ANTIQUE KEWPIE DOLLS

ANTIQUE KEWPIE DOLLS

Antique Kewpie Dolls have been capturing the hearts of collectors around the globe for almost one hundred years. Beloved Antique Kewpie Dolls have been remembered in song, cherished by many, and now are highly sought after by treasure hunters everywhere. Antique Kewpie Dolls, often referred to as “Kewpies,” were adored by little girls years ago because so often this was the very first doll given to them. You'll fall in love too once you've laid eyes on a precious Antique Kewpie Doll.

Antique Kewpie Dolls were first mere illustrations made by a woman named Rose O'Neill, drawing them for Ladies' Home Journal in 1909. O'Neill once described how these Kewpies came to her -- in her dreams. The name Kewpie, she said, was derived from Cupid, the Roman God of Love. Rose O'Neill quickly realized her creations potential as toy dolls and soon her lovable creatures became paper doll cut-outs. These were the first double-sided paper dolls produced in the United States. Not long after, with their popularity growing stronger, Kewpie Dolls would soon find their way into the bedrooms and play houses of little girls everywhere. Manufactured in 1912, Antique Kewpie Dolls were made in Germany. Joseph L. Kallas designed the first Kewpie doll and O'Neill was so pleased she gave him exclusive rights to her beloved Kewpies. Made from bisque, these dolls came in various sizes all modeled on O'Neill's designs. Kallas' company, Came Doll Products, continues to make Kewpies and many other dolls to this day.

Bisque Antique Kewpie Dolls are known for their molded and painted topknot hair, expressive painted eyes, and adorable smiles and in some cases, a pair of tiny blue wings. Finding such a doll in good condition might easily fetch more than a thousand dollars. These cute moppets have been produced in nearly every size imaginable -- anywhere from 1 inch to 3 feet in height. Antique Kewpie Dolls were also made out of wood pulp and chalk, though the bisque models tend to be the more highly prized. Because of the Kewpie Dolls growing popularity, of course imitations flooded the market place. The most popular of these knock-offs was a doll made from celluloid -- what we now know is a highly unstable compound widely used during World War I.

Today's Kewpie Dolls are crafted out of vinyl and one of the more well-known manufacturers is the Charisma Company owned by Marie Osmond. There's nothing wrong with owning and loving a modern day Kewpie, but one should know what it is they are buying. Obviously, a collector must be careful not to bid on a reproduction, thinking it is in fact an original Antique Kewpie Doll. Most O'Neill Kewpies have labels, but to be sure you have a bisque original, Rose O'Neill's name should appear on the bottom of the doll's feet. To learn more about Antique Kewpie Dolls, you can join various Kewpie Doll clubs. There are also many books to help a new collector find the Antique Kewpie Doll of their dreams. Two very good resources are Kewpie Dolls & Art With Value Guide and Rose O'Neill Kewpies and Other Works.

Very few collectibles bring such joy and warmth as an Antique Kewpie Doll. Rose O'Neill created timeless treasures that are as lovable today as they were a century ago. Remarking about her adorable creations, O'Neill described her Kewpies as, “always searching out ways to make the world better and funnier.” Track down an Antique Kewpie Doll for yourself and you'll soon see why.