Schoenhut Company
Schoenhut Wigged
Boy 400 series
Boy 400 series
Albert Schoenhut was born in 1849 in Germany. He was part of the third generation of a toy making family. Upon emigrating to America,
Albert located in a prominent German community. After spending six years working with John Deiser and Sons making wooden toys, he
developed an improved toy piano. This piano was the spark for the new company he founded in 1872.
The focus on children and their "education" was popular in America as well as Europe. By 1879, the company added toys to its line.
These toys consisted of wood and papier mache props to enhance the play of children as policemen, firemen etc. Guns and swords were
added to the line shortly after. Sailboats with improvements such as iron keels and water proof enamel paint proved practical for actual
sailing on the community lake and were popular. Albert's company made a wide variety of toys beyond the scope of this site. In depth
information regarding the toys can be found at http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/schoenhut2.htm By the 1890s, the company also made store
models with multiple joints and figures such as the Palmer Cox Brownies even had spring joints.
Schoenhut was approached by an inventor, Fritz Meinecke, with a toy animal with parts held with elastic so the animal could axhieve many
different poses. Mr. Meinecke had the patent for the animal design and sold it to Albert Schoenhut. This patent became the design basis
for the Schoenhut circus that was a favorite of the company until its end in 1935.
The first "doll" produced by the company appeared in 1908 with the Rolly Dolly.
In 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made news with his Smithsonian Institution sponsored hunting trip to Africa. The business man Schoenhut
produced "Teddy's Adventures in Africa" complete with scenery, animals and hunters. Desiring to make the figures able to actual pose on
horseback or shooting from behind a rock, Schoenhut developed a spring for the joint of the figure and received a patent for the joint
mechanism in 1911. Next step--the actual multi jointed spring jointed posable doll.
Albert Schoenhut brought out his line of dolls in 1911. His ad in the March issue of Playthings displayed the incredible poseability of his
uniquely jointed dolls. The heads though bore striking similarity to Kammer and Reinhardt's 101, Gebruder Heubach's 7622 and a model
by Swaine and Co, A paper tag in the shape of a shield identified the dolls as Schoenhut All Wood Perfection Art Doll.
Set in the period of the character doll movement which emphasized the more realistic modeling of dolls as actual children, the Schoenhut
poseable system allowed the doll to attain more realistic postures in play with children as well as with each other--encouraging the
purchase of more than one doll. Initially, the child dolls were 16 inches tall and the infant's were 15 inches. The bodies initially had a nail
at the back of the thigh for the grommet in the stocking, thus holding the stockings in place. This was replaced with a ridge around which
a ribbon garter was tied. Some of the first heads have hand carving to finish or blur the mold line from the hot molds as well as some tool
marks around the features of the face. Early dolls have a paler paint with no gesso underneath. Often the wood grain is visible under the
paint or where there are chips. By 1912, the paint was thicker over a coat of gesso to withstand both play and washing.
M. Graziano designed the initial dolls. There were four girls with carved hair, four boys with carved hair, eight girls with wigs, four boys
with wigs and two infant dolls. The dolls were identified by their height in inches, a slash and then a number signifying carved hair vs wigs
and girls vs boys. Hence 16/100 referred to 16 inch girl child with carved hair while 16/300 refers to a 16 inch girl doll with a wig.
Similarly, 16/200 refers to a 16 inch boy doll with carved hair and 16/400 refers to a 16 inch boy doll with a wig.
Graziano Dolls May to November 1911
Doll Number Description Picture
Initial Period Transition Classic Period to 1916 Classic Period to End
Transition Period November 1991 to Spring 1912
Changes appear almost immediately with the marketing of the dolls. By November 1991, doll 102 was completely redesigned. Doll 303
was modified and a new 404 also appear in advertising in The Woman's Home Companion. The faces were much younger looking than
the original designs of eight to twelve year olds. In contrast with the hand finishing of the Graziano dolls, the transition period dolls have a
blur line above the ears, smooth facial features with no rough edges and debris around the features. While all of the wood dolls in each
period were roughed out on a lathe, the new finishing of this period occurred with the addition of the hydraulic powered press which used
an extremely hot press to finish the wood. Enamel paint of a more natural color (warmer orange blush and orange-pink lips) was applied
over a gesso coat so that no wood grain showed and the finish withstood cleaning. Single stroke eyebrows became multistroked. The
dolls were still only 16 inches tall for the children and 15 inches for the infants. The nail was still present to hold up the stockings. Girls
wore chemises, shoes and socks(union suits for girls appear in 1912) while boys have union suits, shoes and socks.
