Knickerbocker Toy 1930s+ Dolls Identified USA
ca. 1930s Knickerbocker Toy Company logo
The Knickerbocker Toy Company was founded by the Van Wyn family in 1869 in Albany, New York and moved the company to New York city in 1925. They also expanded their educational toy line to include dolls. Knickerbocker’s division of stuffed plush toys line was Applause, Inc. and was sold to the Wallace Berrie company in 1979.
Knickerbocker is probably best known for their Walt Disney character dolls, Raggedy Ann or Andy and the cloth Holly Hobbie dolls. Knickerbocker dolls are of good quality, made of cloth, composition and vinyl.
The Knickerbocker Toy company was sold to Hasbro in 1984. In 1986+ the company name of L.L. Knickerbocker was re-established by Louis and Tamara Knickerbocker (not related to the original founders) and made dolls and toys. In 2001 Brian Blosil and wife Marie Osmond became the owners of L.L. Knickerbocker company which operations ceased in 2014.
Vintage Knickerbocker Toy Company Dolls Identified
1937 Knickerbocker Snow White doll is 13-15 or 20″ tall made of all composition with a fully jointed body, black mohair wig or shiny painted black molded hair and a painted blue ribbon, sleep eyes or painted side glancing eyes and painted facial features, closed mouth, doll marked Snow White Walt Disney Knickerbocker Toy Company New York.
1937 Knickerbocker Snow White’s seven Dwarf dolls are 9″ tall, Snow Whites dwarf names are; Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy and made of all composition jointed at shoulders only, painted hair, all the face molds are the same with different facial painting except Dopey, who also does not have a beard like all the other dolls, each characters name imprinted on the cap, doll marked Walt Disney Knickerbocker Toy Co.
Note: Other companies were authorized by Walt Disney to create versions of Snow White and the seven Dwarf dolls – most have cloth bodies with a mask type face; Richard G. Krueger or Ideal and others.
1938-1940 Knickerbocker Blondie doll 11″ tall, Dagwood 13″ tall, son Alexander Baby Dumpling 9″ tall, all composition and fully jointed. Blondie has been found with either sleep eyes (possibly an Arranbee Debu’teen doll) or blue painted side glancing eyes (possibly by Junel Novelty Company), both dolls were then dressed identical and sold by Knickerbocker, closed mouth, with blonde mohair wig, blue full skirt dress with floral print bodice, sheer white apron, red oil cloth shoes. Blondie dressed dolls are unmarked.
Dagwood and Alexander dolls both have molded hair parted in the center and painted facial features with black oval eyes, big single stroke smiling mouths with prominent ears. Dagwood and Alexander or Baby Dumpling are both marked Knickerbocker Toy.
Dolls are based on the Blondie comic strip characters created by Murat Bernard “Chic” Young 1930-1973, still created today now by Dennis LeBrun.
ca. 1937+ Knickerbocker Disney Characters Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio, Donald Duck 10″ tall, all composition, jointed, painted facial features, dolls usually marked Jiminy Cricket, W.D. PR. KN. T. Co., USA or Pinocchio, Knickerbocker Toy Co, © Made in U.S.A., Walt Disney Toy Product.
1938 Knickerbocker Sleeping Beauty doll, 15″ tall, all composition with fully jointed body, blonde human hair wig, single stroke brows, green sleep eyes, real upper lashes, painted lower lashes, chin dimple, closed mouth, came dressed in a blue and gold velvet dress with slip, panties, socks and shoes, doll marked Knickerbocker Toy Company New York.
ca. 1955 Knickerbocker Pouting Bear, 10″ tall, brown plush stuffed body with brown & white striped cloth tummy, plastic pouting face with closed eyes. Cute, too cute!
1975+ Knickerbocker Holly Hobbie doll 12″ tall all cloth, yellow yarn hair, imprinted facial features blue eyes with smiling closed mouth wore a calico printed dress and matching bonnet, marked on clothing tag: Holly Hobbie Knickerbocker Toy Co. Inc. (KTC marking). Based on a character from the American Greetings Corporation.
Other dolls in this series are friends Amy, Carrie, Heather and brother Robbie Hobbie. There were other sizes issued and a variety of other products as well. Doll has been reissued recently.
Find Doll Values
Trivia: Knickerbocker is a slang term that referred to early Dutch male immigrants of New Amsterdam (New York city) who wore baggy trousers. You might recognize the modified slimmed down and shorter plus fours (UK) or knicker pants of today, which are most often worn by stylish, affluent golfers all over the world.
Knickerbocker Toy dolls not shown:
ca. 1927+ Knickerbocker Bears plush toys, various sizes. The most famous is “Winston the Good Luck Bear”.
ca. 1937 Knickerbocker Katzenjammer Kids dolls 13-16″ tall, all cloth, painted hair, applied ears, glass stationary eyes, closed mouth, dolls are unmarked except for a wrist tag: Katzenjammer Kids Fritz Knickerbocker Toy, Co. Inc. New York Toy Co. Inc. New York Licensed by King Features Syndicate Inc.
a. 1950s Knickerbocker Snow White’s seven Dwarf dolls are 14″ tall all cloth body with hard plastic or heavy oil cloth mask face head, painted facial features, dolls are dressed similar to the earlier composition Dwarfs except the clothing is part of the dolls body, mohair wigs, hat with the character’s name imprinted on it. The seven dwarf’s names are Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy and Sneezy. The Knickerbocker Dwarf cloth dolls are unmarked came with a wrist tag.
ca. 1965 Knickerbocker Beloved Belindy, 18″ tall, all cloth doll, Raggedy Andy and Raggedy Ann cloth dolls beloved Mammy, part of the Applause division.
Ca. 1970s Knickerbocker Little Lulu doll 18″ tall.
1977 Knickerbocker Little Orphan Annie doll 16″ tall and her dog Sandy.
1982 Knickerbocker Annie doll, Daddy Warbucks, Miss Hannigan and Punjab dolls are 7″ tall, vinyl heads with plastic body some have rooted hair or molded, doll marked 1982 CPI Inc. 1981 CTNYNS Inc. 1982 Knickerbocker Toy Co. Inc. H-22.
1997-1999 L.L. Knickerbocker Magic Attic Club dolls 18″ tall an American Girl doll competitor, were acquired.