|
Averill Manufacturing
Company a New York, USA doll manufacturer has a long and somewhat
confusing history, mostly due to the various names the company
operated under such as: Paul Averill, Inc., Madame Georgene,
and Georgene Novelties. It was begun by husband and
wife team James "Paul" Averill and wife Georgene Hopf Averill,
they also employed Georgene's
brother Rudolph A. Hopf and daughter Maxine Averill. Georgene or
Madame Georgene the doll designer, sometimes used the trade
name Madame Hendren which is also in some of the doll
markings, also Lyfe Like or Life Like and Wonder
dolls.
Averill collaborated with
Borgfeldt, Horsman and several other doll
artists, they are probably best known for cloth Raggedy Ann
and Andy dolls designed by Johnny Gruelle and the Bonnie Babe
doll.
Here are some
Averill - Georgene - Hendren dolls we have found:
|
 |

ca.
1916-1920s Dutch Boy and Dutch Girl, 11-20" tall,
description still to come.
|

ca. 1916-1920s Dutch Boy 12" |
|
ca.1916-1920s
Indian, Native American, Papoose Baby dolls, 4-12" tall in
their felt fringed carriers; German bisque, celluloid, all
composition or composition and cloth dolls, painted eyes, closed
mouth, painted molded black hair. Most of these dolls are
unmarked, or it's unknown how marked due to the
clothing and felt carrier that encloses them. Most had a
cloth tag attached; Madame Hendren, Character Doll,
Costume Pat. May 9th, 1916. |

ca.1916-1920s Indian, Native American,
Papoose Baby dolls |
|
ca.
1918-1920s Indian, Native American, Black Dolls, and
Cowboys, 13-20" tall, composition flared or shoulder head
and cloth doll, partial or full composition limbs, usually with
painted brown yes, closed mouth, black molded painted hair for
boys, black mohair wig in braids some over molded hair for
girls, dressed in felt Native American costume; tunic with
fringe trimmed with beads, simple felt ribbon looped thru
punched holes and tied for closure, pants or skirt with fringed,
moccasin shoes, and headbands or feathered head dress as
appropriate to the character or a felt fringed cowboy outfit
with tunic and felt chaps. They used several different
dolls; neck markings are; Trion Toy Co 1915
or
none on doll, a three leaf clover with initials
R F L inside each leaf, A.M. © Co. Bodies may have the
ink stamp; Madame Hendren's Life Like Doll, Patented
June 4th, 1918.
|

ca. 1920s Indian, Native American, 13" |
|
ca. 1918+ Baby
Georgene, 15-18 or 22-24" tall, Mama or baby
dolls, composition head and limbs, cloth stuffed body
with music box inside that plays "Lullaby Baby", molded
hair and/or wigged, sleep eyes, closed mouth.
Doll is marked: Georgene Baby. |

ca. 1920s Baby Georgene, 22" |
|
ca. 1918+ Baby
Hendren, 15-18 or 22-24" tall, Mama or baby
dolls, composition head and limbs stuffed cloth body, molded
hair, sleep eyes, open
mouth. Doll is marked: Baby Hendren |
ca. 1920s Baby
Hendren, 22" |
|

1922
Dolly Reckord, 26" tall, composition shoulder head
with a cloth body and a recorder, speaker mechanism in it's
back, sleep eyes, wigged, open mouth. Marked in ink on
body: Genuine Madame Hendren Doll. |

1922
Dolly Reckord, 26" |
|
ca. 1924 Sis Hopkins, 13-14" tall,
composition shoulder head and lower arms, cloth stuffed body
upper arms and legs, stitched hips, molded hair with five rust
colored yarn pigtails and tied with a green ribbon, black side
glancing painted eyes, watermelon painted slight smiling mouth,
designed by Grace G. Drayton Wiederseim.
Doll mark: G. G. Drayton ©. Sis Hopkins was a character played by
comedian Rose Melville (1873-1946). Amberg
also made a Sis Hopkins doll ca. 1912, who is marked with her name.
ca. 1924 Chocolate Drop, 13-14", uses the same head mold
as the Sis Hopkins doll, now with brown composition head with five black yarn
pigtails, brown cloth body, rest of doll is same as Sis. Doll mark: G. G. Drayton ©.
|

ca. 1924Sis Hopkins, 13-14" |
|
1925 Lullaby Baby,13, 16, 18" tall, possibly other
sizes, Bye-Lo type, composition or bisque flange head,
tin sleep eyes, closed mouth, lightly molded painted hair, cloth
body and limbs with straight cloth legs, composition or
celluloid hands.
Head markings; AM © Co., AM Germany 341,
Madame Hendren Doll or no marking. Body ink stamp; Genuine Madame Hendren
Doll 314 Made in USA, Genuine Madame Hendren Doll
316, Made in USA. |