Classic Period 1912-1916
On February 3rd, 1912, Albert Schoenhut died in his sleep. However, his six sons were already largely running the company and the
growth continued. During this period the dolls appeared in four sizes: 14, 16, 19, and 21 inches. The only Graziano dolls retained during
this period were those that survived the transition, dolls 304 and 401. The number pattern originally established continued but the new
faces replaced old ones while taking over their mold numbers. Other numbers were dropped. Girls were dressed in union suits for the
first time. A new numbering system identified the dolls by size, face, wig style and color, dress style and color. Hence, according to
Corson, ...a doll ordered as "14/313/530 Blonde" was easily identifiable as a 14 in girl with a long curl Blonde wig and a "Peter Thompson"
sailor style white linene dress with a blue collar and cuffs trimmed with narrow white braid." (p70). The dolls were still incised on the back
but a few are found with the oval sticker suggesting that both marking methods were used simultaneously for a time.
The actual designer of the dolls is not known. Mr. Leslie is largely credited with the designs but Harry Schoenhut was the Manager of the
Art Department and is likely to have been involved in the design process as well.
During this period (1914) Miss Dolly, Schoenhut 316 was introduced. In contrast to the character movement, this doll had the classic dolly
face popular in the German bisque dolls. During this period however, doll production in Germany was dwindling and embargoes
prevented the importation of the dolls to America. Schoenhut seized the opportunity to fill the void by producing both their character dolls
as well as a dolly face doll. It is not known if she was based upon a particular German doll or newly designed but she has the classic
"dolly" features including: low heavy round cheeks, a double chin, small ears, short upturned nose, the appearance of an open mouth with
teeth, and peach blush on the cheeks, eyes, ears and chin. Initially she was sold in all four sizes with a long curled wig but the bobbed
wig option was available in 1917. Her eyes were smoothly pressed, painted in blue or brown with stippling added for depth and varnish to
give the appearance of glass eyes.
Classic Period 1917-1924
World War I disrupted the flow of goods between Europe and America presenting an opportunity for American toy companies to fill the
void. While the American companies were able to expand with this decreased competition, cost of labor rose sharply. Cost control was
the mantra resulting in a decreased production and consolidated line. According to Corson: "All 19 in and 21 in "carved hair" models were
eliminated after 1916. The best selling 14 in and 16 in "carved hair" children remained. Among the girls there were doll 101, in the 14 in
size only and Dolls 102 and 105, in both 14 in and 16 in sizes. Doll 205 (which was always a boy according to the company but could
double as a girl in an emergency) was made in both smaller sizes. The line of wigged character girls was cut drastically. In the 14 in size
only Doll 312 remained. In the 16 in size Dolls 300 and 301 remained. In the 19 in size the survivor was Doll 308 and in the 21 in size a
new Doll 308 was created. All other models were eliminated. The boys were cut to one doll each in the three smaller sizes. Doll 405
(whose face was the same as 308's) was retained in the 14 in and 19 in sizes. Doll 403 (whose face was the same as 300's) was made in
the 16 in size. Thus four basic face designs were all that was left...." (p128). For the wigged dolls, either the curled wig or bobbed wig
was available and therefore "appeared" to increase the number of dolls without any additional cost.
As the molds wore, the modeling on these later dolls was less sharp. IN contrast the painting was strong and smooth. Multi-stroked brows
were stacked instead of parallel. Brunette wigs were available for the first time. The extra coat of varnish was eliminated giving the dolls a
"suntanned" appearance. By 1918, the impressed mark disappeared and was replaced with the dec
Miss Dolly was available in all four sizes but as with the other wigged dolls, was now available with either wig. In 1920, the eyes on Miss
Dolly were no longer painted but decals were applied allowing much greater definition to the eye such as threading with much less cost. In
1921, Miss Dolly had the newly patented moveable eyes. This change in eyes required a newly designed head. While the look of the doll
is similar to her predecessor, her profile is flatter with a snub nose and small single chin. Her model number changed to 317 and she was
not actually referred to as Miss Dolly. She was available in all four sizes and either had the long curled wig or the bobbed hair wig. During
this period the dolls all retained their same size numbers but the dolls were actually slightly larger. Thus a doll 16 was actually 17 inches
tall.
