Averill - Georgene - Hendren MFG. Co. - Dolls 1915-1965

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 a husband and wife team of James "Paul" Averill and wife Georgene Hopf-Averill with various family members, also being involved.  Georgene or Madame Georgene  was the doll designer, one of their doll trade names was Madame Hendren which was used in some of the doll markings.  

They also collaborated with the Geo Borgfeldt company, Horsman company and several other doll artists.  They are probably best known for the cloth Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls designed by Johnny Gruelle and Bonnie Babe from the 1920's.

Here are some of the Averill - Georgene - Hendren dolls we have found:

ca. 1918 Baby Georgene, 15-18 & 22-24" tall, mama or baby dolls, composition head & 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. 1918 Baby Georgene

ca. 1918 Baby Georgene, 22"

ca. 1918 Baby Hendren, 15-18 & 22-24" tall, mama or baby dolls, composition head & limbs stuffed cloth body, molded hair, sleep eyes, open mouth.  Doll is marked: Baby Hendren

ca. 1918 Baby Hendren

ca. 1918 Baby Hendren, 22"

1922 Dolly Reckord1922 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 body

1922 Dolly Reckord, 26"

1923 Dolly Dingle or Bobby Dingle, 13" tall, composition shoulder head & limbs, jointed at the shoulders & 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 ©.

 

Photo N/A

 

 

1923 Dolly & Bobby Dingle, 13"

ca. 1928 Sis Hopkins, 13" 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.  Marked: G. G. Drayton ©. 

Sis Hopkins was a character played by comedian Rose Melville (1873-1946).  Amberg also made a Sis Hopkins doll ca. 1912.

ca. 1928 Sis Hopkins

ca. 1928 Sis Hopkins, 13"

1926-1929 Whistling Dolls, 14" tall, composition head and lower arms, cloth body - upper arms & 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 or Cowboy & Nell.

 

Doll shown is whistling Dan - unsure if shown in original clothing.

1926-1929 Whistling Dan

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 & socks.

1926-1946 Bonnie Babe

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), & 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

1927 Jimmie, 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.

Averill Little Brother 1927

1927 Little Brother, 14" 

1927 Sunny Boy & Sunny Girl, 14, 17, 19, or 22" celluloid shoulder head with the turtle mark a sun burst + model # Made in USA & dolls name, a slender cloth stuffed body, composition limbs, molded hair, glass eyes.

1927 Sunny Girl

1927 Sunny Girl, 17"

1928 Baby Brite, 18 & 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).  Marked:  Madame Hendren Doll.

1928 Baby Brite

1928 Baby Brite, 22"

1928 Snookums, 14" tall, all composition with jointed body, black African American 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 - black

1928 Snookums, 14"

1928 Snookums, 14" tall, all composition with jointed body, white Snookums version boy doll, painted tin eyes, open smiling mouth with two upper teeth, the white version has a tuff of blonde hair on top of his head version.  Marked: Madame Hendren Doll.

1928 Snookums - white

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

1928 Girl doll, 17"

1930s Patsy types, 14-19" tall, composition shoulder head and limbs, cloth stuffed body, or all composition head & 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" & Bud 14", (composition shoulder head, gray tin sleep eyes) & a painted eye version doll was named Blossom Peaches 14", all composition jointed body. 

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

1930s Blossom Peaches, 14"

Patsy type

1937 Little Cherub, 12 or 16" tall, designed by Harriet Flanders, all composition, jointed body, molded painted hair with yellow hair tuffs, 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

1937 Little Cherub by Harriet Flanders, 12"

1938 Snooks (brunette) &  Sweets (blonde), Peggy Ann, 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: MTF. Based on accurate reproductions of artist Maud Tousey Fangel (1881-1968).

Offsite biography on Maud Tousey Fangel.

averill_maud_fangel_artwork_hichair.jpg (39004 bytes)

Maud Tousey Fangel

Baby in highchair - original artwork

1938-1962 Raggedy Ann 15-50" tall, all cloth rag doll with orangish-red yarn hair.

ca. 1940's Raggedy Ann

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

ca. 1940's Raggedy Andy, 16"

1940's Little Lulu, 12 or 14" tall, all cloth doll with swivel head & 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

1940's Little Lulu, 14"

1943 Uncle Wiggily Longears - face

1943 Uncle Wiggily Longears, 20" tall,

face close-up

 

1943 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 was 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

1943 Uncle Wiggily Longears

1943 Uncle Wiggily Longears, 20"

1944-1951 Nancy, 12 or 14" tall, all cloth doll with swivel head & 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 .

 

More about the Nancy comic strip from Don Marksteins Toonopedia website.

1944-1951 Nancy

1944-1951 Nancy, 14"

1944-1951 Sluggo Smith, 12 or 14" tall, all cloth doll with swivel head & 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

1944-1951 Sluggo Smith, 14"

ca. 1950's Aver Baby, 18, 24, 26" tall, vinyl head with painted eyes, wide open smiling mouth, molded hair, usually marked: Averill.  

Photo N/A

 

ca. 1950's Aver Baby

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.  

Photo N/A

 

ca. 1950's Baby Dawn, 20"

Averill - Georgene - Hendren Mfg. Co. - Dolls 1915-1965

| Home | Auctions | Contact Us | For Sale | Links |

Click Here to Visit!

Items pictured here are for reference only - not for sale

All trademarks are respective of their owners and have no affiliation to this website. 

DOLL REFERENCE  Copyright all rights reserved including photos & content.