Dollhouse

2011-12-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

I'll start off the Christmas reporting with my biggest gift!

This German dollhouse dates from the 1920s. Its form is unusual, being done in the open top "room box" style usually used for single rooms, but here incorporated into a two-story, five-room house. It's a big one, measuring 33 inches wide by 25 tall, and retains its original wallpapers, floor coverings, and curtains. The house came empty, but I spent the months it was on layaway collecting old furniture and accessories for it. Let's take a tour!

On the outside, commercially made brick paper covers the walls:

Each room is framed with this carved wooden trim, which also runs along the entire top back of the house:

Inside, starting at the top left corner, the small bedroom is decorated for Christmas with a little tree and presents. A tiny box of vintage glass ornaments sits on the dresser.

My favorite room is next: the library. I've filled it with antique German furniture including plenty of bookcases and a writing desk.

On the writing desk are some of my favorite accessories: a tiny ink bottle and blotter, along with a miniscule seal, just 1 inch long, made of brass and bone (imitating ivory).

Next to the desk is a revolving bookcase complete with its original books, just 4 inches tall, made in Germany in the late 1900s.

The tall bookcase in the back of the library has another of my favorite accessories on top: a 1 and 1/2 inch tall planter with original foliage, circa the 1920s.

On to the large bedroom at the upper right corner:

Just inside the door is this handmade fretwork cupboard:

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is in this room: a 4 inch wide German made dressing table complete with faux-ivory accessories.

Dressing table closed.

Dressing table open.

Heading downstairs, the dining room is on the lower right, decorated for Christmas.

The antique buffet, made by the Star Novelty Company in the 1900s, holds a French candelabra, an English silver punchbowl, a Mexican silver decanter set, and some holiday desserts.

The downstairs rooms retain their original floor papers, complete with a colorfully printed "carpet":

The dining room also features colorful original curtains:

The last room on our tour is the kitchen, which I've furnished with a Hoosier cabinet and matching table, and an American cast metal ice box and stove. Christmas cakes wait on the table to be carried into the dining room.

The cabinet has doors that open and a counter that actually slides out.

Here are closeups of the icebox, sink, and stove:

I hope you've enjoyed the tour!

What Did Tracy Get For Christmas?

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently I was very good (or we were very fiscally irresponsible) this year. I got:

-a cast iron and pressed tin chiming pull toy from the 1880s

-a miniature 1920s Schuco teddy bear, cinnamon colored

-a vintage toy department sign

-two mod-era Barbies and several outfits

-two Peng Peng bears

-two antique wind-up toy dogs

-a vintage Love Boat board game

-a Victorian travel dollhouse (most unusual)

-a huge, German two-story room box style dollhouse, circa the 1920s

-a houseful of antique dollhouse furniture and accessories (for the above)

-a German doll kitchen, circa the 1930s, with original art-deco-ish furnishings

-a blond frozen charlotte doll, circa the 1880s, with her child-made wardrobe and homemade armoire, constructed from cigar boxes

As you can probably imagine, it will take me some time to photograph all this, but I'll get the show and tell ready as soon as I can.

Hope you all had a happy Christmas too!

A Miniature Toy Shop

2011-12-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

Just in time for Christmas: a miniature toy store, for dollies to go window shopping!

This little shop was originally a French candy counter. It's about 15 inches wide, and circa the 1920s. Made as an accessory for small dolls, it would have held tiny sweets and candies. Those were long gone by the time it made its way to me, so I thought it would make a perfect toy shop. I filled it with old and very tiny toys, mostly German wooden, but there are also some French soft metal pieces. See what you can spot!

Here's a closeup of the center shelves, holding German wooden farm animals, houses, wagons, and dolls; cast metal TootsieToy vehicles; and a teeny tiny turned wood skittles set:

This corner has a tin birdcage, toy stove, and telephone, along with a couple of bisque and china dollies:

The other corner is home to a miniature 1920s Schuco teddy bear, just 2 inches tall, and an itty bitty harmonica:

On the floor in front of the shop rests a china doll in her tiny French carriage, along with a small sewing machine and a miniature dollhouse.

One of my dollhouse dolls is happily choosing her Christmas toys from the shelves. I hope Santa brings her what she wishes for!

Dollypalooza!

2011-12-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

An autumn antique show turned up tables and tables full of miniature dollies, almost 100 years worth, from the 1880s-1960s. It was a veritable Dollypalooza! Here's the box full I took home:

Can you spot: a cast metal dollhouse crib by Kilgore; a 1930s painted-over-bisque dollhouse doll; two 1890s frozen Charlottes; three German all-bisques, circa the 1900s; a black rubber doll from the 1920s; a teeny tiny Kewpie; a 1940s Ethel Strong 'Twinky' dollhouse doll; and plastic and vinyl dolls from East and West Germany?

The tiny 1920s Kewpie was the smallest doll in the bunch, just 1 1/4 inches tall. Behind her is a jointed German all-bisque wearing child-made clothes, a naked 1930s German painted-over-bisque dollhouse doll, and a plastic West German doll from the 1950s-60s.

The larger frozen Charlotte, 6 1/4 inches tall, was the biggest doll in the box.

This 6 inch German bisque doll wears her original clothes and human hair wig, circa the 1900s:

Her sister, of the same size and vintage, has unusual incised eyes, and came wearing a lovely lace over blue silk dress:

A Little Antique Teddy Bear

2011-12-07T06:30:00.006-05:00

I know I've claimed to have found the cutest teddy bear ever a few times before, but a new claimant always seems to come along...

He has such a sweet little smile!

10 inches tall, American circa 1909, made by Ideal.

A Peek at Tracy's Place

2011-12-02T06:30:00.002-05:00

I am often asked for pictures of my place, and I usually hesitate, because I don't want to be reported to the people that make the Hoarders television show. However, I just put up some new shelves in the dining room, right over my table. They are now happily holding some of my vintage 1950s-70s toys, and I thought they came out pretty well, so here's a peek:

See anything you like?

The Strato Bank

2011-11-26T06:30:00.007-05:00

Can you believe banks in the 1950s used to give away things as cool as this, for free? It's true! The Strato Bank was a promotional item given out to young customers, encouraging them to save their pennies, nickels, and dimes. The 8 1/4 inch long, cast metal mechanical bank originally had labels on the sides identifying its affiliated institution.

After loading a coin on top of the spaceship, a spring loaded mechanism blasts it into the moon with the press of a button. Super, super cool.

The coins go right in front of the little red plane on top of the spaceship, and the button just before the tail fin shoots them away.

I think we'd all like bankers a lot better today if they still gave us things like this.

Little Metal People

2011-11-20T06:30:00.029-05:00

Meet my peeps: a bunch of vintage 1940s and '50s cast metal figures originally sold in the popular dime stores of the day. In the early '40s, these 3 1/4 inch toys sold for a nickel apiece...alas, such is no longer the case! Made by companies like Barclay and Manoil, whose lines were predominantly filled with toy soldiers, these 'average citizens' are a bit more scarce.

They remind me of characters from a film noir production...

For instance: this couple appears to be full of secrets. Where is the husband rushing to, his camel hair coat casually draped over his arm? Could it be a meeting with The Other Woman? And what is his wife carrying in that violin case? Is it really a violin, or, could it be...a gun?! Does she suspect something? She certainly looks suspicious: see how she's giving him the eye?

Could this shapely stewardess be The Other Woman? Probably.

And just what is this rather stout and fearsome nurse up to? Is she blackmailing one of the elderly twin bachelor millionaires in her care?

Yes, they look anxious and fretful, don't they?

Perhaps the lady in blue can help...I'm sure she saw something.
She looks the curtain-twitcher type.

She's on her way to confide her worries to the Vicar. Such a sensible man, always knows what to do, and has such a calm manner, even after his unfortunate head injury:

But the Vicar can't really talk now: he has a wedding to attend! Hopefully this young couple's marriage will turn out better than that of our friends in the first picture.

Fortunately, grandma comes to the rescue, telling everyone to stop making such fusses, sit down, and have a slice of pie. Pie makes everything better, don't you know?

Patchy & Purple Peng Peng Bears

2011-11-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

The miniature teds made by Chicago-based artist Peng Peng always amaze me. These two are done in one of my favorite styles, "stick bears" with giant heads on teeny, stick thin bodies, just 5 and 1/4 inches tall.

It was obviously love at first sight for these two.

The black and white bear features tie-dyed mohair, and sports a pair of handmade orange overalls.

His purple friend wears a fabulous, tiny dress sewn from vintage fabrics.

Antique Paper Dolls

2011-11-09T06:30:00.006-05:00

I see old, tatty stationery boxes all the time while antiquing, and I've discovered they're always worth opening, as sometimes there is something fabulous stored inside them. They were just natural places for children to stash their treasured possessions. Once, I found such a box contained a vintage 1960s troll and her extensive wardrobe. This time, the stationery box was even older (1920s) and quite dirty. Really, it was just filthy, and almost too much for even me to touch...