The carved hair character dolls and the wigged doll 16/300 ceased production in 1923 with all the other wigged dolls discontinued in 1924
while the original Miss Dolly ceased production in 1924. Doll 317 was still produced on her original spring jointed body but also on a less
expensive elastic strung "Basswood Elastic" doll. With the increasing free trade and competition from both German and Japanese doll
firms, Schoenhut Co responded with this less expensive doll until 1928 or early 1929. The doll was not made after 1930. Schoenhut
catalog of 1930 identified some dolls available for "the Educational Doll for Kindergarten Work." Corson suggests that these dolls may be
the few carved hair dolls identified with the painting style of the composition doll of the same catalogue.
Infants
Schoenhut Co. had two initial "infants", more toddlers, with older faces on straight leg child bodies attributed to Graziano and available
through 1912. The subsequent "infant" bears a copyright mark of Harry E. Schoenhut. This doll has a much younger face with larger
eyes and a rounder lower face.
The initial Graziano infants were Tootsie Wootsie (numbers 15/50, 15/51 or 15/52 depending on costume) and Scnickel-Fritz (numbers
15/75, 15/76 or 15/77 depending on costume).
Harry Schoenhut designed many of the dolls including infants 107. 108. 109W and 110W, Miss Dolly 316 and sleep eye 317 as well as the
Shcoenhut version of the Bye-Lo and the composition child. Doll 107 was a painted hair baby of 14 inches whose patent was granted to
Harry Schoenhut in 1913. This doll had a chunkier body than the child dolls and was available undresses (chemise, no shoes and socks),
dressed in rompers or dressed in an ankle length dress. Collectors refer to this doll as the Nature baby toddler. Later an 11 inch toddler
was released. This head, on a bent limb baby body is referred to as the Nature Baby. It was 13 inches from top of head to toe, 9 inches
seated. A wigged version of the baby was available. The doll was modeled on the 13th grand child of Albert, William, according to a
presentation by William at a Schoenhut Collector's Club meeting in 1986. Doll 108 was a larger version of this doll. It measured 15 inches
head to toe and was 11 inches seated. It was also sold on the toddler or baby body and was available with a wig.
In 1919 William Schoenhut was granted the patent for a joint which allowed the doll to "walk". This joint was available on the toddler
bodies using the baby heads. To walk the doll, the child held the doll by the arm, shifted the doll's weight onto one leg causing the other
leg to spring forward. The numbering for these dolls included the size and the head number without the 0. So a 11/107 that was a walker
was noted as 1117. The doll was sold with a slip and special wedged shoes nailed to the legs. A dress could be special ordered. In
1924, the babies were available with elastic stringing. A doll with elastic stringing had a 0 added to the size designation.
A baby with cloth body, hollowed head, wig and romper was made available to make the doll lighter for small children and to compete with
the mamma voice box. It was numbered by reversing the size number digits. It appeared in 1924 and disappeared by 1930. There was a
baby with movable eyes. By requirement to add the eyes, the heads were hollow with pates that required wigs. Decals were used to
provide the eyes detail. This doll was designated as 109W. Doll 110W was also a baby but with a smile and a double chin,
Manikin
the Schoenhut manikin appeared in the catalog from 1914 through 1918. Corson suggests that he may have been designed by Harry
schoenhut as a manikin for "students of fine art or as a dressed figure for window displays." Unique to the manikin is the swivel waist
allowing considerable flexibility and posability. He was 19 inches tall. His model number was 175 and he could be purchased in five
different states of dress from undressed for the art student to dressed for displays. The manikin was also dressed as three sports figures
including basketball, baseball and football players.
Unique Dolls and Special Orders
"Freida" appears to be a family portrait of Phyllis Schoenhut (named for her cousin) made by her father, Harry, but never commercially
sold. The last doll designed by Harry was the composition doll introduced in 1930. She was a 13 inch strung doll with a bent right arm
and straight left arm. She was clearly a competitor to Patsy with her rosebud mouth, single stroke brows and button nose. Her molded
curly hair is reddish blonde. She has a circular sticker on her back indicating "Schoenhut Toys Made in U.S.A." They were numbered
13/21 through13/28. They only survived one year as there were no dolls offered in 1931.
As is true of any business, there is a main line, the line in production with variations, and the special orders. The special orders were
generally made for particular occasions or customers. Some of the special orders found include "Gallagher and Shean", Santa Claus and
his reindeer, the Stetson Hat man, Moritz, the lion tamer, the wedding party, the black waiter, the Japanese man, the lady doll Connie
Mack, and the Chinese babies. Carol Corson's reference work discusses these special pieces in detail and provides pictures of these
very unique dolls.
Corson, Carol. Schoenhut Dolls. Hobby House Cumberland Md. 1993.
