Kewpie Doll
The Kewpie Doll started with an idea!
It was in 1909, when the artist Rose Cecil O’Neill, decided to come up with illustrations of endearing, child-like characters called Kewpies that eventually led to the creation of the Kewpie Doll. The illustrations, which first appeared in the Ladies’ Home Journal, instantly gained popularity in the early 1900’s and hasn’t let up since then. O’Neill, having the smarts of a businessperson, realized the potential of the Kewpies and so licensed them in countless forms such as paper dolls, postcards, and salt and pepper-shakers among others. It was however, as Kewpie dolls and figurines, which the Kewpie brand name became most known for.
The first Kewpie doll was made in 1912 after negotiations between Fred Kolb, President of Geo Borgfeldt & Co. and Rose O’Neill were finalized in order to produce Kewpie dolls and figurines. From there they sent advertisements for a sculptor who would render the designs from O’Neill’s original illustrations of the Kewpies. The man they were looking for was Joseph Kallus, then a student at the Pratt Institute. He worked closely with O’Neill on the design of the first Kewpie dolls, which were then manufactured in Germany by several factories that were affiliated with Borgfeldt such as Kestner and Voight. The first dolls were made of bisque, a kind of porcelain, which gave the dolls a realistic, matte finish. These were usually signed by Rose O’Neill or had her name printed on them, making them instant collector’s items today.
As the popularity of the Kewpie doll furthered, other companies gained interest in producing it and so Kewpie dolls made from a variety of materials came into existence. The older ones that were from Germany used bisque, composition, and celluloid mostly to make the Kewpies. In 1949, Effanbee made the first hard plastic version of the Kewpie. Today, the Kewpie is mostly made of vinyl such as the ones produced by Charima Company owned by Marie Osmond. Other, more unusual materials have also been used such as soap and wedge-wood.
The name Kewpie was derived from Cupid, the Roman God of romantic love, who is said to have strong resemblances with the dolls. Actually, O’Neill wanted to make them in such a way that people could not resist looking at them and loving them. There came the inspiration for the dolls which look like chubby children complete with the tummy that stuck out, a single tuft of hair, webbed hands, and an impish smile.