...but I did, and was I ever glad! Inside...treasures! Three antique paper dolls, complete with outfits, hats, accessories, and even some original pattern pieces.

Wheeeee!!!!

The dolls were made by Dennison, a manufacturer primarily of paper party goods, decorations, and supplies. The jointed dolls are made from heavy card stock, and most of the clothes are of crepe paper, which Dennison used for many of its holiday decorations.
Some of the crepe paper clothes came printed with clothing designs, but other items looked as if they were cut and assembled by the child owner. The discovery of some hat pattern pieces in the bottom of the box confirmed this suspicion, and the patterns also gave the names of the dolls: Eleanor (the big sister), Betty, and Bobbie, the little brother.

From left to right: Eleanor, 10 inches; Betty, 8; and Bobbie, 7.

The dolls are marked "Dennison U.S.A." on the back.

The hat patterns.

The hat patterns unfolded.

Here's Eleanor's wardrobe:

Eleanor in a pre-printed hat and coat.

I love this flapper headdress!

Eleanor in a child-made dress and hat.

Here's Betty's wardrobe:

Betty in a pink dress like her big sister's.

My favorite outfit, made of fragile crepe.

Bobbie's wardrobe was not as extensive as those of his sisters, but he had a few interesting pieces, including a pirate costume and a bathing suit.

Bobbie in his ruffly green suit.

Bobbie in his Halloween pirate costume. Arrgh!

When I packed the dollies back into their box, I noticed some writing on the cover. After some gentle brushing away of dust, the words became clearer:

"Margaret Johnston

321 E. Liberty St."

It was very moving to consider these words, and try to picture the little girl who wrote them, and who loved these paper dolls so much, she saved them for almost 90 years...thank you Margaret Johnston!

A Bare Bear

2011-11-04T06:30:00.016-04:00

I adore old teddy bears, the older and more worn, the better. A much loved bear silently speaks volumes about its long life. I feel very strongly that bears who have performed so many faithful years of companionable service deserve a comfortable retirement.

My latest such bear is this little 8 inch ted, circa the 1930s. She has lost every single strand of her mohair to moths, except for a very endearing little patch at the top of her head. Her nose and mouth have long since been kissed away, but her tiny glass eyes are, amazingly, still intact. She is without doubt one of the most worn bears I've ever purchased, but I think she is also one of the most characterful.

"Please take me home and give me some clothes,"

she seems to be saying.

The bear as found, bare and forlorn.

See? No mohair, nowhere.

After rummaging through a box of doll clothes assembled for just such emergencies, I outfitted the bear in a vintage polka dotted dress and added a pink ribbon.

Stylin'.

Ta-da! Here she is in her lovely 1950s tin toy kitchen. If she could still smile, you would see that she is very happy.

Prim Doll Artist

2011-10-31T12:27:00.000-04:00

Several people have asked for contact information for the artist who made the ghost, witch, and bat dolls I posted this month. Her name is Jane Rieser, and her email is: sweetjane(at)wowway(dot)com. (Of course, replace (at) with @, (dot) with . ) She's got some amazing Santas underway right now...

Wacky Bat

2011-10-30T06:00:00.006-04:00

This wacky wee bat, 7 inches tall,

was another of this season's creations

by one of my favorite primitive doll artists.

Have a happy Halloween! Watch out for bats.

Barnabas Collins Dark Shadows Game

2011-10-26T06:00:00.003-04:00

The second of two different board games based on the popular television show, Barnabas Collins Dark Shadows Game was released in 1969. Aside from the artwork, the game really has little to do with the character or program; it's basically a variation of Hangman played with plastic skeletons. But it's still super-cool.

Players spin to get the bones they need to complete their skeleton, complete with its own scaffold. The bones are kept in a plastic and cardboard coffin with the name "Barnabas Collins" engraved on the lid. Also in the coffin are a number of wooden stakes. If your spin lands on a stake, it's not good: once you have three stakes, you have to return a bone. First player to finish their skeleton wins, and gets to wear the included (but almost always missing) "Barnabas Collins vampire fangs." (Hopefully they were washed between games.)

The spinner. Watch out for those stakes.

The coffin full of bones (and stakes).

Coffin name plate.

A completed skeleton.

And, as if it's not already fabulous enough that Barnabas fangs are the prize, they also glow in the dark! And so do the skeletons. Awesome.

Dark Shadows Game

2011-10-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

Dark Shadows, the 1960s supernatural soap opera, spun off a couple of vampire themed board games. This one is by Whitman, and dates from 1968.

Illustrations of Barnabas Collins and Collinwood mansion

feature on the box cover.

The "board" is actually a giant paper mat, and consequently rather fragile. A simple track runs though representations of Collinwood and its grounds.

Players select a pawn (a gravestone, howling wolf, drippy candle, or grandfather clock about to strike midnight). Cards direct their movement along the track, and the first one to the finish wins.

I'm guessing most kids would have wanted to be the wolf,

as opposed to being a candle...

The draw and discard piles on the board are an empty coffin and an open grave, respectively.

For all its spooky cool art, one would expect this to be an exciting game to play, but sadly it's rather dull, just a straightforward track. The other Dark Shadows game is anything but boring though, and it's coming up tomorrow.

Primitive Witch Doll

2011-10-20T06:00:00.007-04:00

Another Halloween doll by one of my favorite primitive artists, this quirky 16 inch witch flies through the cornstalks on her twig broom.

Her funny face is worth a closeup, I think. Isn't it fabulously freaky?

Ghostly Dolly

2011-10-16T06:30:00.005-04:00

Each October, one of my favorite primitive doll artists makes another batch of fantastic Halloween pieces. This hand sewn and delicately aged muslin ghost just drifted in. He holds a rusty old key; perhaps it unlocks the tomb behind him.

Boo!

Milton Bradley Bigfoot Game

2011-10-12T06:00:00.005-04:00

Bigfoot, he of the infamous giant footprints, scored his own board game in 1977. A scarce find today, it's one of my favorite monster themed games.

If this Bigfoot was meant to look friendly, the artist really missed the mark. He is clearly considering eating these children.

Players select pawns, which appear to be mountaineers, explorers, or possibly Bigfoot hunters.

The game track takes players through prime Bigfoot habitat, including snowy slopes and dense forests. A mining town, lumber mill, gold mine, and supply store appear to offer shelter.

The pawns are moved according to the roll of the dice, but if they land on a Bigfoot space, a subsequent roll moves the monster, a hefty plastic figure, along the track:

As Bigfoot crosses or lands on a pawn, he dispenses a disk, which may or may not bear a footprint. If the print appears, that pawn is out of the game. Last player left unstepped upon wins!

This is good.

This is bad.

To learn more about Bigfoot, or possibly to report a sighting of your own, contact the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. (Oh yes: there really is one!)

A Halloweeny Peng Peng Bear

2011-10-08T06:00:00.006-04:00

Just in time for Halloween came my latest Peng Peng bear: Mr. Eightball, 4 inches of hand-dyed black licorice colored mohair, green glass eyes, and mischievous grin. (I added the tiny vintage jack o' lantern, and made the hat and bow tie...can you tell the hat was once the thumb of my left glove?)

Mr. Eightball and Jack hang out on the front porch.

Spooky Doll Heads

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Spooky old doll heads. They're always watching...

Antique Halloween Witch Candy Container

2011-10-04T06:00:00.005-04:00

I got this last December, and have been waiting all year to post it. (My family has grown used to me asking for antique Halloween stuff for Christmas...)

This pumpkin bodied witch, 6 inches tall, is a candy container. The base opens, revealing a space inside that could be filled with small candies. Made in Germany circa the 1920s.

Coming up in October...

2011-10-01T06:00:00.006-04:00

My favorite month of the year is here: Halloween...I mean, October. Actually, I like Halloween so much, I keep one room decorated that way all year. It's my happy place.

Coming up this month: old Halloween decorations, spooky dolls, and some vintage monster and horror themed board games.

Mackinac Bridge Dedication Postcard

2011-09-30T06:00:00.012-04:00

Old postcards are some of the "other stuff" I collect. This one features the Mackinac Bridge, the beautiful, five mile long engineering marvel that connects Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, spanning the deep, cold, and dangerous waters of the Mackinac Straits. It marks the division between two of the five Great Lakes, Michigan and Huron.
The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957 after decades of planning, three years of construction, and the tragic deaths of five crewmen, including a diver, welders, and iron workers.

Although the bridge opened in November (a notoriously unpredictable weather month in northern Michigan), the official dedication ceremony didn't take place until June 25 of the following summer. Bernice and Larry Kopp of Royal Oak, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, attended and cleverly mailed themselves this souvenir postcard. "Here for the dedication of the big Mac, June 26-27-28," Bernice wrote, before addressing the card to their own home on 1503 Mohawk.