Albert located in a prominent German community. After spending six years working with John Deiser and Sons making wooden toys, he
developed an improved toy piano. This piano was the spark for the new company he founded in 1872.
The focus on children and their "education" was popular in America as well as Europe. By 1879, the company added toys to its line.
These toys consisted of wood and papier mache props to enhance the play of children as policemen, firemen etc. Guns and swords were
added to the line shortly after. Sailboats with improvements such as iron keels and water proof enamel paint proved practical for actual
sailing on the community lake and were popular. Albert's company made a wide variety of toys beyond the scope of this site. In depth
information regarding the toys can be found at http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/schoenhut2.htm By the 1890s, the company also made store
models with multiple joints and figures such as the Palmer Cox Brownies even had spring joints.
Schoenhut was approached by an inventor, Fritz Meinecke, with a toy animal with parts held with elastic so the animal could axhieve many
different poses. Mr. Meinecke had the patent for the animal design and sold it to Albert Schoenhut. This patent became the design basis
for the Schoenhut circus that was a favorite of the company until its end in 1935.
The first "doll" produced by the company appeared in 1908 with the Rolly Dolly.
In 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made news with his Smithsonian Institution sponsored hunting trip to Africa. The business man Schoenhut
produced "Teddy's Adventures in Africa" complete with scenery, animals and hunters. Desiring to make the figures able to actual pose on
horseback or shooting from behind a rock, Schoenhut developed a spring for the joint of the figure and received a patent for the joint
mechanism in 1911. Next step--the actual multi jointed spring jointed posable doll.
Albert Schoenhut brought out his line of dolls in 1911. His ad in the March issue of Playthings displayed the incredible poseability of his
uniquely jointed dolls. The heads though bore striking similarity to Kammer and Reinhardt's 101, Gebruder Heubach's 7622 and a model
by Swaine and Co, A paper tag in the shape of a shield identified the dolls as Schoenhut All Wood Perfection Art Doll.
Set in the period of the character doll movement which emphasized the more realistic modeling of dolls as actual children, the Schoenhut
poseable system allowed the doll to attain more realistic postures in play with children as well as with each other--encouraging the
purchase of more than one doll. Initially, the child dolls were 16 inches tall and the infant's were 15 inches. The bodies initially had a nail
at the back of the thigh for the grommet in the stocking, thus holding the stockings in place. This was replaced with a ridge around which
a ribbon garter was tied. Some of the first heads have hand carving to finish or blur the mold line from the hot molds as well as some tool
marks around the features of the face. Early dolls have a paler paint with no gesso underneath. Often the wood grain is visible under the
paint or where there are chips. By 1912, the paint was thicker over a coat of gesso to withstand both play and washing.
M. Graziano designed the initial dolls. There were four girls with carved hair, four boys with carved hair, eight girls with wigs, four boys
with wigs and two infant dolls. The dolls were identified by their height in inches, a slash and then a number signifying carved hair vs wigs
and girls vs boys. Hence 16/100 referred to 16 inch girl child with carved hair while 16/300 refers to a 16 inch girl doll with a wig.
Similarly, 16/200 refers to a 16 inch boy doll with carved hair and 16/400 refers to a 16 inch boy doll with a wig.
Graziano Dolls May to November 1911
Doll Number Description Picture
Initial Period Transition Classic Period to 1916 Classic Period to End
Transition Period November 1991 to Spring 1912
Changes appear almost immediately with the marketing of the dolls. By November 1991, doll 102 was completely redesigned. Doll 303
was modified and a new 404 also appear in advertising in The Woman's Home Companion. The faces were much younger looking than
the original designs of eight to twelve year olds. In contrast with the hand finishing of the Graziano dolls, the transition period dolls have a
blur line above the ears, smooth facial features with no rough edges and debris around the features. While all of the wood dolls in each
period were roughed out on a lathe, the new finishing of this period occurred with the addition of the hydraulic powered press which used
an extremely hot press to finish the wood. Enamel paint of a more natural color (warmer orange blush and orange-pink lips) was applied
over a gesso coat so that no wood grain showed and the finish withstood cleaning. Single stroke eyebrows became multistroked. The
dolls were still only 16 inches tall for the children and 15 inches for the infants. The nail was still present to hold up the stockings. Girls
wore chemises, shoes and socks(union suits for girls appear in 1912) while boys have union suits, shoes and socks.
