Sears, Roebuck 1910+ Happi Time Dolls Identified USA
Sears, Roebuck and Company was a catalog company and had many brick and mortar department stores that began in 1886. It’s unknown to us exactly when Sears began offering toys and dolls in their catalogs, but certainly as early as 1901 and perhaps earlier.
Sears used the trade name of “Happi Time” for their line of dolls and toys and is the name found on their boxes. Since Sears is not a manufacturer, the dolls or toys will bear the marking of the original maker or unmarked. Sears commissioned many dolls to be sold exclusively by them.
Many of the original Sears catalog pages are artist renderings in black and white images and do not usually state the brand of the original doll maker. Some dolls were made exclusively for Sears and those dolls are what this page will focus on identifying. The T. Eaton Company of Canada sold many of the same dolls as Sears, Roebuck.
1910-1922 Sears Dainty Dorothy doll 18 1/2-29″ tall, bisque head, open mouth with teeth, sleep eyes, real eyelashes, wigged, bisque lower arms, kid riveted jointed body, bisque lower legs, paper label on chest with her name, first made by Kestner doll mold 7043, then by Simon & Halbig doll mold 1080 and Armand Marseille doll mold 370. Also 1910 Sears American Beauty doll, copyright 1910 by Sears Roebuck and Co. Germany label made by Gebruder Heubach with the Heubach square stamp.
1910-1932 Sears Wearwell Doll line, best quality dolls with unbreakable Buschow & Beck Minerva metal heads, sizes 12 1/2, 14 1/2-15, 17, 20, 22 1/2″ tall, with fixed glass eyes or painted and mohair wig, pink cloth silesia body hair stuffed with stitched on upper arms, lower wood forearms and hands, stitched at the hips with attached black cloth lower legs, doll head is marked Germany with a number on the back shoulder.
1910-1932 Sears Wearwell dolls pink body is marked on left side with a purple ink stamp Wearwell Unbreakable Doll, Hair Stuffed, Genuine Minerva Head, Made in Germany.
Sears Wearwell doll with painted eyes, molded hair no wig, Minerva metal shoulder head in 12 1/2, 13 1/2, 15 1/2, 17 1/2″ tall, same body as noted. The painted eye dolls have the same ink stamp as well.
The Wearwell line also included Buschow & Beck Minerva metal head Baby dolls.
1910-1927 Sears Knock Out Doll line 11 3/4, 13 3/4, 15 3/4″ tall, Minerva metal shoulder head by Buschow & Beck, pink silesia cloth covered hair stuffed body, molded hair, painted eyes, dolls have a purple ink stamp on the body either; Hair stuffed Made in Germany or Hair Stuffed Germany.
1910-1922 Sears Violet Doll, 16, 18, 20, 23 1/2″ tall, Minerva metal shoulder head, glass sleep eyes, wig curled and fully sewn, early dolls had real white kid leather bodies, later they were made of white imitation kid leather, celluloid lower arms, doll is marked on back of shoulder Germany plus a size number, on body front is a label with her name. Sears doll mark Violet Copyright 1910 Germany.
1914+ Sears Daisy Dimple Doll or Sears Sunshine Doll, bisque or composition shoulder head, pin jointed kid body with cloth lower legs, bisque lower arms. Paper label on chest: Daisy Dimple or Sunshine Doll, Copyright 1910 by Sears Roebuck and Co, Germany. Composition heads made by / marked Century Doll or bisque heads made by and marked Armand Marseille, Ernst Heubach or JD Kestner.
1940 Sears Baby Marie Doll, 14, 18, 20 or 25″ tall, cloth stuffed body, composition head and limbs, molded painted hair, glass like sleep eyes (18″ has flirty rolling sleep eyes), real eyelashes, open mouth with red tongue and white teeth, famous Poppa-Mamma voice, at last Daddy gets a break . . . this lovable baby cries for him, too. The most talkative, the most talked about doll of the year. Baby Sunshine doll is a Better Quality Sears Exclusive, she came dressed in an lace trimmed organdy dress and ruffled bonnet, rubber panties, rayon socks and bootees, it is unknown how or if the Baby Marie doll is marked or the actual doll maker, possibly Horsman. Note: The Baby Marie doll, probably uses the Papa-Mama duel voice invented by Alexander Kravits on 9 September 1937.
