Horsman Dolls Identified 1920s USA

1910 Horsman Baby Bumps doll

Edward Imeson Horsman (E. I. Horsman) opened a toy company in New York City, New York in 1865 and became a leader in the toy industry.  In the early years Horsman imported dolls from outside the USA, starting in 1904 they distributed "Babyland Rag Dolls" made of all cloth created by Albert Bruckner.  About 1909 Horsman used a new formula to make composition "Can't break Em" doll heads like the Billiken and a variety of Mama and Baby dolls.

1921 Horsman Jackie Coogan doll, 14" tall, composition and cloth, Jackie was a child actor from the Charlie Chaplin film "The Kid" in 1921, there were two dolls; the first one used a generic molded doll head that was used on many other dolls, then a second head was sculpted specifically for the doll by Helen Trowbridge with a likeness of the child actor and wore a pageboy wig. 

Both dolls are dressed in a turtleneck sweater, long pants with suspenders, checked cap and button that said "Horsman Jackie Coogan Kid Patented".

1921 Jackie Coogan, 14" 

The 2nd doll

1923 Horsman Baby Horsman doll, 14, 20 & 24" tall, designed by Edith Hitchcock, composition flange head & hands with loosely stuffed cloth body and limbs, disk jointed shoulders, hip joints are stitched, molded painted hair & facial features (they largest size has painted eyes, the smaller two have sleep eyes), and closed mouth.  Was meant to portray a real life baby and even has dimpled hands.  All are marked: E.I. © H. Co.

1923 Baby Horsman doll, 24"

1924+ Horsman Bunny Tots dolls, 6" tall, all bisque, one piece doll with sculpted bunny hood and pink lined bunny ears, a blond tuft of hair at the forehead, painted side glancing eyes, closed pouty mouth and painted purple shoes and white socks.  Marked on foot: Germany Bunny Tots trademark.  Paper label on chest: Copyright by the E.I. Horsman Co. or could be labeled Bonny Tot.

"Bunny Tots Adventures" was the name of a character that appeared in the Washington Post in an illustrated column on Sundays in 1924 and became part of a series of books published by author, illustrator and creator Edward G. McCandlish in 1926 and republished in 1928.

Photo courtesy of Kothera and Thank You to Don Jensen for identifying the doll!

1924+ Bunny Tots doll, 6"

1924 Horsman Tynie Baby doll 6-11" tall, all bisque with painted facial features, larger dolls 14-21" tall have composition flange heads and full arms or just the hands, with a cloth body some may have Mama squeakers in tummy, with painted or tin sleep eyes, closed mouth, scowling like face, designed by Bernard Lipfert.  A Bye-Lo Baby doll type competitor.

In the late 1920s Horsman sued Acme for copying the Tynie Baby doll, but lost the lawsuit as their doll was only marked with the initials E.I.H., not with the full Horsman name, thereafter dolls are marked E.I.H. 1924 Horsman.

All bisque small doll mark: © 1924 E.I. HORSMAN Inc. Made in Germany.  Composition and cloth larger doll mark © 1924, E.I.H. Co. Inc. or unmarked.

1924 Tynie Baby doll 9"

1926 Horsman HEbee doll, SHEbee doll, all composition 7 & 11" tall or 4-9" tall, all bisque, painted facial features, both have a molded white painted chemise, girls have pink shoes and boys have blue shoes each with a metal loop on shoe for a bow. 

These character dolls were designed by Charles H. Twelvetrees a cartoonist & illustrator, from his "Twelvetrees Kids" featured in the Pictorial Review and newspapers throughout the USA during the prior decade.

The HEbee shown are both jointed at the shoulder, all composition, HEbee is 9" tall with blue shoes and the SHEbee is 7" tall with pink shoes with bow loops.  Dolls are unmarked but had a paper tag on bottom of foot: Trademark Charles Twelvetrees Copyrighted 1925.                 Photo courtesy of Flozdolz. 

1996-1997 HEbee & SHEbee all bisque dolls were reproduced by Horsman and artists modern reproduction dolls can be easily found at flea markets and auctions.

1925 HEbee & SHEbee dolls

1928-1930 Horsman Baby Dimples doll, 16-18 & 22-24" tall, composition flange head & partial composition limbs on a cloth body, molded painted hair, sleep eyes, open smiling mouth, doll  marked E.I.H. © CO. INC. or Dimples. Baby Dimples was also distributed thru JC Penney.  Doll shown unclothed on left is 16" tall.

Doll shown clothed on right is pristine and all original, right down to her shoes.                                            Photo courtesy of Wildrose55

1928 Baby Dimples doll, 16"

1928 Horsman Ella Cinders doll, 18" tall, comic character by Bill Conselman & Charlie Plumb, has a composition head with round painted eyes, freckles beneath the eyes, open/closed mouth, cloth body.  Had at least four different costumes, shown is the pink and white checked cotton dress with black sash and white apron.  Marked: © 1925 M.N.S.

Gata, Gatabox LTD of Hong Kong, reproduced this doll in 1988 after they acquired the Horsman name, reproductions were limited to 2,000 - 3,000 dolls.

1928 Ella Cinders doll, 18"

1928 Horsman Mama dolls, various sizes, composition shoulder heads with composition limbs and cloth body, criers, including Baby dolls: Horsman Brother doll & Horsman Sister doll,  12-14 & 18-20' tall and Girl dolls: Horsman Peggy Ann doll & Dolly Rosebud, 14-16 or 22-24" tall.  The Dolly Rosebud doll has her name in the mold on the back of her neck.

1928 Horsman Dolly Rosebud doll 19"

1928 Horsman Mama doll, 20" tall, composition shoulder head, arms & lower legs, cloth stuffed body, stitched hip joints, multi stroke painted eyebrows, gray tin sleep eyes, real upper lashes, painted lower lashes, open mouth with two teeth and celluloid tongue, mohair wig, doll mark on shoulder plate: E.I. © H. Co., E.I. Horsman, Inc.,  EIH © ADC.

1928 Mama doll, 20"

1929 Horsman Boots doll, 14" tall, Patsy type look a like, all composition socket head with jointed body, some have a body twist waist, molded painted hair, large painted brown eyes, dolls are unmarked. 

Note: This doll face mold was also sold by: the Maxine Doll Co. who named their doll Mitzi and is marked on her back and Averill named her dolls; Jimmie a boy and Dimmie a girl, both dolls are unmarked.

1929 Boots doll, 14"

1929-1930 Horsman Peggy Junior, Peggy, Peggy Ann dolls, 12-20" tall, composition doll, molded lightly painted hair with a pin hole or metal loop for a ribbon, has a right bent arm, fully jointed, painted or sleep eyes.  All Peggy dolls are from the Amberg acquired doll molds.

The 12" tall, Horsman Peggy Junior doll is all composition and is marked: IT.

The 14" tall, Horsman Peggy doll is all composition with a body twist waist and is marked: Amberg, Pat. Pend., L. A. & S. © 1928.

The 20" tall, Horsman Peggy Ann doll has a composition shoulder plate head on a cloth body and is unmarked.

1929 Peggy Jr. doll 12"

1929-1930 Horsman Mama doll, 19" tall, composition shoulder head with molded blonde painted curly hair, blue tin sleep eyes, cloth stuffed torso with a Mama cryer, composition limbs, doll marked E.I. HC2. INC. R.M.B. © 1929.