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...

Fisher Price Wooden Pull Toys Display Case

I originally began collecting Fisher Price with the intention of replacing the long-lost classic Play Family/Little People playsets of my 1970s childhood. But, as so often happens with toy collecting, one thing led to another, and before I knew it I had accumulated a whole display case full of Fisher Price's wonderful lithographed wooden pull toys, some dating back to the company's founding in the early 1930s. How different these beautiful toys are from the plastic, battery-powered, noisy, flashy products Fisher Price currently imports from China...

Book Review

Dollhouse and Miniature Dolls, 1840 - 1990, by Marcie & Bob Tubbs with Dian Zillner. Published by Schiffer Publishing, May 28, 2009. 256 pages.

Here's a book long-awaited by dollhouse collectors: an entire volume devoted to dollhouse and miniature dolls. While there have been brief chapters on these dolls in books about dolls or dollhouses, this is the first work I'm aware of that is entirely about them. And quite a comprehensive work it is, covering miniature dolls made of every imaginable material: bisque, wood, china, paper, plastic, rubber, composition, celluloid, vinyl, and more. Dolls dating from the Victorian period up to modern days are featured, and countries of origin include Germany, Britain, Japan, America, and others. Really a delight to peruse, this book will entice readers into its enchanting small worlds.

Antique Peg Wooden Penny Doll

Dating from the late 1800s or early 1900s, this German-made peg wooden doll (also known as a penny wooden) just charmed me. Her clumsily painted face resulted in a quirky, whimsical expression, and her handmade, period-accurate dress is just beautiful. I've wanted one of these historic dolls for a long time, but the right one just never came along, until she showed up. I think this individuality is one of the greatest features of old, handmade toys: even though these dolls were made by the thousands and churned out rapidly, each one is different and unique in her own way.