Monday, April 3, 2017

1950s Black Squeak Doll

1950s Black squeak doll

This little 8-inch girl, made in Hong Kong, designed as a child's first doll, has an unknown circa 1950s manufacturer. Found on eBay to join other similar squeak dolls, including one from my childhood, her eyes had only a hint of white near one corner of each.  Had they been painted originally or maintained their original color, she would be a side-glancer.

The eyes are now better defined.
To improve her appearance, using white acrylic paint, I added sclerae or "whites of the eyes," as shown above.


The view from the back shows her molded curly hair, which has turned an odd greenish-yellow, but is actually darker than the above photo illustrates.  The hole in her squeaker can be seen in the back of her head.



Here, she is posed with a slightly shorter, 1958 squeak doll by the Edward Mobley Company, manufactured by Arrow Rubber and Plastics, Corp.  The newly-acquired doll wears gold earrings with painted-on white blouse, red suspender shorts, white socks, and greenish-yellow shoes.  My childhood doll's pink dress, white socks and sandals are also painted on.  In her right hand,  my childhood doll holds a molded doll.  I was probably four when I received her, and I do recall walking around holding her just as she holds her doll.  These two still squeak when their heads or tummies are squeezed.



The adult collector in me has always wanted a black squeak doll from the 1950s.  Now I have three, having found the above two, 8-inch dolls in separate eBay auctions a few years ago.  With a copyright year of 1962, both were also made by the Edward Mobley Company.  The girl's head and body are firmer than the boy's.  Her squeaking feature, as a result, no longer works.  When squeezed, the boy squeaks loudly.  Just like a boy, right?


The view from the back shows the detail of the girl's dress (which has some yellowing) and the frog the boy has tightly squeezed in his hand.  My bet is he plans to scare his sister with the frog.


These three posed together for an additional photo.  All four are displayed on the same shelf together in the doll room as shown below.




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4 comments:

  1. Ah! So cute.:D
    I didn't realize some of these were made to look like humans. Mine were a tiger and a lion. I've seen some other animals-of course ducks-and even fruit but these are the first children. Thank-you :-)

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    1. Yes, these squeak toys were fashioned after humans with more white ones made than black ones, but they are out there, too.

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  2. I have a little black doll like the one with the boy do you know about what they are worth

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    Replies
    1. Please search eBay for completed sold auctions using the search words, "Black squeak squeeze doll toy." Doing so will give you the average selling price.

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