McAboy Skookum 1913+ Bully Good Native American Indian Dolls Identified USA
16 May 2026 – Skookum Bully Good, video courtesy of Michael Canadas on YouTube.
Mary Dwyer McAboy (b. 1876 – d. 1961) of Missoula, Montana, was the designer of the Native American Indian dolls called Skookum, which is Siwash which means Bully Good, beginning in 1913.
By 1920 the Arrow Novelty Company of New York took over producing the composition head Skookum Indian dolls that were patented in 1914 by Mary McAboy. About 1929 the H.H. Tammen Company produced composition head Skookum dolls and then hard plastic Skookum dolls until 1962.
The earliest Skookum dolls have a dried apple head with a painted face, black glass pin side glancing eyes and black cotton floss hair, from 3 to 9″ tall, on a wood frame body, dressed and wrapped in an Indian type blanket.
Skookum Bully Good Indian USA trademark registered patented tag
1920s Skookum Indian family of dolls, left to right; a child, mother holding a baby and father
Skookum Indian Patented February 17, 1914 label
The Skookum Indian dolls are not authentically dressed, the attire consists of a printed blanket wrapped around the figure, feather head band or band, human hair or mohair wig, male in shirt, pants, female in dresses and leather moccasin shoes, faux suede or plastic feet that are painted to look like moccasins. Skookum dolls represent various Indian tribes; Apache, Chippewa, Navajo, Pueblo, Sioux, Utes and others, consisting of males, women, children and papooses baby dolls, in sizes of 2″ to 36″ tall display figures. In the1940s to early 1950s the Skookum doll’s paper identification tags were often affixed to the bottom of the dolls feet, labels or a tag read in an oval circle; Trademark Registered, Patented, inside circle, Skookum (Bully Good) Indian U.S.A.
1881-1962 the Harry Heye Tammen of the H. H. Tammen Company or H. H. Tammen Curio Company of Denver, Colorado supplied Skookum dolls, mostly to the west coast under their Tammen label; The HH Tammen Co., New York, Denver, Los Angeles, Skookum Indian Patented February 17, 1914.
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