Old Minnie Mouse Figurine

2011-09-26T06:00:00.004-04:00

Beneath all this wear is a 1930s Minnie Mouse lead figurine, just 2 1/2 inches tall. She's clearly been through a lot, but is still smiling.

Carnival Chalkware Prize

2011-09-21T06:00:00.005-04:00

This carnival chalkware prize is Bimbo, Betty Boop's doggie boyfriend. Bimbo starred in his own cartoons, with the first appearing in 1930. As Betty's star surpassed his own, he was relegated to boyfriend/sidekick status before disappearing altogether, allegedly due to concerns about the interspecies nature of their relationship...

7 inches tall, circa the 1950s.

Antique Show Find: Mentor Game

2011-09-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

Found this far out game at a summer antique show: Mentor, the Electronic Wizard, made by Hasbro in 1960. The giant bronze plastic head is Mentor. He looks like something out of Metropolis, an Art Deco robot with a mind of his own. To play, you select one of the cardboard game tracks, and insert it into the board. You and Mentor then take turns moving the pawn (a giant finger) along the track. Mentor tells you how many spaces he wants to move by flashing the lightbulbs on the base. First one to the finish wins, and it's usually Mentor.

Mentor, in a characteristically thoughtful mood.

Mentor game boards.

The moving finger, wired up to Mentor.

Antique Show Find: Mr. Potato Head Knock Off

2011-09-13T06:00:00.003-04:00

Mr. Potato Head and I have a longstanding love affair, but occasionally I succumb to the charms of one his imitators. This "Funny Face Kit" was made in Hong Kong in the early 1960s, a low grade knock-off of the original. The whole set is just 5 1/4 inches tall, made of cheap plastic attached to a thin card. Potato Head experts have discovered these originally came in cellophane bags, and were distributed via dime stores or as carnival prizes. Visit mrpotatohead.net, source of my arcane knowledge, to see more fun fakes.

Tiny Treasures: Vintage Gumball Machine Prizes

2011-09-09T06:00:00.008-04:00

As a kid, I adored the gumball machines full of tiny toys in the entrance of the grocery store. I would save my change for weeks and then, like a casino slots addict, feed coin after coin after coin into my favored machine, never giving up my belief that if I put in just one more dime, I'd finally get whatever must-have item had obsessed me.

Once I grew up, I was delighted to discover that private citizens can buy their own gumball machines, and I now have 5 vintage venders full of fantastic treasures in my dining room. Still, I'm always on the lookout for cool gumball prizes when I'm antiquing (and actually, still at the grocery store too.) I found this lot at a show this summer, and it had some really great pieces, mostly from the 1960s-70s.

This may look like a pile of cheap plastic, and it is,

but it's also full of tiny treasures.

My favorite piece was this little pink guy with a really big nose.

The oldest item was this Barney Google charm:

Monster charms are always a good find; these are from the '60s.

Oh joy of joys: a bunch of Funny Froot rings! I lusted after these as a child, but sadly, only ever got the Avocado Man (second from right).

Keeping with the anthropomorphic theme: a smiling radish guy pin:

An itty bitty parachute toy, barely an inch long, and never opened:

And last but not least: tiny fish and clamshell charms. I can remember seeing these as a kid, too, and being profoundly disappointed when, several dollars worth of dimes later, all I had gotten were lame stickers.

Antique Show Find: Vintage Spacemen

2011-09-05T06:00:00.010-04:00

Vintage space toys are some of my favorites, and I'm always on the lookout for them at antique shows. Recently I found these 3 fabulous space guys. At 3 1/4 inches tall, they're smaller than the famed Archer Space Men, but they have their own great style.

Marching into the future, circa the 1950s.

Antique Show Find: Lithographed Toy Blocks

2011-09-03T06:00:00.011-04:00

I found the most beautiful set of toy blocks at an antique show this summer, and I've never seen another like them. Made of lithographed paper over wood, they look like a Bliss Company piece, and date from the mid-late 1800s.

Each block is 4 inches tall, and each side is different, making the blocks many toys instead of one. One broad side has Fairy Land Railroad cars while the other has a Punch and Judy show, and the narrow edges have either numbers or soldiers. The alphabet runs along one side too, like a frame.

We'll start with a few of the Fairy Land R. R. cars, which depict characters from famous fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and classic children's stories. Turned horizontally, they can be lined up to make a train.

There's even a mail car, and a candy hauler:

The character sneaking a peek into the candy car is Mr. Punch, the famous maniacal puppet. By turning the blocks around and standing them vertically, they make a complete Punch and Judy show.

Oh no: Mr. Punch shakes the baby!

Then, he and Judy smack each other with sticks.

Punch is in serious trouble...

...but somehow he gets out of it.

(I'm missing a block here,

so I'm not sure how he managed it.)

Finally, turning the blocks sideways gives you a little army all your own, complete with a drummer:

What a fantastically versatile toy: can't you just picture a little Victorian child playing with this by the hour on the floor of the nursery?

Antique Show Find: Teddy Bear Characters

2011-09-02T06:00:00.012-04:00

I found these three crazy character bears in the booth of one of my favorite dealers at an antique show this past summer. It was love at first sight: I couldn't leave any of them behind. From left to right: American, 13 inches, circa 1904; English, 10 inches, circa 1930s; and German, 16 inches, circa 1920s.

The ancient American bear is really unusual, with a broad, melon shaped head and a funny expression. Even with his extreme wear, there was just something really charming about him.

This is a face that has seen a lot of living.

The chubby little English ted has (the remains of) long golden blonde mohair with contrasting shaggy brown ears (original) and a cute face with a tiny pink tongue.

I just love this nose.

The German bear is one of the tallest and skinniest teddies I've ever seen, with long, long legs and a serious expression. He came wearing a vintage sweater with an old Audubon Society badge; apparently he's into bird-watching.

He is exceptionally alert looking, this one.

Antique Show Finds

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

I only made it to one big outdoor antique show this summer, but it was a good one. Finds included, in descending order of expensiveness:

-3 antique teddy bears, great characters all
-a set of beautiful antique lithographed wooden blocks
-some vintage plastic space guys
-a bag full of vintage gumball machine charms, rings, and tiny toys
-a vintage Mr. Potato Head fake
-a 1960s Mentor board game
-and a vintage Weeble

Coming soon!

Yard Sale Find: Antique Sulphide Marble

2011-08-31T06:00:00.008-04:00

My oldest toy find on this summer's Yard Sale Trail was this antique sulphide marble, a bit over 2 inches in diameter, made in Germany between the 1900s and 1930s. Old sulphide marbles are expensive today, typically priced in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the antique store and auction markets. This one's yard sale price? Just $15!

They're also fragile, consisting of a tiny bisque figurine enclosed in a hand-blown glass marble. The seller had this one displayed resting on the open top of a porcelain vase that was sitting on a hanging wall shelf! Gah! Fortunately I spotted and rescued it before the inevitable tragedy could unfold.

I'm not quite sure what the figure is: bear? badger? chupacabra?

The marble find marked the end of yard sale season here in the north country, where temperatures are already dropping, but I still have one outdoor antique show to report on, and the finds there were tremendous. Coming soon!

Yard Sale Find: Vintage Hasbro Inchworm

2011-08-30T06:00:00.002-04:00

My favorite yard sale find of this summer was a vintage 1970s Hasbro Inchworm ride-on toy. I had one of these as a child, and it was one of my most loved toys. As the rider propels it along, the Inchworm bounces up and down on its accordion-style body...eventually producing the sort of damage seen in this example.

(Click here to watch the original Inchworm TV commercial: it's adorable, and you'll get to see the Inchworm in action.)

Their fragility makes vintage Inchworms scarce, and they are much sought after. I've seen them reach prices of $300+ on eBay during particularly desperate bidding wars. Glad I held out: this one was just $5 at a Yard Sale Trail flea market!

How cute is he? Super-cute.

Speaking of cute things: here's a picture of me with my brand-new Inchworm, on a Christmas morning sometime in the 1970s. (I'm also holding a just-opened Viewmaster, effectively multi-tasking as I motor around the living room.)

Coming up tomorrow: my final, and oldest, yard sale toy find of the summer...

Yard Sale Finds: Vintage Toys

2011-08-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

This year's Yard Sale Trail, a 200+ mile route along the shoreline of eastern Michigan, turned up some nice finds (although nothing can really top last year's discovery of a vintage playground spring rider).

First find: a 1972 Come Home Snoopy! Colorforms set. I adore Colorforms, and Snoopy stuff is pretty cool too, but what really made this a great score was the fact that its original owner wrote her name and the date she received it inside the box lid. If only all old toys came with such provenance...

