Little Metal People

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!)