1925 Lullaby Baby doll, 18" |
|
1926-1929 Whistling Dolls, 14" tall,
composition head and lower arms, cloth body - upper arms and legs, painted side glancing eyes, puckered
open mouth with a hole for whistling, are unmarked or marked: USA
with an ink
stamp on the cloth body. Names were: Dan, also came
dressed as a Sailor, Cowboy or Nell.
|

1926-1929 Whistling Dan, 14" |
|
1926-1946 Bonnie Babe,
12-24" tall, bisque or celluloid head with molded painted hair, cloth body,
composition limbs - some have a composition body with bent limb arms, sleep eyes, open smiling mouth,
with two lower teeth, marked: Copr.
By Georgene Averill Germany 1005-3653 1386 or 1402 on
head. The bisque heads were made by Alt, Beck & Gottschalk
or Kestner and imported from Germany.
1926 Bonnie Babe 5-7"
tall, all bisque doll, jointed bisque body, molded painted
hair, painted eyes, open mouth, molded painted shoes
and socks. |

1926-1946 Bonnie Babe,
18" |
|
1927 Jimmie (boy)
or
Dimmie (girl), 14" tall, socket head with all composition jointed body
with/or without body twist ball joint waist, molded painted hair, large
painted eyes, dolls are unmarked but had a wrist tag.
We think both dolls are identical, but that the clothing
determined the dolls name ie. dressed as a boy then it's Jimmie,
a girl then it's Dimmie.
Note: These dolls were
also sold by: Horsman, who called their doll Boots, the Maxine Doll Company named their doll Mitzi
(she will be marked as such), and Sears
called their doll Tootsie.
To make a positive ID on the
manufacturer, doll will need tagged clothing, it's original
wrist tag, box or possibly some manufacturers may have had a
marking on their doll.
|
1927 Jimmie doll,
14" |
|
1927 Little
Sister or Little Brother, 14" tall, composition
shoulder head and limbs, cloth stuffed body, molded hair,
painted eyes and lashes, painted closed watermelon mouth, based on artist and doll maker Grace
Corry Rockwell. Marked:
© By Grace Corry. |
1927 Little Brother, 14" |
|
1927
Sunny Boy & Sunny Girl, 14, 17, 19, or 22" celluloid
shoulder head with the
turtle mark, a sunburst, + doll mold number, Made in USA and the dolls name, a
slender cloth stuffed body, composition limbs, molded hair,
glass eyes. |

1927
Sunny Girl, 17" |
|
1928 Baby Brite, 18 or 22" tall,
composition flange head and limbs, stuffed cloth body, molded
painted blonde hair, gray celluloid sleep eyes, open mouth with
two upper teeth, slight dimples on each side of mouth, can put
it's right index finger in it's mouth, Effanbee Bubbles look a
like or competitor (Bubbles can put her left finger in mouth,
too).
Marked: Madame Hendren Doll. |

1928 Baby Brite, 22" |
|

1928 Snookums, 14"
tall, all composition with jointed body, white or black boy doll,
painted tin eyes, open smiling mouth with two upper teeth, the
black Snookums does not have a hair tuff on the top of his head. Marked: Madame Hendren Doll. |
1928 Snookums, 14" |
|
1928
Girl doll, various sizes, composition shoulder head with cloth
body, composition limbs, molded blonde hair, sleep eyes, open
mouth. |

1928
Girl doll, 17" |
|
ca. 1930s Baby Yawn, 19" tall, possibly other sizes too,
composition flange head and hands, cloth stuffed body with straight legs, molded
painted hair, squinting closed eyes, open yawning mouth. Doll marked
Georgene 49. Looks like the Ideal or Horsman later dolls known as
Squalling Baby. |

ca. 1930s Baby Yawn, 19" |
|
1930s Patsy types, 14-19" tall,
composition shoulder head and limbs, cloth stuffed body or all
composition head and jointed Patsy type body, molded
painted hair, some have a pin hole for a hair bow just behind
two small curls on top of head, tin sleep eyes or painted eyes, closed painted
mouth.
Big Peaches, 19" tall, (cloth body
shoulder head, tin sleep eyes), Polly
Peaches, 17", (all composition, tin sleep eyes), Peaches
16" or Bud 14", (composition shoulder head, gray
tin sleep eyes) and a
painted eye version doll was named Blossom Peaches
14", all composition jointed body whose shown at right.
The largest size is marked: A.M.
Co. Averill Manufacturing Co., other sizes could have a
similar marking, ACO Inc., or are unmarked. |

