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Rose O'Neill, the creator of the vintage Kewpie doll, was an author, illustrator, artist, sculptor and business woman of the early 1900's.

She was born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and grew up in Nebraska.and won her first drawing contest at the age of fourteen. Rose moved to New York where she became a known illustrator and spent her time between homes in New York, Connecticut and the Isle of Capri.

"Do good deeds in a funny way. The world needs to laugh or at least smile more than it does."

This philosophy of hers shows in her Kewpie dolls which were based on drawings she had made of a little brother when she was a young girl playing with him. All of his little looks and gestures were incorporated into her Kewpie figures.

The first Kewpie figures were seen as illustrations of love stories in the Ladies Home Journal around 1909 and followed in the Woman's Home Companion and the Woman's Home Journal, many of the illustrations having verses to go with them ... possibly the first ever example of character merchandising!

The small dolls were extremely popular in the early 1900s. They were first produced in Ohrdruf, a small town in Germany, then famous for its toy-manufacturers. They were made out of bisque and then celluloid. In 1949, Effanbee created the first hard plastic versions.

Their name, often shortened to "Kewpies", is derived from "cupid", the Roman god of beauty and non-platonic love. The early dolls, especially signed or bisque, are highly collectible and worth thousands of dollars. The time capsule at the 1939 New York World's Fair contained a Kewpie doll.

Many other articles were made using their images, for example, coloring and poem books, cups, plates, curios, etc. The incredible success of these characters made their creator rich and famous. It's a rare example of a woman becoming successful in the media business at such an early date.

The Kewpie doll was mentioned in Anne Frank's diary. She received one on her first St Nicholas Day in the Annex from Miep and Bep.

AUD $15.00 => USD 13.41 approx

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