Spooky Primitive Folk Art Dolls

Happy October!

We're now in my favorite month of the year, so I'll be highlighting some of my favorite collections: spooky dolls, antique Halloween postcards and paraphernalia, and monster games and toys.

To start things off, here are some fantastic primitive/folk art dolls handmade by my friend Jane, who sells her work under the clever byline, "Nothing Plain By Jane." And plain they are not: her dolls are quirky, funny, weird and wonderful.

Above is Igor, her newest creation, while below are a long and lanky skeleton (he's almost a yard tall), and my first doll from Jane: Big Head Tillie. I have to turn her around at night so I can't see her eyes, or she freaks me out...

There's LOTS more dolls, but I'll finish up for now with a view of the Pumpkin Head Doll Patch, which covers the antique oak dresser in my bedroom (there's also a Pear Head Guy and a Melon Head Lady who sneaked in).

Goofy Looking Bears

While I am always happy to add a high-quality, pedigreed antique Ideal or Steiff teddy bear to my collection, I have to admit that the bears that really make me smile tend to be mongrels: made by unknown makers of questionable skill, resulting in goofy and unusual creations. Here are two of my favorites. The guy with the hat, grin, and Jimmy Durante nose is a British ted from the 1930s. The somewhat startled-looking bear in the bow tie with the crooked ears is a 1920s German teddy.

Antique American Black Teddy Bear

While not one of the oldest bears in my collection, this teddy is one of the rarest. American made between 1910 - 1920, this simple "stick" type 14 inch bear is special because of his black mohair. For whatever reason, black bears were not popular and were made in very small numbers. I was lucky to find this one, and consider him one of my treasures.

Antique American Teddy Bears

Here are two of my favorite bears, both American made. The larger is a 20 inch Ideal bear circa 1904 - 1906, while the smaller is circa 1903-1904. The little guy wears an original Teddy Roosevelt campaign pin that his first owner got during the president's whistle-stop tour. This provenance makes him rather smug; you can see how he holds his nose in the air! His larger friend is a beautiful creamy Ideal with a cinnamon colored nose and a crazy big hump: see the next pic for a view. I call him "Mr. Slumpy."

Antique Steiff Teddy Bears

Here are two of my antique Steiff teddy bears, enjoying some early autumn sunshine. Measuring 9 and 13 inches, both date around 1908.

Antique American Teddy Bears

Presenting two of my favorite antique teddy bears, both by unknown American makers. The larger bear is about 24 inches tall, and dates to around 1910-1915. He wears my little brother Jody's handmade sailor suit: Jody wore this during his "terrible twos". Bear's little friend is a 10 inch ted from the 1920s.

They like to sit in the big armchair and watch the squirrels in the maple tree outside.

Old Homemade 3 Bears

When hunting for antique teddy bears, I'm usually after fully jointed mohair versions, made by major German, British, or American makers. I was consequently surprised to discover how much I liked this lot: a handmade set of the 3 Bears, made from a distinctly "low end" fabric, in a floppy, rag-doll style.

Dating to the Great Depression, I imagine they were some loving parent's attempt to create toys for their child who would otherwise be lacking. It's clear a lot of love and care went into their construction, from their painstakingly embroidered faces to their handsewn outfits (daddy bear even has a teeny-tiny hemmed handkerchief peeking out of his pocket!) It was love at first sight for me, and I simply had to bring them home.

Several years after finding the bears, I came across this vintage cookie jar, decorated with 3 bears who closely resemble their stuffed counterparts. Though not technically a cookie jar collector, I found I had to have this too...

Teddy Bear Restoration

I'm a sucker for "love-worn" teddy bears...they just look like they've given their all, and now they deserve some care in return. How anyone can throw out a battered teddy is beyond my understanding!
Still, this one was damaged well past even my high tolerance level. But I bought him anyway, because he's a very rare and special teddy: an American 1920s Sleep Eyed Bear.

When I found him, I had never seen a Sleep Eyed Bear (SEB) for sale in over 20 years of collecting, and I thought, "well, I can probably fix him. How hard can it be?" As it turned out, quite hard, and eventually SEB was sent away to a professional teddy bear restorer.
(Mar-Ke Mohair at www.teddybearrepair.com: highly recommended!)
A month later, SEB could hear out of both ears, smell, and smile, and he also felt much cleaner and sturdier. It was a truly amazing restoration.

