They’re Back: Kewpie dolls, long available only...
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
They’re Back: Kewpie dolls, long available only in flea markets and antique fairs, are returning to toy store shelves. Rose Art Industries of Livingston, N.J., is making soft-body versions of the dolls, known for their topknots of hair, chubby features and protruding bellies. The new Kewpie comes in an African American or European American version and wears a variety of outfits. You can even choose a belly button for your doll: a heart, star or cloud. Kewpies first appeared in drawings in the Ladies Home Journal in 1909, but the doll wasn’t made until 1912. The dolls and related merchandise, such as sheets, jewelry, books and dishes, were sold from the 1920s into the 1970s.