Janice Blackburn, I've got your Snoopy Colorforms!

(Also, thank you for taking such good care of your toys.)

The next find was also a character toy: a 1962 Barney Rubble doll (of Flintstones fame) made by Knickerbocker. 11 1/2 inches tall, the odd doll retains its original clothes. I don't know why they made his hair green, but that is also original. A few sales down the road, I got this little 5 1/2 inch vintage plastic Fred Flintstone, and happily reunited the two best friends.

Spotted from the road was this 22 inch vintage tin dollhouse still full of its original plastic furniture, made by Wolverine. It's the epitome of suburban living, circa the 1950s-60s.

Coming up tomorrow: a long-lost childhood toy found again on the Yard Sale Trail!

1950s Funny Faces Puzzle

2011-08-27T06:00:00.007-04:00

This Funny Faces puzzle from the 1950s features great characters, and is actually a lot of fun to play around with. Each character is die cut into sections that can be switched and rearranged to make "more than 1000 different faces!" I haven't actually tested that claim, as I imagine it would require more time than I can realistically spend playing with my toys.

The original four characters:

The illustrations remind me of those on Changeable Charlie, another vintage make-a-face toy.

Troll House and Family

2011-08-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

I already had a couple of these vintage 1960s troll cave houses, but when I saw this one still filled with its original owner's much-loved trolls, their extensive wardrobe, and even a pet elephant, I just had to have it. That's a lot of vintage troll awesomeness in there.

The trolls are a Dam wearing a wonderful felt dress with flower applique; a Scandia House with beautiful green eyes and a charming outfit; and a tiny gumball machine prize troll in her original wrap and hair bow.

Dam troll with baby.

Gumball prize troll. She has a cool '60s bouffant!

Scandia House troll with bright green eyes,

wearing a lovely pink and yellow ensemble. And shoes!

The troll sisters also had a pet: a blue troll elephant

from a Japanese knock-off line called the Lovable Uglies.

Uglie, and yet so Lovable.

Bandersnatch Game

2011-08-20T06:00:00.002-04:00

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

- Lewis Carroll

No one but Lewis Carroll himself really knows what a Bandersnatch looks like, but Mattel's toy designers gave it a go in 1969 with their game of the same name. Players chose cards and spun trying to get all the parts needed to build a 4 1/2 inch tall Bandersnatch figure. This odd game is rarely found today, rather like the Bandersnatch himself.

The game box and components are all in bright, psychedelic '60s colors, and the spinner is a tiny little Bandersnatch.

The giggling Bandersnatch spinner.

The completed figure is like a bizarre, nightmare version of Mr. Potato Head. Beware the Bandersnatch, indeed.

Funny Old Bear

2011-08-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

This quirky antique teddy bear is 12 inches tall, made from an unusual cotton batting type fabric. His features include a very strange nose, tiny eyes, and one foot pad which appears to have been put on upside down. He's odd, but adorable.

I've never seen another like him, so I can only guess as to his age and nationality...maybe American or English circa one of the World Wars? I've seen the octagonal nose once on an old English bear, and (much smaller) upward stitches also on English teds, while the side-placed ears are found on American and English varieties. This type of fabric was typically used during wartime shortages of wool, which was being used for soldiers' uniforms and so couldn't be made into mohair for bears. If anyone has a similar ted, I'd love to see him (or her) and compare notes!

This is his original nose and mouth stitching.

It gives him rather a distinctive look and funny expression,

especially combined with the beady little eyes.

Itty Bitty Steiff Bear

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

This little Steiff has lots of wear,
but it just seems to have given him even more charm.
The white ted is just 5 1/2 inches tall, circa 1920-30.

He has a totally kissable nose, yes?

He came wearing an old plaid coat that had clearly
been with him a long time, and suits him perfectly.

Going for a walk...

Antique Teddy Bear and Photo

2011-08-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

The value of an antique teddy bear, both financial and sentimental, increases substantially when it comes with a photo of the original owner. If the photo is of the original owner and the bear, the value is even greater.
Such duos are difficult to find, as bears and photos tend to go their separate ways over time. I was very fortunate to find a pair that remained together for almost 90 years.

The hand-colored photo of the little girl, circa the 1920s, is 15 1/2 inches tall, and still in its original frame.

Her 13 inch teddy bear companion wears a rather serious expression. As I look at him, I wonder what experiences he shared with his owner over their long life together.

The two came to me from a dealer who got them at the original family's estate sale. Astoundingly, she didn't get the little girl's name: that would have been a wonderful thing to know, and may have enabled genealogical research. Whoever she was, I hope she would be happy to know that her treasured teddy is now safely settled into my sanctuary for orphaned bears.

1968 Pie Face Game

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Presenting one of the rarest vintage games of all time: Pie Face, made by Hassenfeld Bros (Hasbro) in 1968. Pie Face came with a spinner, score sheet, cardboard target with cut-out window, and a pie launcher. Basically, you placed a whipped cream "pie" on the launcher, then took turns spinning to find out how many times to crank the launcher's handles. It was randomly set to let the pie fly into the player's face, positioned within the target. Sort of a cream pie version of Russian Roulette.

It was billed as "the most fun-filled action game you've ever played!" If, of course, your idea of fun was getting a pie slammed into your face.

The 15 1/2" tall target was made of cardboard...which helps explain why this game is so rare. I can't imagine they survived many whipped cream pie hits. The target is designed to make the player look like a clown, further adding to the humiliation.

Here's the pie launcher in readiness:

And post-slam:

I wonder how many players really bothered to keep score...if I'd had one as a child, I expect my friends and I would have simply used it to torture my little sister.

Click here to see the original Pie Face television commercial in all its awesomeness. The lyrics are quite catchy:

"Turn the handles,

hear them click,

you'll never know

when you'll be hit!

It's Pie Face!

Ask your mom

for some cream,

Pile it high,

It's a scream!

Now we spin, what's the score?

Never had such fun before!

It's Pie Face!"

Latest Find!

2011-08-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

>happy dance, happy dance<

I just found the rarest vintage game on my wish list, something I actually thought I would never, ever own. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm so excited, I couldn't wait to ~~brag~~ tell everyone about it. What is it? Only one of the strangest, most possibly dangerous, family board games ever created. Watch the original television commercial here to get a glimpse of it in action!

Pink and Purple Peng Peng Bear

2011-08-03T06:00:00.003-04:00

It's always a happy day when a new Peng Peng bear arrives.

Clearly, she agrees.

Peng Peng, one of my very favorite artists, makes unique and beautifully crafted small teds. Petunia, just 5 inches tall, features hand-dyed two-toned mohair, a tiny, stripey dress, and a fantastic face inspired by the classic British bear, Master Teddy.

Pink and purple Petunia poses prettily...

Vintage Troll Planter

2011-07-30T06:00:00.008-04:00

I stopped by a barn sale last weekend, and was about to leave after disappointedly poking about the rusty tools and old gardening things when I spotted this guy peeking out from behind a flowerpot. Yay: a vintage troll! I'm always on the hunt for those, and they're getting harder and harder to find.

Once I picked him up, it made sense that he was with the gardening things after all, as he is actually a planter. The ceramic troll, about 5 inches tall, is hollow, and was meant to hold a small plant, the foliage of which would eventually form his "hair." Brilliant, really...

1966 Troll Log House

2011-07-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

There were many vinyl and plastic houses made for trolls during the height of their popularity in the mid-1960s. One of the rarest and most charming was this small log residence, just 6 inches long, made by Mattel in 1966. It features a clear front window, vacuum-formed interior, and loads of printed detail.

Front of the Troll House.

Back of the Troll House.

The cozy interior has a molded stump table and chair and

printed bed, nightstand, shelf, and candleholder.

A vintage troll still lived in the log house when I found it:

Printed trolls peek out the windows on either end of the log.

Shhh...this one is sleeping...

Bloo Bear

2011-07-27T06:00:00.014-04:00

Meet Lenny, a 7 inch ted made by UK artist Susan Johnson of Bonsall Bears. Lenny caught my eye when I saw a picture of him in a British teddy bear guide. Susan makes Lennys in a variety of colors; check them out at the Bear Garden in Surrey.

I think he may be my new cutest-bear-ever.

Lenny is feeling bloo today...

1967 Mini-Martians Dolls, House, and Space Ship

2011-07-23T06:00:00.011-04:00

The Mini-Martians have landed! I've finally snagged one of the hardest to find and most sought toys on my wish list: the Mini Martians, made in Japan in 1967 by Swedlin as an exclusive for Sears department store.

1967 Sears catalog ad.

A perfect confluence of the mid-1960s mod, space-race, and small doll fads, the Mini-Martians were 4 1/2 inch tall vinyl figures with moveable arms and heads, dressed in day-glo "Carnaby Comet" fashions. Like so many dolls of this period, the Martians had a vinyl dollhouse with a vacuum-formed, brittle plastic interior. Their scarcest accessory was a blue flying saucer car. Made for such a short time for a limited marketplace, and from fragile materials, the Martians are rare finds today.