1940 Sears Miss Marie Doll, 15 19, 21- 22″ tall, all composition jointed body for the 19, 21- 22″ doll, cloth body with composition head for the 15″ dolls, human or mohair wig, sleep eyes – the 21-22″ doll has flirty eyes – real upper eyelashes, open mouth with teeth. Miss Marie wears an outfit especially designed for her of a red and white striped dress with full skirt and white sleeveless bodice, short red long sleeve button front jacket, dark red straw front brim hat, white socks and red oilcloth tie shoes. Probably a Horsman Bright Star or Art doll. Sears Miss Marie doll is unmarked, as are the Horsman dolls.
1940 Sears Baby Sunshine Doll 18-26″ tall, she’s as big as a real baby, cloth stuffed body, composition head, chubby arms and dimpled legs, molded painted hair, glass like sleep eyes, real eyelashes, slightly open rosebud mouth showing her red tongue and white teeth. Baby Sunshine doll is a Good Quality Sears Exclusive doll, she came dressed in a genuine cotton Esmond blanket cloth coat stitched with baby blue yarn and bonnet with fluffy maribu trim, organdy dress with real lace trim, dainty slip, of course she wears rubber panties (all babies do), cotton socks and bootees, it is unknown how or if she is marked or who is the actual doll maker
1959-1962 Sears Honey Mates doll 36″ tall, a Playpal type, vinyl head with rooted hair in various colors and hair styles, hard plastic jointed body and limbs, sleep eyes, closed mouth, came in various outfits, doll is usually marked Horsman 1959. Horsman produced this doll and called her Princess Peggy.
1967 Sears Mini Martian dolls 4 1/2″ tall, all vinyl, rooted hair, painted facial features, closed smiling mouth, heart shaped cheek blush – six dolls in the series: Professor Pook (painted glasses, white books), Marti (Space Boy), Mini (silver cape), Bonnie (silver sarong, silver boots), Meri (white boots), Teenie (tent dress). Dolls were are marked: J. Swedlin, Inc. 1967 Made in Japan. Made exclusively for sale at Sears.
The Gund Manufacturing Company 1898-1925 was founded by Adolph Gund, he retired in 1925 at which time he sold the company to Jacob Swedlin, a family run business and long time licensee of the Disney Company.
1972 Sears Baby Walks doll 11″ tall, press hand control to walk doll or puppy dog . . or both, doll has a vinyl head with rooted short blonde hair, sleep eyes, real eyelashes, open mouth, hard plastic torso, vinyl limbs, press the air bulb/ buttons on her back with two rubber air hoses to control the doll to walk, press the other and her dog yelps or frolics, her right hand can hold her 3″ tall white vinyl poodle dogs leash, came wearing an orange one piece sleeveless knit dress with striped bodice, solid orange skirt with front pleat, white vinyl belt and molded white shoes and socks, doll is unmarked. Looks like a Mattel doll, perhaps she was a Sears exclusive. A similar doll is 1972 Spiegel Jeanie Walks doll and dog Fluffy. Tomy also made a similar doll.
Additional Sears Roebuck Antique, Vintage Happi Time Dolls not shown
ca. 1914 Sears Pansy Kid doll, various sizes, bisque socket head, sleep eyes, real eyelashes, open mouth with four upper teeth, composition jointed body, doll marked Pansy IV or Pansy IV Germany made by Armand Marseille.
1916 Sears Miss Janet doll or Robbie Reefer doll, 15 1/2″ tall, composition head, hands and lower arms, molded painted hair, cloth stuffed bodies jointed at the shoulders and hips.
1916 Sears Prize Baby doll, the Lifelike Darlings, 10 3/4, 14 1/2, 17, 19, 21″ tall, composition head and hands, molded painted hair and painted facial features, cloth stuffed body jointed at the shoulders and hips with bent baby limb flesh colored legs, wore a dress, bonnet, three largest size dolls wore felt bootees, two smaller dolls just bare feet.
1920-1922 Sears Maybelle Doll 24 1/2, 26 1/2″ tall, bisque head, sleep eyes, real eyelashes, mohair wig, imitation kid leather jointed body, including her wrists, Bell Brand doll made by Belle Toy Company.
1926 Sears Baby Sunshine doll 26″ tall, composition with molded hair, painted eyes, part of the Sears Happiness line of dolls.
1950 Sears Kiss Me doll 20″ tall, baby doll with crying face, molded hair, oilcloth stuffed body, vinyl lower limbs and head, came wearing cotton pajamas and blanket, doll marked: 3 Ideal Doll Patent Pending. This is Ideal’s Blessed Event doll.
1960s Sears Mattel Barbie dolls, clothes, giftsets exclusives, many products, see our Barbie menu.