Classic Period 1912-1916
On February 3rd, 1912, Albert Schoenhut died in his sleep. However, his six sons were already largely running the company and the
growth continued. During this period the dolls appeared in four sizes: 14, 16, 19, and 21 inches. The only Graziano dolls retained during
this period were those that survived the transition, dolls 304 and 401. The number pattern originally established continued but the new
faces replaced old ones while taking over their mold numbers. Other numbers were dropped. Girls were dressed in union suits for the
first time. A new numbering system identified the dolls by size, face, wig style and color, dress style and color. Hence, according to
Corson, ...a doll ordered as "14/313/530 Blonde" was easily identifiable as a 14 in girl with a long curl Blonde wig and a "Peter Thompson"
sailor style white linene dress with a blue collar and cuffs trimmed with narrow white braid." (p70). The dolls were still incised on the back
but a few are found with the oval sticker suggesting that both marking methods were used simultaneously for a time.
The actual designer of the dolls is not known. Mr. Leslie is largely credited with the designs but Harry Schoenhut was the Manager of the
Art Department and is likely to have been involved in the design process as well.
During this period (1914) Miss Dolly, Schoenhut 316 was introduced. In contrast to the character movement, this doll had the classic dolly
face popular in the German bisque dolls. During this period however, doll production in Germany was dwindling and embargoes
prevented the importation of the dolls to America. Schoenhut seized the opportunity to fill the void by producing both their character dolls
as well as a dolly face doll. It is not known if she was based upon a particular German doll or newly designed but she has the classic
"dolly" features including: low heavy round cheeks, a double chin, small ears, short upturned nose, the appearance of an open mouth with
teeth, and peach blush on the cheeks, eyes, ears and chin. Initially she was sold in all four sizes with a long curled wig but the bobbed
wig option was available in 1917. Her eyes were smoothly pressed, painted in blue or brown with stippling added for depth and varnish to
give the appearance of glass eyes.
Classic Period 1917-1924
World War I disrupted the flow of goods between Europe and America presenting an opportunity for American toy companies to fill the
void. While the American companies were able to expand with this decreased competition, cost of labor rose sharply. Cost control was
the mantra resulting in a decreased production and consolidated line. According to Corson: "All 19 in and 21 in "carved hair" models were
eliminated after 1916. The best selling 14 in and 16 in "carved hair" children remained. Among the girls there were doll 101, in the 14 in
size only and Dolls 102 and 105, in both 14 in and 16 in sizes. Doll 205 (which was always a boy according to the company but could
double as a girl in an emergency) was made in both smaller sizes. The line of wigged character girls was cut drastically. In the 14 in size
only Doll 312 remained. In the 16 in size Dolls 300 and 301 remained. In the 19 in size the survivor was Doll 308 and in the 21 in size a
new Doll 308 was created. All other models were eliminated. The boys were cut to one doll each in the three smaller sizes. Doll 405
(whose face was the same as 308's) was retained in the 14 in and 19 in sizes. Doll 403 (whose face was the same as 300's) was made in
the 16 in size. Thus four basic face designs were all that was left...." (p128). For the wigged dolls, either the curled wig or bobbed wig
was available and therefore "appeared" to increase the number of dolls without any additional cost.
As the molds wore, the modeling on these later dolls was less sharp. IN contrast the painting was strong and smooth. Multi-stroked brows
were stacked instead of parallel. Brunette wigs were available for the first time. The extra coat of varnish was eliminated giving the dolls a
"suntanned" appearance. By 1918, the impressed mark disappeared and was replaced with the dec
Miss Dolly was available in all four sizes but as with the other wigged dolls, was now available with either wig. In 1920, the eyes on Miss
Dolly were no longer painted but decals were applied allowing much greater definition to the eye such as threading with much less cost. In
1921, Miss Dolly had the newly patented moveable eyes. This change in eyes required a newly designed head. While the look of the doll
is similar to her predecessor, her profile is flatter with a snub nose and small single chin. Her model number changed to 317 and she was
not actually referred to as Miss Dolly. She was available in all four sizes and either had the long curled wig or the bobbed hair wig. During
this period the dolls all retained their same size numbers but the dolls were actually slightly larger. Thus a doll 16 was actually 17 inches
tall.
The carved hair character dolls and the wigged doll 16/300 ceased production in 1923 with all the other wigged dolls discontinued in 1924
while the original Miss Dolly ceased production in 1924. Doll 317 was still produced on her original spring jointed body but also on a less
expensive elastic strung "Basswood Elastic" doll. With the increasing free trade and competition from both German and Japanese doll
firms, Schoenhut Co responded with this less expensive doll until 1928 or early 1929. The doll was not made after 1930. Schoenhut
catalog of 1930 identified some dolls available for "the Educational Doll for Kindergarten Work." Corson suggests that these dolls may be
the few carved hair dolls identified with the painting style of the composition doll of the same catalogue.