The Mini-Martians Star House, 15 1/2 inches wide.

Inside the Star House, the Mini-Martians had a sleeping loft, closet with space suits, a space viewer screen, a panoramic window with a lovely view of the galaxy, and a parking terrace for an (attached) jet car.

The original catalog ad reads:

"Martian Star House. $3.99.

Far beyond earth's bustling pace Mini-Martians dwell at ease. Zooming around in 'outer space,' Mini-Martians live and play. Nestled among the stars and comets...a home so streamlined, all their own. Brightly colored outside and in. Space car parks on terrace platform. Two elevated bunks for sleeping. Video scanner to check on pals...Vinyl house closes for visits to 'other planets.' "

This toy came out a few years before I was around, but if I had been, that dreamy ad copy alone would have sold me. Who wouldn't want to live in a house of her own nestled among the stars and comets?

Inside the Star House.

Sleeping bunks.

Closet with space suits hanging on the wall.

Video scanner.

Star Car parked on the terrace.

The Martians themselves are adorable and funky, dressed in brightly colored felt and metallic foil clothing with teeny tiny space boots (often missing). Each Martian came with a name, described in the catalog copy, which introduced them thusly:

"Mini-Martians. $1.49 each.

Futuristic sprites a mere 4 1/2 inches tall. They'll take you to their world above where make-believe is so much fun...Remove boots for barefoot space walks. Dressed in supersonic styles. From Japan. Collect all 6 and have your own Mini-Martian community."

I'm a few short of a community, but was lucky to find 2 in minty condition (with their boots, even!), while the house came with a couple of more-played-with Martians.

Professor Pook appears to be the villian of the bunch.

He's got those sinister-looking pointy-down eyebrows...

Marti is the boy Martian, while Bonnie, below,

in her odd space visor, is one of the girls.

And here is the seldom-seen "Jet Car,"

for jaunts around the universe.

Blasting off...

Giant Jack Rabbit Postcard

2011-07-21T06:00:00.005-04:00

Yet another variation on the "giant produce gag" postcard, this vintage linen example from the Western USA features a giant jackrabbit being ridden by a cowboy. The caption: "Punching Cattle on a Jack Rabbit." Circa the 1940s.

Giant Fish Postcard

2011-07-20T06:00:00.002-04:00

A takeoff on the "giant produce gag" postcard, this variation from Port Huron, Michigan features a giant fish eating an angler, with the caption "They're Biting Well Here In Port Huron." Circa the late 1900s.

Giant Potato Postcard

2011-07-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

I love old postcards, the kookier and kitschier, the better. There is a whole sub-genre of postcards that can perhaps be classified as "giant gags." These are often souvenir cards from rural areas, featuring gag photos of giant produce, like this one of an enormous potato on a flatbed train car from New Brunswick, Canada. Circa the 1950s-60s.

The caption reads, "We'll grow them bigger when flat cars are made longer! Famous New Brunswick Potatoes."

Swift's Space Guide Advertising Premium

2011-07-18T06:00:00.001-04:00

This 1950s space guide is one of the coolest advertising premiums I've come across recently. Released by a meat products company called Swift's, the 5 1/4 inch space guide has a turning wheel and die cut windows that reveal all sorts of interesting astronomical trivia. Need to know the surface temperature of Mars? Just turn the wheel and find out.

If you find yourself wondering, as I did, what meat products have to do with outer space, the connection is revealed on the back of the guide:

I believe this is the same Swift's Premium Company that distributed this ham shaped charm or watch fob in the 1920s (seen here in the kitchen of an old dollhouse).

Antiquing Trip to England: Day 9, Faversham

2011-07-16T06:00:00.002-04:00

On our way back to London the day before we left England, we stopped at one last town, Faversham. This area was inhabited in prehistoric times, and was home to a Roman settlement before becoming a thriving medieval market town.

One of Faversham's most famous landmarks is its Guildhall, first built in 1574! On the day we visited, it was hosting a plant and flower sale.

Faversham Guildhall.

Buildings in Faversham were rich in architectural detail. Particularly eye-catching was this gargoyle, adorning the front of a stationery shop housed in an 18th century edifice.

For such an old town, Faversham was rather lacking in antique stores. Fortunately tour leaders Terry and Doris came to my rescue again and led me to a lovely one, which had an equally lovely old bear sitting in a child's wicker chair in the window. (He's not visible in the photo below, as I had already snatched him up. At lightning speed.)

See the empty chair on the left in the window?

That's where my latest bear had been sitting,

moments before this photo was taken.

This was a beautiful antique shop, with a wonderful, huge, old fireplace inside, and lovely soft lighting.

And here's the bear, as found, about to be wrapped

up for the journey home:

With his purchase, I completed my teddy tour of England by finding a bear in every town. (Sometimes more than one bear!) This one was very special, though. Purchased by the shopkeepers from the original owner, he had belonged to a little girl born in 1930, who received him the year of her birth. He went through the war with her, was much loved, and it shows. He is a very characterful bear, and one of my favorites of the whole trip. Doris kindly gave me some hand knit bear sweaters she found in a charity shop, and once he had put one on, he looked much more comfortable.

His button with its WWII slogan gives us all

good advice for difficult times:

keep calm and carry on!

Today, we tried something different from our usual scones: Brown Derby, a very odd dessert comprised of a plain brown donut, refried, and served while still hot with a heap of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and peanuts on top. It was good!

If you look very closely, you can just see the donut on the bottom.

Finally it was time to head home, after a fabulous 10 days in England on the trip of a lifetime. My suitcases were full of great finds, while my checking account was (almost!) empty.

My carry-on bag.

A group photo at home.

Antiquing Trip to England: Day 8, Rochester

2011-07-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

The city of Rochester was built on the site of earlier Neolithic, Celtic, and Roman settlements along the river Medway. Needless to say, it is rich in history. England's second-oldest cathedral is here, founded in 604 AD, right alongside an atmospheric ruin, a Norman castle dating to 1127.

Rochester Cathedral

This cathedral was filled with particularly beautiful and interesting doors. Here is a sampling:

An intriguing passageway in the Cathedral.

Rochester Castle, like its cousin in Lewes, suddenly pops up between two buildings in the shopping district:

Rochester Castle

Unlike Dover Castle, which is in good repair and was used militarily until recent times, Rochester Castle is a spooky ruin, open to the elements:

A tea break with more scones was followed by a visit to a dollhouse miniatures shop, where I got a tiny tea cake stand filled with itty bitty pastries, the perfect thing to bring home to my dollhouse residents.

Real tea cakes.

Don't they both look delicious?

Not real tea cakes.

A second-hand bookshop had a wonderful surprise inside. In one corner, shelves, cabinets, and cases were filled with small items dug up from local river banks, Victorian outhouse sites and rubbish dumps, and old cellars, the places where people disposed of things in the days before trash pickup services. (The centuries-old clay pipes mentioned in an earlier post came from this riverside.) The shop had shelves and shelves full of dug up old stoneware beer bottles, Victorian quack medicine containers, and even poison bottles! I got a handful of miniature china doll heads and a dollhouse chamber pot here, all locally excavated.

Everything seen here was dug up locally.

Note the "Poison Bottle" sign on the top middle shelf,

and "Victorian Quack Cures" below.

Dug up dollies, all miniatures.

A dug up dollhouse doll head and chamber pot.

Rochester had a number of antique shops, and this one turned up two wonderful vintage teddy bears well-spotted by tour leaders Terry and Doris, who pointed me to the store. (Thank you Terry and Doris!)

I got this 1950s Chad Valley ted with lovely curly mohair,

and a characteristically goofy-looking

Pedigree, made in Ireland.

Coming up next: Day 9, Faversham (our last day in England.)

Antiquing Trip to England: Day 7, Eastbourne

2011-07-12T15:52:00.001-04:00

Our seventh day in England was spent at the seaside, in the Victorian resort town of Eastbourne, which lies along the southeastern coast between Brighton and Hastings (as in The Battle of Hastings, 1066).

In 1859, local landowner the Duke of Devonshire hired an architect to redesign the town, creating a resort "built by gentlemen for gentlemen." Fortunately, Eastbourne is no longer so exclusive, but still retains its genteel atmosphere.

Eastbourne's seaside has been thoughtfully kept clear of development, so the beachfront is open to the public. A beautiful pier built in 1866 stretches 1000 feet out into the ocean, and hosts a Victorian Tea Room, souvenir stores, a dance hall, sweet shops, and a camera obscura.

Eastbourne Pier.

A view along the Pier.

The Pier's Victorian Tea Room.

