Several years ago prior to the pandemic, I picked up these sweet little Madame Alexander dolls while visiting an estate sale. I paid two dollars each for the lot! These little dolls are thematic, some of them represent fairy tales, others famous books like "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.
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| Above Little Red Riding Hood. |
Each one of these collectable, vintage dolls is made from hard plastic and have open and shut eyes. Their costumes are made from quality fabrics that can be hand washed and ironed unlike many contemporary dolls of today. The smallest (8"), inexpensive line from Madame Alexander from the 50s through the 80s were called Madame Alexander - Kins.
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This version of a Alexander - Kin 1980s, is dressed in a
"United States" costume featuring a lace shawl, mop cap and cameo. |
Alexander - Kins have five points of articulation and triple stitch, mohair wigs. Their lips are always pouting and most of these have rosy red cheeks. Often you may find them with very loose limbs but these may be easily restrung with rubber bands.
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Above, this is Jo from the popular novel "Little Women." She is one of only
a few of Alexander - Kins that features a brunette wig. |
Each doll was designed with tiny details such as: jewelry, buttons, snaps, beading, ribbon and lace trim work, bonnets and hats and tiny little velveteen slippers!
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| Hansel and Gretel from the Brother's Grimm fairy tale. |
There are not many 'boy' Alexander - Kins. I have one, pictured above. He is Hansel from the fairy tale, Hansel & Gretel. He wears a matching print shirt to his sister's bonnet. His hair is very short and he also wears tiny suspenders.
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Above, Our Bo-Peep from the 1970s, carried a lavender staff at
one time made from a chenille stem. |
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A little Swiss Miss doll.
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Madame Alexander Doll Company is an American manufacturer of collectible dolls. The business was founded in 1923 by Beatrice Alexander, a New York City woman who designed and sewed cloth dolls. Styling herself Madame Alexander—which also became the trade name for her dolls—she went on to create dolls replicating famous personalities and characters from books, films, music, and art. Among her notable creations are dolls replicating the Dionne quintuplets, Scarlett O'Hara, and the royal family and attendees at the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Alexander began making hard plastic dolls after World War I and vinyl plastic dolls in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the company released one million dolls annually. Beatrice Alexander ran the business for 65 years and sold it in 1988. The company has produced over 6,500 doll styles and characters.
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