Porcelain Kewpie Doll
About Porcelain Kewpie Doll
Porcelain, as used in dolls, may either be glazed or unglazed such as the ones used to make bisque dolls. This material gained popularity in the 1860’s and has been used to make the most prized and popular dolls, which includes the Kewpie dolls. These dolls made of bisque, may also be called Porcelain Kewpie doll because the term porcelain can be also be used for bisque as long as it is unglazed, making it distinct from china or glazed porcelain.
The history of dolls date back to the ancient times particularly in ancient Egypt, where doll-like figures were found in graves. These dolls were made of wood and were called paddle dolls. In the Middle Ages, the material used to make dolls were cloths and this extended up to the 1600’s and 1700’s where the doll making industry was finally established due to the increasing demand for dolls and other toys by the public. By the 1800’s, the discovery of new methods for treating materials paved the way for the use of other materials in doll making such as wax and porcelain. Porcelain in particular is a well-known and favorite material used for dolls because of the kind of look and texture that it gives to the dolls not to mention that it instantly gives a perception of luxury to the item.
The Porcelain Kewpie doll was the earliest kind of Kewpie doll to be produced and was made by toy manufacturers in Ohrdurf, Germany. The dolls were based on the illustrations made by an artist named Rose O’Neill and since 1912 have been in production. The popularity of the Kewpies wasn’t confined to dolls and figurines only, but also extended up to products such as postcards, salt and pepper shakers, and coloring books. This popularity gave its creator instant wealth and soon enough other companies wanted to have rights to produce the dolls themselves. Since then, the Kewpie dolls have come out in a variety of other materials such as composition, plastic, and vinyl.
Today, it is most common to find Kewpie dolls made of vinyl and these are produced by many companies including the Charisma Company owned by Marie Osmond. However, when it comes to value and rarity, the Porcelain Kewpie doll is said to be the most sought after by doll collectors because they are harder to find and because original models used the same material. The price of a Vintage Kewpie doll made of porcelain, may reach up to hundreds of dollars depending on the condition and the year it was made.