Eastbourne didn't seem to have many antique stores, but it was rich in souvenir and charity shops. I bought snowglobes, tea towels, magnets, postcards, keychains, miniature tea sets, and other assorted bric-a-brac in the store below.

A colorful souvenir shop.

And in a charity shop, I found these two homemade bears. During WWII, when mohair was scarce and teddy bear factories were converted to supply the war effort, British mothers excelled at crafting teds from whatever materials they could find, and some especially talented mums even knit bears for their little ones. These two teds are not so old, but I thought they were still rather charming.

Coming up next: Day Eight, Rochester, with a cathedral and a castle, and lots of dug-up treasures (literally!)

Antiquing Trip to England: Day 6, Canterbury

2011-07-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Our day in Canterbury was one of my favorites, as it included a tour of a teddy bear factory. Canterbury Bears has been making uniquely English teds for 32 years, sending them to collectors all over the world from their workshop just outside the ancient city.

The workshop may look quietly unassuming from the outside...

...but inside, it's a riot of bears, parts of bears, piles of mohair, shelves of trims, boxes of eyes, intriguing machines, and friendly ladies stitching teddy bear smiles.

Colorfully dyed mohair waits to be cut into bear parts.

Metal dies for cutting out bear parts.

The machine that stamps out the bear parts,

using the dies like a cookie cutter.

A box full of newly stamped out bear parts.

The stuffing machine. The nozzle (just touching the chair back) is inserted into a bear, then the machine blows it full of stuffing.
We were told the bears' eyes are not sewn on until after this step,
"so they can't see what's being done to them."

Speaking of eyes, here are some of the varieties:

Hand-sewing the eyes, nose, and mouth on a nearly-finished bear.

After a tour of the workshop, we were invited to browse the shelves and purchase bears to take home. We got to see prototypes and archival pieces too, and it was lots of fun to poke around.

I got this little ted, whom I absolutely adore.

A shelf of bears. The little white one was

a never produced prototype

that went home with a very lucky tour guest.

After our factory visit was over, we headed into Canterbury. The skyline of the medieval walled city is dominated by the famous cathedral, which looms over everything:

The cathedral's origins lie all the way back in 597 AD, but the oldest remaining section, the crypt, is from the 11th century.

A particularly beautiful corner in the cathedral's cloisters.

The cathedral is full of monumental stained glass windows; the oldest is this, the Adam Window (so named for the figure of Adam, digging with a spade, in the bottom row, third from the left) which dates from 1176!

No scones today: instead I tried something new, a Bakewell Tart. It was a pastry shell filled with raspberry jam and almond sponge cake, with a shortbread star on top. Completely delicious.

Speaking of delicious things: we saw fabulous candy shops in every town we visited. They had an almost magical quality, like the candy store in the Harry Potter books. This one, The Sugar Boy, was one of my favorites.

There were surprisingly few antique stores in Canterbury; in fact, we were told by the owner of the one we did find that it was pretty much the only one. Good thing we found it, too: it had a case full of old bears.

Repairs were ongoing at this old antique shop.

Inside: a big, beautiful vintage bear greeted us.

Sadly, he was too big and heavy to get home (42 inches!)
so as far as I know, he's still sitting there now.

At the back of the store, though, was this case
filled with smaller bears:
some old, some new, and all wonderful.

I got this unusual ted, which I think may be from Australia, made by Barton Waugh. In the case above, he's on the right side, back row, in the middle. Noseless. Below, he here is after his nosectomy:

Just before leaving Canterbury, we stopped by its Information Centre and loaded up on postcards. Sitting by the register was this great little Canterbury Bear I hadn't seen at the factory earlier: a small version of their Union Jack patterned bear, appropriately named...Jack. He is clearly very happy to have gone back to the States with me.

Coming up next: Day 7, the Victorian seaside resort of Eastbourne.

Antiquing Trip to England: Day Five, Tenterden & Pashley Manor Gardens

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

After the previous day's shopping extravaganza, it was nice to have a quieter day scheduled next on the tour. I'm sure my checking account enjoyed the respite as well.

First we stopped in the lovely town of Tenterden, which had just a few antique shops, mostly filled with china and silver. We took the opportunity to linger in Tenterden's lovely old churchyard. The church, St. Mildred's, dates from the 12th century, and the churchyard was just as picturesque, and looked just "as seen on TV" as this fan of British murder mysteries could hope.

St. Mildred's churchyard.

A lonely urn.

A tomb under the trees.

No trip to England would be complete without a visit to a classic English garden, and that was in fact the highlight of the day. Our tour guides found a beautiful one for us: Pashley Manor Gardens, a Tudor-period estate once owned, we were told, by the family of Anne Boleyn. Overflowing flower beds, neat and tidy kitchen gardens, carefully cultivated landscapes, numerous water features, and a small wood surround a 16th century manor house on the property.

A beautiful view at the Gardens.

A Grecian folly, with duckies in the foreground.

The Gardens also have a lovely tea room which serves wonderful light meals, savories, and sweets. This was one of the finest meals we had on the whole tour: potato-leek soup, a cheese scone, slices of English cheddar, a fresh salad with carrot-ginger slaw, and a carmelized onion and goat cheese tart. Fabulous!

The Tea Room terrace at Pashley Manor Gardens.

Coming up next: Day 6, Canterbury, and a visit to a teddy bear factory!

Antiquing Trip to England: Day Four, Lewes

2011-07-06T06:00:00.022-04:00

Our fourth day in England was my very favorite of the whole trip (with Canterbury a close second, due to our visit to a teddy bear factory there). The town of Lewes (pronounced LOO-IS) is an antiquer's dream, hosting 13 antique shops, some with over 100 dealer booths inside.

Lewes is beautifully set in a valley just beneath the South Downs, chalk hills that run above the coast in the southeastern corner of Great Britain. It has been occupied since prehistoric times. Romans had a settlement here, and Saxons built a castle, which pops up on the unsuspecting shopper between a couple of stores on the high street.

Lewes Castle.

The main shopping area houses unique stores in lovely old buildings. This one, a second-hand book store called the Fifteenth Century Bookshop, was one of my favorites. (Click on it to magnify and see more details: it's magnificently ancient.)

Lewes is also home to Harveys, a beautiful brewery founded in 1790.

The highlight for me was Sue Pearson's famous teddy bear shop. Sue is an expert in antique and vintage bears, with several published books to her credit. Bears and Bygones was housed in a tiny storefront, but had a huge range of carefully selected antique, vintage, and modern bears. Here's a glimpse inside:

Doesn't this one look sort of like Winston Churchill?

It was difficult choosing at Sue Pearson's, but I finally settled on this couple, a 1930s English gentleman wearing a vintage sailor shirt, and a lovely 1920s American lady in her garden party dress and lace collar:

A charming couple of character bears.

From Sue's stock of modern artist bears, I chose this tiny "tea bag" ted, created by a Belgian artist whose work is quite difficult to find. Just 5 inches tall, he has a very unusual face that was most appealing.

After the teddy bear shop, it was time to begin exploring the antique stores. Our first stop was Church Hill Antiques Centre, housed, as its name suggests, in an old re-purposed church.

A sign we like to see!

A view inside the Church Hill Antiques Centre:

Victorian taxidermy, old books, and china.

I found a really cool old toy in this antique shop: a lithographed tin bank in the form of a dollhouse, Queen Mary's Dollhouse, to be exact. Queen Mary's dollhouse was created specifically for her in the 1920s. It was designed by a famous British architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens, and furnished with incredible miniatures donated by over 1,500 of the finest craftspeople in the country. The house is massive (the largest dollhouse in the world) and unbelievably detailed: water runs in the taps; fine champagne fills the tiny bottles in the wine cellar; and famous authors wrote miniature versions of works in their own hand for the library.

This tin dollhouse bank was made by two firms who contributed items to the real dollhouse, and was sold to raise money for the Queen's favorite charities. Incredibly, the bank still had its original key attached, and there were eight old English coins (pennies, half-pennies, and farthings) inside, dating from 1885-1926.

Detail of the lithography, showing the dollhouse interior,

complete with a garage full of cars at the lowest level.

The text on the underside of the bank reads:

"Made in England

Model of

The Queen's Dolls' House

Issued by

Cauldon Potteries Ltd., Stoke-on-Trent

(Potters to Her Majesty the Queen)

in conjunction with

Chubb & Son's Lock & Safe Co., Ltd.,

128 Queen Victoria St., London, E.C. 1

Produced by Special Permission of H.M. The Queen,

whose charities benefit by the sale of each model.

Cauldon Potteries supplied miniature china for the Queen's Dolls' House, and Chubb & Son's Lock and Safe Co., a miniature Chubb safe to protect the Queen's Dolls Jewels."

After this great find, it was on to the next antique shop: the Lewes Antiques Centre.

Another sign we're happy to see...

...and still another!