Infants
Schoenhut Co. had two initial "infants", more toddlers, with older faces on straight leg child bodies attributed to Graziano and available
through 1912. The subsequent "infant" bears a copyright mark of Harry E. Schoenhut. This doll has a much younger face with larger
eyes and a rounder lower face.
The initial Graziano infants were Tootsie Wootsie (numbers 15/50, 15/51 or 15/52 depending on costume) and Scnickel-Fritz (numbers
15/75, 15/76 or 15/77 depending on costume).
Harry Schoenhut designed many of the dolls including infants 107. 108. 109W and 110W, Miss Dolly 316 and sleep eye 317 as well as the
Shcoenhut version of the Bye-Lo and the composition child. Doll 107 was a painted hair baby of 14 inches whose patent was granted to
Harry Schoenhut in 1913. This doll had a chunkier body than the child dolls and was available undresses (chemise, no shoes and socks),
dressed in rompers or dressed in an ankle length dress. Collectors refer to this doll as the Nature baby toddler. Later an 11 inch toddler
was released. This head, on a bent limb baby body is referred to as the Nature Baby. It was 13 inches from top of head to toe, 9 inches
seated. A wigged version of the baby was available. The doll was modeled on the 13th grand child of Albert, William, according to a
presentation by William at a Schoenhut Collector's Club meeting in 1986. Doll 108 was a larger version of this doll. It measured 15 inches
head to toe and was 11 inches seated. It was also sold on the toddler or baby body and was available with a wig.
In 1919 William Schoenhut was granted the patent for a joint which allowed the doll to "walk". This joint was available on the toddler
bodies using the baby heads. To walk the doll, the child held the doll by the arm, shifted the doll's weight onto one leg causing the other
leg to spring forward. The numbering for these dolls included the size and the head number without the 0. So a 11/107 that was a walker
was noted as 1117. The doll was sold with a slip and special wedged shoes nailed to the legs. A dress could be special ordered. In
1924, the babies were available with elastic stringing. A doll with elastic stringing had a 0 added to the size designation.
A baby with cloth body, hollowed head, wig and romper was made available to make the doll lighter for small children and to compete with
the mamma voice box. It was numbered by reversing the size number digits. It appeared in 1924 and disappeared by 1930. There was a
baby with movable eyes. By requirement to add the eyes, the heads were hollow with pates that required wigs. Decals were used to
provide the eyes detail. This doll was designated as 109W. Doll 110W was also a baby but with a smile and a double chin,
Manikin
the Schoenhut manikin appeared in the catalog from 1914 through 1918. Corson suggests that he may have been designed by Harry
schoenhut as a manikin for "students of fine art or as a dressed figure for window displays." Unique to the manikin is the swivel waist
allowing considerable flexibility and posability. He was 19 inches tall. His model number was 175 and he could be purchased in five
different states of dress from undressed for the art student to dressed for displays. The manikin was also dressed as three sports figures
including basketball, baseball and football players.
Unique Dolls and Special Orders
"Freida" appears to be a family portrait of Phyllis Schoenhut (named for her cousin) made by her father, Harry, but never commercially
sold. The last doll designed by Harry was the composition doll introduced in 1930. She was a 13 inch strung doll with a bent right arm
and straight left arm. She was clearly a competitor to Patsy with her rosebud mouth, single stroke brows and button nose. Her molded
curly hair is reddish blonde. She has a circular sticker on her back indicating "Schoenhut Toys Made in U.S.A." They were numbered
13/21 through13/28. They only survived one year as there were no dolls offered in 1931.
As is true of any business, there is a main line, the line in production with variations, and the special orders. The special orders were
generally made for particular occasions or customers. Some of the special orders found include "Gallagher and Shean", Santa Claus and
his reindeer, the Stetson Hat man, Moritz, the lion tamer, the wedding party, the black waiter, the Japanese man, the lady doll Connie
Mack, and the Chinese babies. Carol Corson's reference work discusses these special pieces in detail and provides pictures of these
very unique dolls.
Corson, Carol. Schoenhut Dolls. Hobby House Cumberland Md. 1993.
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Courtesy Jim Sneed
http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/dolls.htm
http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/dolls.htm
Courtesy My Dear Dolly