The Effanbee Historical Dolls! Most collectors have seen a few of the 14′ versions, but most have only heard of the elusive and mysterious 20″ display sets, which Effanbee referred to as the “Originals”.
That’s really not that surprising. There were only three of the sets made…..90 dolls in total; 3 sets of 30. And while their travels across the country, displayed in department stores, fairs and all sorts of other locations, can be documented, there is no definitive information about what ultimately happened to them. One source says they were sold or auctioned off to private collectors in 1941. Still another story has one set stashed away by the manager of the last department store the set was displayed in for his own little girls to enjoy.
Less than half of the display dolls are known to exist today. Surely there must be more, quietly hidden away in private collections or museums, abandoned in a store warehouse or hidden away in a closet somewhere.
Enjoy this site as a look at one of the largest known groups of the legendary Effanbee Historical Dolls Display Sets. The information is the culmination of years of research, discussions, readings and discoveries…and still plenty of questions swirl about the most sought-after dolls of the glorious years of composition.
The Effanbee Historical Dolls were designed to show the Fashion History of America from the arrival of Indian squaws at the time of Columbus’ arrival in 1492 to the ‘gay sophisticate’ of 1939.
According to an ad for the showing of one of the display sets in 1939 at Kann’s Department Store in Washington D.C., “the group was conceived by a 24-year old designer who found American history hard to learn! So, these 30 dolls were costumed to make American history vividly alive to children!” Who that 24-year old designer was is just one of the many mysteries of the Historical Dolls. Some research says she was of Asian-descent, but so far no other potential identification has been discovered.
Effanbee tells the story of the doll’s development a bit differently. In a 1939 edition of The Patsytown News (the official newspaper of the company’s wildly popular Patsy dolls), the idea for the dolls reportedly was the idea of Aunt Patsy who “thought it would be just wonderful to make a family of dolls that would show the many changes that have taken place in our American Life.”
The Display Sets not only brought the Effanbee Doll Company a lot of attention as they toured the nation, but also served as incredible promotion for the 14′ replica dolls which sold for $4.98.
Each display set of the Effanbee Historical Dolls cost over $10,000 to produce…and that was in 1939! Quite a lot for the late 1930s….but consider this. That means each set, if made today (2022), would cost over $213,173 to produce….or over $7,105 per doll!
The bulk of that cost is contributed to the dolls’ costumes, earning them the reputation of being “the most expensively gowned dolls in the world.” The gowns were historically accurate reproductions of those worn during certain periods in American history by ladies of some social standing and were made of real silks, satins, velvets and brocades.
Another big factor in the cost of producing the set are the dolls’ wigs…authentically styled from human hair and designed by famed New York wig maker Meyer Jacoby, who started making wigs in 1909.
The display dolls themselves were a combination of parts, which has let to much confusion about their identities over the years. The bodies were the highly recognizable 20-21′ Anne Shirley composition bodies. The marked heads were various models of doll designer Dewees Cochran “American Children” dolls. In 1936, she made headlines by creating six basic dolls, each with a different face shape. By changing the hair or the eyes, she could produce a portrait doll of most children. These dolls were sold as her Look-A-Like dolls. She also created a line of dolls with these faces for Effanbee called American Children dolls.
Just like every Effanbee doll of the era, the Historical Dolls Display Series wear the traditional gold metal heart bracelets.