The Lewes Antiques Centre had loads of old toys over its four floors, including this beautiful case holding a 1930s Noah's Ark and a bunch of bears:

I liberated this adorable vintage ted, a 1940s British bear with a cheery disposition:

By skipping lunch (we didn't even stop for our usual scone break) we made it to each and every one of the antique shops in town. We had our priorities straight, for sure!

A very enticing antique shop window.

Our last stop was the Lewes Flea Market, housed in a beautiful Victorian building, with antiques over two floors.

An enticing view through the open doorway.

Yet another welcoming sign.

This wasn't really a flea market, as its name suggested. It was a fully realized antiques shop, and the bric-a-brac was invitingly dense:

This taxidermied bear wearing a fez pointed the way
to various collectibles.

I found a beautiful antique German bisque doll here, complete with old clothes and shoes, including a lovingly hand-knit sweater and matching stockings. Made by Goebel circa 1900, she measures a hefty 18 inches tall.

Doesn't she look like she's just been happily surprised by something?

My last find in Lewes was this vintage miniature wooden toy village, made in Germany. These little sets make great accessories for dolls and teddy bears, and are just lots of fun to play with. Villages like these have been made in Germany for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Finally, we limped (quite literally) back to the coach with our bags of finds. My new Wooly Bear sat next to me on the ride back to our hotel, guide books at the ready as we prepared for tomorrow.

Coming up next: Day 5, the village of Tenterden and a visit to Pashley Manor Gardens.

Antiquing Trip to England: Day Three, Dover

2011-07-04T13:22:00.000-04:00

Our third day in England started out with a stop at a local boot sale, or flea market. Sellers sold all sorts of things, new and old, from the boots (trunks) of their cars.

I found some great old toys at the table of a dealer who specialized in attic clean-outs of old houses. A Sooty xylophone, still in its box, first caught my eye. Sooty was a famous teddy bear hand puppet who was the star of his own British television show in the 1950s and 60s. He did magic tricks, and played "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" on a xylophone at the close of each program. Sooty had his own merchandise line, predominantly stuffed bears, of course. The xylophone has wonderful images of Sooty on each bar.

A little further down the table was an assortment of old cast lead toy figures which had clearly been played with and much loved. I chose a set of jungle animals; it reminded me of all those old movies about stalwart British adventurers. I also got a bear and a (rather misshapen) soldier playing a horn.

Another dealer at the boot sale had a small glazed case full of old clay pipes. These pipes are found in droves all along the riverbanks of Great Britian. Shortly before the trip, I had been watching an episode of Rick Steve's Europe in which he showed how these pipes can be found along the Thames in London when the tide is out. He explained that when these long clay pipes broke, as they invariably did, the owners would toss them into the rivers, traditional rubbish disposal sites. They did this for centuries, so there are lots of pipes (and other interesting things: some coming up in a future post!) to be found with a little digging near waterways all over the country. The two I purchased came from the River Medway, in Rochester, where our tour would be taking us later in the week. The white pipe is from 1640 (!) and the darker one is an Army Regimental pipe, circa 1870. It's rather moving to hold these artifacts and imagine who they first belonged to, so long ago...

After another scone break...

...we headed off to our major destination of the day, Dover Castle, on the English Channel with France in sight across the water.

Dover Castle was built in the 1100s on the site of a Roman defensive structure and an even earlier Iron Age fort. A Roman lighthouse still stands on the grounds, and is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a centurion, still keeping his lonely vigil.

This was my first castle, and it didn't disappoint. Absolutely massive, with rings of defences, it covered acres of hilltop with spectacular views of the English Channel. The castle is very strategically located, and played a major role in the country's defense during both the Napoleonic Wars and World War II. Tunnels dug into the surrounding chalk hills, like something from a James Bond villian's lair, provided secrecy and safety for security operations during the wars.

The outer castle wall and entrance.

After going on a tour of the Secret Wartime Tunnels (no picture-taking allowed there, as they are still Secret, apparently), we came out onto a high balcony, looking out over the harbor, with France visible on the horizon:

The day ended with a stop at the White Cliffs of Dover, the beautiful chalk hills that line the southeastern coast of Britain. Just visible at the end of the highway in this photo is a tunnel going through one of the cliffs:

Coming up next: Day 4, shopping in Lewes, a beautiful town packed full of antique stores, plus Sue Pearson's world-famous teddy bear shop. I will confess: I bought so much here, I actually had blisters on my hands at the end of the day from carrying my shopping bags...this was my favorite day of the whole trip!

Antiquing Trip to England: Day Two, Henley-on-Thames

2011-07-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

Our antiquing tour of England officially began with a visit to the beautiful town of Henley-on-Thames, situated, as its name suggests, along the famous river. Crossing the 18th century bridge into town, we saw a classic English narrowboat, one of the beautifully decorated houseboats that ply the waterways of Great Britain.

Our first stop in Henley was also our first teddy bear shop, Asquiths, housed in a marvelously preserved 15th century building. The display windows left no doubt as to the type of merchandise inside:

Teddy bears galore filled shelves, cupboards, and tables inside, and comical reminders to mind your head on the low, heavily beamed ceilings abounded:

See the plush yellow duck above the "Duck" warning?

Asquiths stocked mainly contemporary

and artisan teddy bears, and I chose

a small one crafted by a British couple,

complete with hand-knit accessories

and a wonderfully eccentric face:

The owners of Asquiths served us tea and pastries in their private apartment upstairs, which was delightful. And, we got to see their invitation to an upcoming garden party hosted by the Queen! I guess you could say we had tea with someone who is going to have tea with the Queen. That must count for something...

After Asquiths, it was on to my very first antique shop, the appropriately named Tudor House, in a building that was actually from the Tudor period. A sign on the front stated the house was built during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, between 1560 and 1601! It was so marvelously old and looked so deliciously inviting, I would have willingly paid just to go inside...

Like Asquiths and all the other buildings we saw from this period, the ceilings were very low, made even lower in places by the heavy, blackened beams. This shop was so crowded with junque inside, it was almost impossible to hold the camera far enough in front of myself to take photos! Baskets, copper pots, and stoneware hung from the ceiling, and huge display cases filled the already tiny and cramped rooms. We had to weave our way through, occasionally backing up and onto the sidewalk so that people already inside the shop could make their way out. The second floor was a bit more open, and had very interesting architectural features:

Deep in one of the glass cases, I found these 3 tiny German bisque dolls, circa 1920: two dollhouse babies, just 2 and 3/4 inches tall, and a slightly larger standing one. Cute, cute, cute.

After this, we visited several stores of a type plentiful in Britain, but not so familiar here in the States: Charity Shops. The UK has loads of charities devoted to various causes, and many of them raise funds by selling donated items in these storefronts. The merchandise is cleaned and professionally arranged, and the stores are often so nice, you almost forget they're second-hand shops. Here are a few we spotted over the tour:

Charity Shops are great places for treasure hunting at bargain prices, and I wasn't disappointed. In my very first one here in Henley, I all but stumbled over a 1930s English dollhouse sitting on the floor right inside the door. It had been lovingly played with over two generations: some of the rooms had been repapered in the early 1960s, and the furnishings were a mix of 1930s German and 1950s-60s British. Most likely, a mother passed it down to her daughter, and they played with it together, giving the dollhouse a wonderful history.

Carrying the dollhouse to the bus.

An English dollhouse had been at the very top of my trip wish list, and after some estimated on-the-spot weighing and measuring, it was purchased and carried down the street back to our waiting coach. And thankfully, it did indeed fit in my largest suitcase, and didn't make it overweight. It was an antiquing miracle.

The really neat thing about this dollhouse was, we saw many very similar real houses on our travels throughout England. Finding it was like getting to take a little piece of England home with me.

The oldest piece of furniture in the house was this 1930s German-made cupboard, found in the bedroom, which still had its original floral carpet paper:

I love the classic British hunting print hanging on the bedroom wall:

The house and furniture is sized just right for Flagg Family dollhouse dolls, who moved in once I got it home. Here, dad and junior hang out in the TV room.

Coming up next: Day 3, the white cliffs and castle of Dover, and old toy finds at a boot sale (flea market)...

Wow! We're In Magazine Articles!

2011-07-01T06:00:00.017-04:00

(A momentary digression from the trip reports of my recent collector's tour of England.)

One of my antique dollhouse shops was featured in an article in the current Dolls Houses Past and Present, an online magazine devoted to dollhouses and miniatures. (Actually, we were in the last issue too, but I never got around to announcing it.) We were extremely flattered at being asked to contribute articles.

And, the current issue of Bears and Buds, an online teddy bear collecting magazine, has an article all about the tour of England I was just on. You can get a glimpse of me in one of the photos: I'm the one holding the big (and heavy, and very awkward to carry down the street) dollhouse, which I have yet to tell you about...)