1930s
Blossom Peaches, 14"
Patsy type |
|
1934 Uncle Wiggily
Longears and Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, 18-21" tall, animal character
dolls, all stuffed cloth toy with painted facial features.
The Uncle Wiggily character is a rabbit dressed as an elderly
man with top hat, overcoat, shirt, tie, vest and pants, the stuffed toys are usually
unmarked, but originally had a hang tag that said:
Georgene Averill. Nurse Jane wore a long gown and is a
muskrat.
The Uncle Wiggily character is
based on the Uncle Wiggily's Adventure story book's, newspaper columns, comics,
board games, radio show and more, all created by American author
Howard R. Garis (1873-1962) beginning in 1910. The
radio show (1920's) was sponsored by Ovaltine.
Photo's courtesy addicted*to*vintage
|
|

1934 Uncle Wiggily Longears, 20"

|
|
1937 Little
Cherub, 12 or 16" tall, designed by Harriet
Flanders,
all composition, jointed body, molded painted hair, blue painted eyes with three upper painted
eyelashes, open O mouth with painted tongue, marked on neck: Harriet
© Flanders 1937. |

1937
Little Cherub by Harriet Flanders, 12" |
|
1938 Snooks
a brunette or Sweets a blonde, 12-22" tall, printed
cloth doll with painted face, painted or yarn hair, big eyes
with real lashes, closed smiling mouth, usually marked at the
seam, doll mark MTF. Based on accurate reproductions of artist Maud
Tousey Fangel (1881-1968) illustrations.
|

Maud
Tousey Fangel
1938 Sweets cloth doll
18"
|
|
1938-1962 Raggedy Ann 15-50" tall, all cloth rag doll
with orangish-red yarn hair. |

ca. 1940's Raggedy Ann
18"
|
|
1938-1962 Raggedy Andy, 15-50" tall, all cloth rag doll
with orangish-red yarn hair. |

ca. 1940's Raggedy
Andy, 16"
|
|
1940's Little
Lulu, 12 or 14" tall, all cloth doll with swivel head
and painted mask face, black yarn hair, applied ears, closed
mouth, usually unmarked but came with a hangtag.
Other Comic Characters
were: Alvin, Becassine, Nancy, Sluggo, Tubby Tom. |

1940's
Little Lulu, 14" |
|
1944-1951 Nancy,
12 or 14" tall, all cloth doll with swivel head and
painted mask face, black yarn hair, applied ears, closed
mouth, usually unmarked but came with a hangtag.
Comic character from
cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy comic strip
distributed by United Feature Syndicate .
|

1944-1951
Nancy, 14" |
|
1944-1951 Sluggo
Smith, 12 or 14" tall, all cloth doll with swivel
head and painted mask face, yarn hair, applied ears, closed
mouth, usually unmarked but came with a hangtag.
Comic character from
cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy comic strip,
distributed by United Feature Syndicate, Sluggo is
Nancy's best friend. |

1944-1951
Sluggo Smith, 14" |
|
1958 Aver
Baby, 18, 24, 26" tall, vinyl head with painted eyes,
wide open smiling mouth with two lower teeth, dimples, molded hair,
thin vinyl stuffed body and upper legs, crier, stitched hips, usually marked:
Georgene
Averill, may have a
© 1958 on inside legs. |
1958 Aver Baby, 24" |
|
|
Additional Averill - Georgene -
Madame Hendren Dolls not shown:
ca. 1915 September Morn, 7" tall, all bisque doll, jointed
at shoulders and hips, designed by Grace Drayton, registered trademark
and distributed by George Borgfeldt (1914), doll mark September Morn Germany
inside an oval.
1917 Baby Virginia doll, Averill
Mfg. registered trade name in the Madame Hendren line. 1918 Baby Darling, 17, 20, 24"
tall, Mama doll, composition and cloth, sleep eyes, by Madame
Hendren.
1920-1924
Billie Boy or Billy Boy, 20-28" tall, composition and cloth,
walking and talking doll, painted hair, companion to Betty.
1923 Dolly Dingle
or Bobby Dingle, 13" tall, composition shoulder head
and limbs,
jointed at the shoulders and hips, cloth body, painted side
glancing eyes, pug nose, closed smiling watermelon mouth with indented
cheeks, face is similar to the Campbell Kid doll, some 11" tall
dolls had two faces, marked: G. G. Drayton
©.
Designed by Grace G. Drayton Weidersum.
1923-1924 Chocolate Drop, 12" tall, brown
cloth rag doll with three yarn pigtails, designed by
Grace Drayton, doll mark Chocolate Drop Copyright by G.G. Drayton.
1924-1925 Baby Dingle, part of the
Dingle group of dolls, composition
head with molded hair, painted eyes or sleep eyes.
ca. 1950's Baby
Dawn, 20" tall, all vinyl with rooted hair, large
sleep eyes, dimples in cheeks, open slight smiling mouth,
usually marked: AVERILL.
|