Sleep Eyed Bears, when found, are usually damaged, because of the fragility of their internal mechanism. The head contains a metal framework that holds the celluloid eyes in place. When you tip the bear back, the eyes roll into a closed position. It's pretty ingenious, but also hard on the bear: the fabric tends to strain against the metal, resulting in tears over time, and if the fabric gets wet, the metal causes terrible staining that looks like...well, like poor Teddy has been a homicide victim. Thankfully, this one was saved and is now living a comfortable retirement, beguiling the other bears with stories of his trip to the restorer.

Antique Hahn & Amberg Teddy Bear

Introducing one of my very favorite antique teddy bears: "Barney", made by the American manufacturer, Hahn & Amberg, c.1907. Barney is a really unique bear, in a very desirable cinnamon shade. He's unusually made of a thick woolish fabric, similar to antique upholstery material, and is stuffed with shredded cork, which gives him a certain heftiness. I've wondered if his materials are partly responsible for his amazing preservation: Barney is practically mint. He measures about 13 inches tall, and has a happy, smiling face, very different from his stern German contemporaries.

1892 Palmer Cox Brownie Doll

Ooooh: how nifty is this: a Palmer Cox Brownie doll from 1892!
Palmer Cox was an illustrator who achieved fame with his cartoon creations, the Brownies, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Brownies appeared first in comics and books, then quickly spawned a range of merchandise that was extensive even by today's jaded standards. Brownies appeared on everything imaginable: handkerchiefs, china, toys, cookies, sheet music, household utensils, even a humidor! Their greatest marketing triumph occurred when an early Kodak camera, the legendary Brownie, was named after them. This 7-inch Brownie doll is from a line of printed cotton toys that purchasers cut out, stuffed, and sewed together themselves at home.

Here's a link to a great article about the Palmer Cox Brownies:
http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=34&s=265&ai=46528&arch=y&ssd=7/24/2004%2012:01:00%20PM

1920s Teddy Bear

A local antique dealer found this minty 1920s American teddy bear at an estate sale and saved it for me. The 10-inch tall teddy appears absolutely unplayed with, and the faint mothball odor that attends it suggests it was carefully packed away when originally received 80 years ago.
I always have mixed feelings when I find an old toy in such shape. While it's wonderful to see a toy in this beautiful, original condition, it's also a bit sad to realize no child ever got the chance to play with and love it. Often the wear on a toy gives it a unique charm all its own, along with a sense of its history. Still, I'm delighted to have this minty-fresh little guy, and he looks very happy to be out of his box at last!

Peng Peng Buddha Bear

This tiny teddy bear, only about 5 inches tall, is one of my favorites from the Chicago artist Peng Peng. Peng Peng makes this bear in an incredible variety of materials and designs, all called "Buddha Bears" because of their short stature and portly proportions. (You can see more at her website: http://www.peng-peng.com/.) My little Buddha Bear likes to visit this vintage 1950s toy refrigerator, complete with some original items. Looks like he's got a little box of ice cream at the moment. (Maybe that's why he looks the way he does...)

1908 Teddy Bear Dolls

These are two of the most unique items in my antique teddy bear and doll collection. Called Teddy Girls or Teddy Dolls, they were made around 1908, the year that the teddy bear craze swept America. Doll sales temporarily plummeted, causing manufacturers to worry about their Christmas sales figures. Their solution was the creation of this hybrid half teddy bear, half doll. It was not well received: children wanting either teddy bears or dolls rejected it as being neither, and everyone else was just generally creeped out by it. Dismal sales led to a short shelf life, and Teddy Girls are now rather scarce. I was thrilled to find two very different examples. The large doll features a German-made painted metal head with glass sleep eyes, attached to an American-made bear body. The smaller doll is of a much simpler, more common type, with a celluloid face mask inserted into a teddy bear hood.

Birthday Bears

While decorating for my birthday party last weekend, I made this arrangement of vintage toys on an antique cake stand. The big bear wearing the straw hat is a funny English teddy from the 1930s; next to him is an old mechanical bear who "drinks" from his red wooden cup; down in front are a 1920s Steiff duck on wheels and a miniature Steiff lion; to the left is an original set of Bill Ding Clowns; perched just below the mechanical bear is a tin-faced Shuco monkey; and riding the duck is Ting-Ting, a fabulous bear made by teddy artist Peng Peng from Chicago.