(More trip reporting coming soon!)

Antiquing Trip to England: Day One, London

2011-06-29T06:00:00.003-04:00

Our day in London was a mad rush; we had just a few hours to ourselves to see as much as we could, before the tour officially started with a group dinner that evening. Since the tour itself was devoted to antiquing, we decided to focus on sights in London instead of shopping.

We started out at the British Museum. Wow. We could have spent our entire vacation inside the Museum, I think, and still not have seen everything. As it was, I studied the floor plans and carefully plotted our visit on a guide map beforehand, and we limited ourselves to 2 hours here (not counting gift shop time. There was some shopping, of course!)

First we toured the Egyptian Statuary room.
I particularly liked this red granite sarcophagus lid.
The face was somehow different from most other ancient Egyptian sculpture I'd seen, sort of comical and friendly.
He had an amusingly big nose and sticky-outy ears:

Next were two of my favorite pieces in the Museum: giant winged lion statues from ancient Assyria. These guarded the doorways of a royal palace built in 710 BC, and were believed to be imbued with magical powers. They were gigantic: you can get an idea of the scale from the protective lucite screen that surrounds them to a height where hands can't reach. (These were so cool, I bought a miniature version in the gift shop.)

Next to the lion statues was a very interesting photograph taken during their excavation in the 1850s, showing them in situ:

Another interesting piece related to the lions (and one related to toys as well) was this rough gameboard, scratched into the surrounding stone gateway by bored sentries. It was incredible to look at this game and imagine people playing it almost 3,000 years ago.

This placard described how the game was played,
and how similar versions have been found on other
ancient structures:

My very favorite pieces in the Museum, though, were the famed Lewis Chessmen. These iconic toys were discovered under mysterious circumstances in a sandbank on the Isle of Lewis, just off the Scottish coast, in 1831. Carved from walrus ivory in the 12th century, probably in Norway, the pieces depict kings, queens, bishops, knights, and rooks with intriguing expressions. The little characters are very captivating figures.

The queens are some of the most intriguing pieces. Holding hands to their faces, they appear anxious, fretful, perhaps worried about the outcome of the game:

Our visit to the British Museum ended with a tea break in the cafe, complete with our first scones, along with cream and jam. (I became addicted to these by the end of the tour.)

After the Museum, our next destination was Hamley's Toy Store, a 5 story wonderland founded way back in 1760, making it 250 years old!!! On the way, though, we were distracted by this lovely old umbrella shop, established, as the sign says, in 1830. We were told people come from all over the world to purchase umbrellas there. It was an appropriate detour, as it was raining at this point...

A major delay was caused by this kitschy souvenir shop, where I had to load up on snowglobes:

All along our walk through London, we spotted fascinating architecture and amazing old buildings. My favorites were those I have now christened "Squished Houses," impossibly narrow structures that seem to fill in every available space. For a sense of proportion, the lady on the sidewalk gives an idea of just how tiny this particular Squished House is:

Finally we made it to Hamley's:

The teddy bear shop sign hanging from the ceiling sent me nearly into hysterics. I had to be reminded that our tour had actually not started yet, and cautioned to not spend all my money here.

And so my purchases were pretty modest, considering I was in "the finest toystore in the world!" I chose a little Paddington complete with his suitcase and wellington boots. I also got a little wooden London playset: it has a tiny Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, No. 10 Downing Street, London Eye, and Big Ben inside, plus some double decker buses, phone booths, and post boxes. As the package says, it's "London in a bag...build your very own London!" Cool.

If money (and luggage space) had been no concern, I would have gotten this: a jaw-droppingly beautiful handmade rocking horse, from an old and esteemed line of British toymakers. Price? $3,000. Not counting shipping.

Coming up next: Day 2, the beautiful riverside town of Henley-on-Thames, featuring my first British antique store (in a building dating from the 1500s!), a specialist teddy bear boutique, and an old dollhouse found in a charity shop...

Antiquing Trip to England: Introduction

2011-06-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Ever since I was old enough to know what antiques were, I longed to go on an antiquing trip to England. Here at home in the United States, we just don't have anything to compare age-wise with England's 500 year old pubs, medieval cathedrals, or ancient castles, and our antique stores are filled with Beanie Babies, not Georgian tea caddies.

As a teddy bear lover, the pickings are similarly slim in the States. Great Britain seems to have as many teddy bear shops per square mile as we have McDonald's. (Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but only a small one.) The UK is also home to several teddy bear museums and manufacturers, although their numbers have recently begun to decline.

About 28 years ago, a couple from Chesaning, Michigan began leading collectors' tours of Great Britian. Terry and Doris Michaud were antique toy dealers, who actually started out selling and restoring dolls. They became two of the earliest teddy bear specialists, wrote several books, lectured all over the world, and eventually founded a museum and shop housed in a beautiful Victorian mansion in their historic small town. As antique bear prices soared in the 1980s and '90s, Terry and Doris began making more affordable replicas of their bears to sell, and the Dean's Company in England, an historic soft toy manufacturer, also helped with production and distribution for a period. When Walt Disney World decided to host its first teddy bear conventions, the Michauds were two of the experts it consulted, and a unique partnership ensued.

An anniversary trip to England inspired the Michauds to begin taking groups of teddy bear collectors there, where they used their expertise and connections to provide access to factories, museums, and artisans. Each tour also included a sampling of Great Britain's historic sights, like castles, cathedrals, gardens, and picture-postcard villages.

This year I was fortunate to finally get to go on one of the Michaud's tours, rumored to be their last. Our ten day itinerary included London; Henley-on-Thames; Dover with its white cliffs and famed castle; the antiquing paradise of Lewes; Tenterden; Canterbury, with its legendary cathedral; the Victorian seaside resort of Eastbourne; Rochester, birthplace of Charles Dickens; and the medieval market town of Faversham.

It was really the trip of a lifetime for me. I climbed to the top of a castle; wandered through an English manor house garden; had several cream teas; visited a teddy bear maker's workshop; had lunch in a centuries-old pub; saw ancient treasures at the British Museum; browsed in a toy shop founded in 1760 (!); and found lots and lots of fabulous old things, which I'll show and tell in upcoming posts. In the meantime, check out these links to magazine articles about past tours to get a glimpse.

Antiquing in England

2011-06-17T17:45:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone: sorry for my slowness in responding to all your comments...been on my first antiquing abroad trip, in England!!! Almost done.... had to get an extra suitcase to fit all the finds. Lots of teddy bears, some dolls, a dollhouse (hence the extra suitcase)...and assorted other bits. Posts coming in a few days!

Fisher Price Fire Trucks: Looky, Winky Blinky, and Snorky

2011-06-16T06:00:00.161-04:00

Fisher Price made a wide range of paper lithographed wooden fire trucks over its long history, and they were some of the most popular toys in its line. Today, they are highly sought by both Fisher Price and firefighting collectors.

The earliest is the Looky Fire Truck from 1950-1954, so named because of its anthropomorphic face made from the bumper and headlights. Measuring 12 inches long, it came with 3 permanently attached round headed firemen, precursors of the famous Fisher Price Little People.

All the fire trucks had lots of action features. As this one is pulled, the bell clangs; Looky's eyes move as if he's searching for the fire, or perhaps watching for pedestrians; and the two firemen holding on in the back spin around and bob up and down. This early in the Little People evolution, they are only heads, as can be seen below:

The truck is beautifully lithographed in rich colors with lots of details, including ladders, axes, oxygen tanks, hose connections, and gauges.

Looky was followed by the Winky Blinky Fire Truck, made from 1954-1960. The two toys were very similar, but Winky had all new graphics with a cutesier truck face. The firemen and action features were the same, but included the addition of a (non-working) wooden siren.

A radical redesign arrived in 1960 with the introduction of the Snorky Fire Truck. Made for only 1 year, the 15 inch long truck is much sought for its firemen, now full bodied. They, along with their dog, represent some of the earliest iterations of what would become the Fisher Price Little People.

Snorky is a no nonsense fire truck: gone are the goofy headlight-and-bumper face and the merrily bouncing firemen in the back. Instead, it features a real hook and ladder which can be raised, and the firemen can hold the hose in their attached plastic arms.

The Snorky dog is one of the very rarest of Fisher Price figures. He may look odd lacking ears, but that's how he was originally made.

This first version of the Snorky Fire Truck featured old fashioned illustrations in its design:

The next and final model of the Snorky was also made for only one year, in 1961. It featured updated lithography resembling more modern fire trucks, but for some inexplicable reason, it didn't come with a dog.

The Snorky Fire Trucks, with their single-year production runs, crankable ladders, and fragile-armed firemen, are some of the rarest, priciest, and most sought after vintage Fisher Price playsets. If you ever spot one of the firemen (or, even more impossibly, the dog) while yard saling, snatch it up: it's a treasure!