American Character Dolls 1919+ USA
The American Character company was founded in 1919 and used the trade names Aceedeecee and ACDC, they made small rubber dolls, composition dolls and later hard plastic and vinyl dolls. In 1961 the name company name changed to American Doll & Toy Company.
In 1923 American Character trademarked the name Petite which was used on their early mama and character dolls. American Character is best known for their 1928 composition dolls of Campbell Kids, Puggy and Sally dolls, later noted dolls were the Sweet Sue, Tiny Tears and Betsy McCall dolls.
American Character dolls are well made and had quality outfits. American Character went out of business in 1968, doll molds were sold to Ideal – Tiny Tears, Tressy and the Crissy and family dolls used American Character’s patented grow hair feature.
American Character Dolls Identified 1922+
1922-1930s American Character Mama dolls or Petite Baby dolls 12, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24″ tall, composition and cloth body molded hair or wigged, with sleep eyes, open or closed mouth, doll mark Amer. Char Doll Co, Petite, American Character, AC or Wonder Baby. The 1922 American Character Baby Petite doll, 12″ might have a voice box inside the head.
1925 American Character Baby Petite 11-15″ tall, a Bye-Lo or Tynie Baby look a like, composition flange head, lightly molded painted hair, painted or sleep eyes, closed mouth, composition arms and straight lower legs, cloth stuffed body and upper legs, doll mark Baby Petite.
1925 American Character Teenie Weenie doll 11″ tall, Bye-Lo or Tynie Baby look a like, composition flange head and lower arms, cloth stuffed body, upper arms and legs, composition head with lightly molded hair, sleep eyes, closed mouth, doll mark Teenie Weenie.
Baby Petite and Teenie Weenie dolls have the same head molds with slightly different bodies, however with the name clearly marked on the neck, makes it easy to know the difference between them.
1926 American Character Bottletot doll 14″ tall, Composition shoulder head, composition arms (her right hand is posed to hold a bottle) and cloth body with jointed cloth legs, blue tin sleep eyes, painted upper and lower lashes, painted molded hair and an open mouth, doll marked on back: Petite, America’s Wonder Baby Dolls, tagged romper marked: BOTTLETOT, Reg US Pat Off, A Petite Doll.
There are also dolls named Happy Tot doll, Marvel Tot doll and Toddle Tot doll – note, not all of these dolls have the right hand for holding a bottle.
1927 American Character Happy Tot doll 13-20″ tall, composition shoulder head to below under arms, composition arms and straight legs or all cloth bent legs or partial composition lower legs cloth upper bent legs, cloth body, molded painted blonde hair, tin blue sleep eyes, open smiling mouth but no teeth, doll marked on back shoulder plate Petite, American Character Doll. This Happy Tot head mold was also used for the Aviation Kid doll.
1927 American Character Lucky Aviation Kid doll 14″ tall, Charles Lindbergh, see the Happy Tot head mold; composition shoulder head to below under arms, composition arms and legs, cloth body, molded painted blonde hair, tin blue sleep eyes, open smiling mouth but no teeth, wears a brown aviator suit and flight cap, small red, white and blue “Spirit of St. Louis” model plane ribbon, white socks and brown shoes, doll marked on back shoulder plate Petite, American Character Doll.
1929 American Character Campbell Kid doll 12″ tall, all composition, molded short painted hair, painted side glancing eyes, designed by Grace G. Drayton, sometimes called Dolly Dingle after the paper dolls also designed by Grace Gebbie Wiederseim Drayton, doll marked A Petite Doll. E. I Horsman also made the Campbell Kids dolls from 1910-1948. Photo is courtesy of Jane.
1929+ American Character Puggy doll 12″ tall, all composition, has a frowning face, smaller eyes and shorter molded hair than the others in the line, this is the boy doll in the Campbell Kids line, doll mark A Petite Doll, on clothing label Puggy A PETITE DOLL. Photo courtesy of Chris.
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1930+ American Character Sally doll 12, 16 or 19″ tall, all composition, molded hair with painted eyes or wigged with sleep eyes, some dolls are unmarked others may be marked Petite or Sally a Petite Doll. Note; several different head molds (molded painted hair or wigged), body types (composition or cloth combination), sizes of doll and eye colors, material (tin, celluloid, painted), open or closed mouth, were used for the Sally Joy doll over the years, a lot of variation.
1930+ American Character Sally Joy doll 18-24″ tall, composition shoulder plate head with cloth body, composition limbs, brown tin or celluloid sleep eyes, slight open smiling mouth, wigged, came with an extensive wardrobe of which some pieces have a label; A Lovable Petite Doll, Sally Joy, 18″ doll marked Petite Sally or 24″ doll marked Petite Amer. Character Doll Co.
Photo courtesy of Flozdolz
1930s American Character Smiling Sally doll 15″ tall, all composition, wigged, sleep eyes, original clothing & tag, unknown how doll is marked, probably Petite Sally.
1935+ American Character Carol Ann Beery doll 13 or 16″ tall, (used the closed mouth Sally head mold), all composition, had a braid that wrapped around the back crown of the head, was based on the child actress of the same name, doll marked Petite Sally.
1936-1938 American Character Sally Jane doll or Paratex Girl doll 15, 17, 19 & 22″ tall, a Shirley Temple look-a-like, all paratex rubber jointed body, human hair wig in braided pigtails, hazel sleep eyes, open smiling mouth with six upper teeth, dimples, wore an organdy dress, doll is unmarked. Note: not certain that this is a Sally Jane doll, however it is made of all paratex rubber. Photo courtesy of Nativelady
1942-1947 American Character Little Love doll 15″, 18-20″ tall, Bye-Lo Baby or Tynie Baby look a like, composition flange head and hands, cloth body, cloth arms, cloth straight legs with tailored heels, molded painted brown hair, blue sleep eyes, crier, doll marked Am. Char. Doll.
1947 American Character Pre Sweet Sue doll 17-18″ all composition jointed doll, wigged, sleep eyes, real upper eyelashes, painted lower lashes, closed mouth, all Pre Sweet Sue dolls are unmarked, a portrait doll of Kathryn Grayson an actress and opera singer was made from the Pre Sweet Sue doll mold.
Additional American Character dolls not shown
1921 American Character Baby’s Joy doll, Baby’s Pal doll, Baby’s Playmate doll, sizes unknown, composition and cloth dolls.
1931-1937 American Character Toodles doll 18″ tall, composition head with molded painted blond hair, green sleep eyes with special mechanism so the eyes only sleep when doll is lying down with head turned left, flex-o-flesh body with metal steel frame support, open mouth with tongue but no teeth, rubber bent arms and rubber bent baby legs, doll marked on head Petite, doll marked on body with a horseshoe symbol Petite, Pat. Pend .
1937-1949 American Character Toodles doll 17″ tall, made of life like rubber, composition or paratex head and limbs, cloth stuffed body, mama crier voice box and is a drink wet doll with a rubber tube inside the body or all paratex. Has molded painted brown hair, sleep eyes, open mouth with no teeth showing, wore a sheer baby gown and had a glass baby bottle with nipple, doll is unmarked. American Character named several dolls Toodles over the years.
Note: If your doll is marked in script Toddles, it is by the Atlas Doll & Toy Company.
1943 American Character Chuckles doll 18″ (probably other sizes too), composition flange head, molded hair with or without a wig, sleep eyes, open mouth with two upper teeth, cloth body with stitched hips, partial cloth and lower composition limbs, doll mark Am. Char. Doll.
American Character dolls < 1919 > | 1950s | 1960s | Tressy