Hobbies And Interests
Creator
The image for the dolls were created by an illustrator named Rosie O'Neil. O'Neil was an illustrator for many popular magazines at the time, including Colliers, Life and Ladies Home Journal. She was also the first female illustrator to work for Puck magazine. Additionally, she was a successful commercial artist before the creation of the Kewpie, having exhibited her work in Paris, and written and illustrated her own novel, The Loves of Edwy. O'Neil created the Kewpie illustration for the Ladies Home Journal.
Creation
O'Neil created the Kewpies for the Christmas 1909 issue of Ladies Home Journal. They were short, angelic, cherub-like creatures who sported a topknot. The name Kewpie is even a variation on the cherubic cupid. The Kewpies became a phenomenon, and went on to grace the pages of magazines such as Women's Home Companion and Good Housekeeping as well as greeting cards, and story books. For a time, they were even featured in a comic strip, "Dotty Darling and the Kewpies."
Paper Dolls
In 1912, Women's Home Companion began to print kewpie paper dolls in the pages of its magazine. These dolls were known as Kutouts. They were unusual for paper dolls of the time because they were printed on both the front and back sides of the doll. Because these paper dolls were played with so much, it is rare to find one in good condition today. This has made them highly collectable Kewpie dolls.
Porcelain Dolls
Children who loved the kewpie paper dolls and illustrations from the magazines and books requested that a doll version be created. O'Neil complied, commissioning sculptor Joseph L. Kallas to bring her creation to three dimensional proportions. She was so pleased with the results that she gave Kallas exclusive rights to the Kewpie doll trademark. The first kewpie doll was manufactured in 1913 by a German toy company. These early dolls were made of porcelain or bisque.
Later Dolls
As time went on, less expensive kewpie dolls were made of celluloid or composition materials. A soft-bodied version, known as the Kewpie Kuddle was marketed in 1925. By 1949, the first hard plastic versions were created. These dolls were inexpensive, usually priced between 60 and 90 cents. Because of this, they were frequently given out as carnival prizes. This was such a frequent custom that a kewpie doll was included in a time capsule of the 1939 World's Fair.