Hollywood Doll, Dream World dolls, Junel and Duchess Dolls
Hollywood Doll Manufacturing Company was founded in Glendale, California in 1941 until 1956 and supplied more dolls to the market, than any other doll manufacturer during that era. Miniature dolls are 5 to 8″ tall, painted bisque, composition, celluloid, hard plastic or vinyl and can be jointed at the neck, hip and shoulder, have sleep eyes, mohair wig glued to head, closed mouths and have elaborate costumes (not stapled) to fit their theme. Some of these dolls are also known as Dress Me type dolls. Hollywood Doll mfg. also made baby dolls.
Hollywood Manufacturing dolls are marked A Hollywood Doll around a star on the back. To identify your dolls name, it will need to be in original clothing, a it’s marked box or wrist tag.
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Hollywood Doll Mfg. vintage names or themes identified – Baby Buggy series, Ballerina, Bedtime Dolly, Bridegroom, Bunny Rabbit, Cradle series, Everyday series, Little Friends, Little One, Little Snow Baby, Lucky Star series, Lullaby series, Nun, Nursery Rhymes series, Old Mother Witch, Peter Rabbit, Playmates, Princess series, Queen for a Day, Sweetheart series, Toyland series, Rock-A-Bye baby, Western series, Wishes.
Dream World Doll Company 1944-1949 Chicago, IL – dolls are all composition dolls either most common 11″ or less common 14″ tall, dolls have a glued on mohair wig, side painted glancing blue eyes with painted upper lashes and a red painted closed mouth with jointed bodies at the neck, shoulders and hips and both size dolls are unmarked, they came with a blue and silver hang tag Dream World Doll.
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Dream World dolls have clothing stapled to the body, on an unclothed doll you’ll be able to see the two staple holes in the back. That’s how you know it’s a Dream World doll. Dolls came dressed in elaborate formals, International regional costumes, Patriotic dolls, as a personality or even dressed for an occupation. Thousands of these smaller inexpensive dolls were sold to display or decorate a bedroom shelf and many dolls can be found today in original clothing as it is stapled to the dolls body.
Junel Novelty Company or Junel Novelties, Inc. ca. 1940s of New York – made similar composition 11″ dolls with decal side glancing eyes, dolls are also unmarked, clothing is Not stapled to the dolls composition body. Junel is probably better known for their cloth dolls.
Shop for vintage Junel Novelty dolls
Duchess Doll Corporation 1948-1956 New York – dolls are 7-8″ or 12 1/2″ tall, with a slender adult figure body jointed at neck and shoulders with non-bendable legs, painted or sleep eyes, wigged, with molded painted on low heeled shoes, have elaborate costumes stapled to the dolls body. These are also called “Travel Dolls”. Duchess dolls are inexpensive and are often found still in their original box with tags.
Duchess composition dolls marked on the back Duchess Doll Corp 1948 or Duchess Doll Corp 1949.
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Some Duchess Doll Corporation dolls identified – Alice in Wonderland, Bride, Brides of the World, Charm Girl, Cinderella. Continental Dolls; Dolly Madison & Queen Elizabeth Coronation dolls. Dale Evans, Danny the Groom boy doll. Dolls of all Nations; Gypsy, Miss Irish (wearing a dress with shamrock fabric), Morocco, Scotland Girl & Spain. Dream Girl, May, Miss Hollywood, Fairy Princess, Miss North American Van, Miss Tastee-Freez America’s Sweetheart, Miss Valentine of 1951, Walt Disney Peter Pan and Tinker Bell dolls.
Other Companies that made similar small dolls are; Arranbee Debu’Teen 11″ dolls with sleep eyes, marked R & B or unmarked, Dress Me dolls composition or plastic 6-18″ tall most dolls are unmarked, Fortune Doll Company made a hard plastic Pam doll 8″ tall, sleep eyes, synthetic wig a dressed doll, Hollywood Doll Company made lots of 8″ hard plastic dolls, marked Hollywood Doll around a star symbol, Madame Alexander Wendy Ann 11″ with side glancing painted eyes, doll marked Wendy Ann. National Costume Doll Company made 11″ composition dolls with side glancing painted eyes in regional dress, dolls are unmarked and Plastic Molded Arts Company made 7″ and larger size plastic dolls marked PMA and supplied parts and entire dolls to other companies.