Molly'es Cloth Doll
Marysia Goldman was born in Odessa Russia. She learned to sew at an early age but her mother discouraged the skill when
they came to America fearing a life in the sweatshops for her daughter. As fate would have it, Mollye Goldman turned her skill
with a needle away from sweatshops to building the largest manufacturer of doll clothes and cloth dolls in America.
In 1919 Mollye married Myer Goldman and moved to Philadelphia Pa, There she made doll clothes for a few celluloid headed
dolls and took them to local toy stores for sale. Within a year, her business had grown such that she rented factory space and
professional sewing machines to fill the orders. This would continue until her retirement when the company, The International
Doll Co. closed in the 1970s.
Mollye carried her own line of cloth dolls, made clothes for other doll makers and even made dolls herself. The cloth dolls
known as Mollye Creations from the International Doll Co. were made from the 1920s through the 1950s. They were painted
mask faced dolls imported from England which she dressed. Hair was yarn or mohair. Frequently they were dressed in the
popular Regional costumes but she also dressed baby dolls. She made the Little Angels in the 1920s, Kate Greenaway in
1928, Muffin adn RagiMuffin in 1931, Baby Joan, Little Louise, Darling and Sunny Girl in 1935, Baby Criss in 1945 and
cowbboy dolls in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These dolls had hang tags showing two of the international dolls with the
company name and the phrase Mollye Creations.
However, Molly is more famous for the clothes she made for other dolls and the dolls she tried to make herself. An astute
business woman, Mollye made doll clothes for the major companies of the time including Horsman, Ideal and Effanbee. The
doll clothes she is noted for are the Shirley Temple clothes, both those made for Ideal and those made under her own label.
She also made clothes for the Bye-lo dolls.
And then there was the doll she made herself. While under patent to Johnny Gruelle but at the end of the Volland production of
Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls in 1934, Mollye made the Raggedies without obtaining patent permission from Gruelle and while
raising questions of current patent protection. She designed her Raggedy dolls with side glancing eyes and red hair. Molly-es
Raggedy dolls were usually marked. Eyes were primarily painted though there were a few with shoe button eyes. The dolls
continued the pattern of striped legs but they were usually multi colored. The blue "shoes" were on the front facing feet. Many
dolls had elbow and knee seams. Some dolls were stuffed from the bottom while others were stuffed from the center back
seam. Since the same body was used for both Raggedy Ann and Andy, Andy developed a heart for the first time.
Clothes were well made from cotton. Elastic was used at the wrists and ankles. The apron straps formed a V in contrast to
other Raggedys where the straps form a square. Andy's clothes were removable for the first time. He had two buttons on
either side of the waist and two at the knee. His hat was round instead of the usual flat style. For the first time the red heart
was printed on the chest. In script across the chest was written Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy Manufactured by Mollye's
Doll Manufacturers.
She made the dolls from 1934 until 1937 all the while Gruelle was fighting her in court. Though Gruelle had negotiated the
patent rights with Exposition Doll and Toy Company, and the company had made Raggedy Anns with Gruelles updated
graphics, the sale of the Exposition dolls grew to an abrupt halt as the major retailers did not want to have any trouble with
Mollye by purchasing the Exposition Dolls. The Mollye dolls sold well. By the time the patent fight was over, Mollye had sold
the Raggedies for three years, the Exposition Doll and Toy Company went out of business and Johnny Gruelle had eaten and
drunk himself into a heart attack. Mollye stopped making the dolls in 1937 per court orders and the patent rights went to the
Georgene Novelty Co.
The International Doll Co. made the transition from cloth dolls to plastic in the 1950s.
Mollye Goldman closed her company when she retired in the 1970s.
they came to America fearing a life in the sweatshops for her daughter. As fate would have it, Mollye Goldman turned her skill
with a needle away from sweatshops to building the largest manufacturer of doll clothes and cloth dolls in America.
In 1919 Mollye married Myer Goldman and moved to Philadelphia Pa, There she made doll clothes for a few celluloid headed
dolls and took them to local toy stores for sale. Within a year, her business had grown such that she rented factory space and
professional sewing machines to fill the orders. This would continue until her retirement when the company, The International
Doll Co. closed in the 1970s.
Mollye carried her own line of cloth dolls, made clothes for other doll makers and even made dolls herself. The cloth dolls
known as Mollye Creations from the International Doll Co. were made from the 1920s through the 1950s. They were painted
mask faced dolls imported from England which she dressed. Hair was yarn or mohair. Frequently they were dressed in the
popular Regional costumes but she also dressed baby dolls. She made the Little Angels in the 1920s, Kate Greenaway in
1928, Muffin adn RagiMuffin in 1931, Baby Joan, Little Louise, Darling and Sunny Girl in 1935, Baby Criss in 1945 and
cowbboy dolls in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These dolls had hang tags showing two of the international dolls with the
company name and the phrase Mollye Creations.
However, Molly is more famous for the clothes she made for other dolls and the dolls she tried to make herself. An astute
business woman, Mollye made doll clothes for the major companies of the time including Horsman, Ideal and Effanbee. The
doll clothes she is noted for are the Shirley Temple clothes, both those made for Ideal and those made under her own label.
She also made clothes for the Bye-lo dolls.
And then there was the doll she made herself. While under patent to Johnny Gruelle but at the end of the Volland production of
Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls in 1934, Mollye made the Raggedies without obtaining patent permission from Gruelle and while
raising questions of current patent protection. She designed her Raggedy dolls with side glancing eyes and red hair. Molly-es
Raggedy dolls were usually marked. Eyes were primarily painted though there were a few with shoe button eyes. The dolls
continued the pattern of striped legs but they were usually multi colored. The blue "shoes" were on the front facing feet. Many
dolls had elbow and knee seams. Some dolls were stuffed from the bottom while others were stuffed from the center back
seam. Since the same body was used for both Raggedy Ann and Andy, Andy developed a heart for the first time.
Clothes were well made from cotton. Elastic was used at the wrists and ankles. The apron straps formed a V in contrast to
other Raggedys where the straps form a square. Andy's clothes were removable for the first time. He had two buttons on
either side of the waist and two at the knee. His hat was round instead of the usual flat style. For the first time the red heart
was printed on the chest. In script across the chest was written Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy Manufactured by Mollye's
Doll Manufacturers.
She made the dolls from 1934 until 1937 all the while Gruelle was fighting her in court. Though Gruelle had negotiated the
patent rights with Exposition Doll and Toy Company, and the company had made Raggedy Anns with Gruelles updated
graphics, the sale of the Exposition dolls grew to an abrupt halt as the major retailers did not want to have any trouble with
Mollye by purchasing the Exposition Dolls. The Mollye dolls sold well. By the time the patent fight was over, Mollye had sold
the Raggedies for three years, the Exposition Doll and Toy Company went out of business and Johnny Gruelle had eaten and
drunk himself into a heart attack. Mollye stopped making the dolls in 1937 per court orders and the patent rights went to the
Georgene Novelty Co.
The International Doll Co. made the transition from cloth dolls to plastic in the 1950s.
Mollye Goldman closed her company when she retired in the 1970s.
