Madame Alexander and the Dolls of Oz

The dreams you dare to dream really do come true. This was certainly the case for Madame Beatrice Alexander who wanted to create beautiful dolls that would stimulate a child's imagination and be cherished for a lifetime. Eighty-three years later her dream lives on.

Madame Alexander's father Maurice was the epitome of the American Dream. He was born in Russia and learned the doll trade in Germany. He immigrated to the United States where he met and married another immigrant, Hannah Pepper. In 1895, Maurice opened the country's first doll hospital in New York City and later that same year "Madame" Beatrice Alexander was born in an apartment of the hospital.

Madame Alexander grew up watching the powerful bond between children and their dolls when tearful little ones would bring their broken dolls to the hospital for repair. No doubt an image that influenced Madame Alexander greatly as her very first dolls were unbreakable.

When World War I cut off the supply of dolls from Germany, Beatrice started to create her own cloth dolls and in 1923 the Alexander Doll Company was born. At a time when women weren't encouraged to go into business, Madame Alexander forged ahead and her company prospered. Also in 1923, FAO Schwarz became the first retailer to carry her dolls. Over 60 years later, FAO Schwarz would dub Madame Alexander the "first lady of dolls."

Over the years, Madame Alexander engineered many firsts in the doll world and won numerous awards for her designs.

Madame Alexander was often inspired by children's literature, history, and film. She seemed to have keen insight for knowing what characters would excite the public and continued finding innovative ways to recreate them time and again. The impeccable costuming, hairstyles and irresistible cherub-like faces have endeared Madame Alexander dolls to collectors from the company's inception and the designs get more elaborate with each passing year.

Among her first dolls was Alice in Wonderland, one of Madame's favorite literary characters. In 1933 Madame Alexander started a relationship with Disney that continues to this day and in 1937 a Scarlett O'Hara doll was produced based on the novel Gone with the Wind that was published the year before.

With the company's history of producing dolls of famous personalities and characters, it's no wonder in 1989 the Alexander Doll Company paid homage to the 50th Anniversary of the MGM film The Wizard of Oz with the release of a 14" vinyl Dorothy doll. Dorothy, dressed a blue jumper over a short sleeved white blouse with her dark hair tied in ponytails, looked like any little farm girl ready for adventure.

The following year an 8" 20th Anniversary Dorothy was made in a limited edition of 50 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Doll Cradle in Kansas. Oftentimes, the Alexander Doll Company creates very exclusive dolls as a token of appreciation for a retailer's continued patronage. In 1991, another 8" Dorothy was added to the Alexander Doll Company's Storyland Series.

Other characters soon followed and the Oz line has continued to expand over the years, eventually adding on such neglected characters as Miss Gulch, the Apple Tree, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. Even Toto in 8" doll form, made an appearance at the 1997 Walt Disney World Doll and Teddy Bear Convention.

In the 8" doll line Dorothy wore costuming like that of her MGM counterpart while her three companions from the Land of Oz appeared to have jumped right off the storybook pages. The early Oz dolls were attired in enchanting designs and vivid colors that brought the familiar characters to life in a whole new way. In the late 1990s the Oz characters started to take on the look of the MGM film. Characters are added to and retired from the Oz line regularly to keep the line fresh and collectors on their toes. Some dolls are manufactured for only a year or less and others are made in small editions. The munchkins and winged monkey first introduced in 1994 and 1995 were such dolls with limited availability and have escalated in value and continue to be highly sought after.

The Oz dolls and all of Madame Alexander's dolls are a labor of love worthy of becoming heirlooms. Each doll is made by hand taking 2 - 3 weeks to complete. Hundreds of people work year round in the factory that has never moved from its original location in New York City. Extreme care goes into each doll from the face paint to the hairstyles to the minutest details like bows or lace on undergarments. These special nuances thrill doll enthusiasts and make Alexander dolls stand out in any collection.

The story of Oz has appealed to people of all ages for over 100 years. It's very likely that the Oz dolls of Madame Alexander helped endear the Oz characters to public consciousness and to children's hearts. Madame Alexander wanted to make dolls with souls and the Alexander Doll Company has been successful in capturing the souls and whimsy of the Oz characters.

Madame Alexander traveled over the rainbow in 1990, but her company continues to thrive with the Wizard of Oz dolls remaining perennial best sellers. I'm sure she and the beloved personalities that inspired their creation would agree there's no place like your home for Madame Alexander's dolls of Oz.

Madame Alexander Checklist 1989 - 2006

1989 – 1991  14” Dorothy    #1532

1990    8”   20th Anniversary Dorothy     Doll Cradle Exclusive Edition of 50

1991 – 1994   8” Dorothy with pigtails   #464   #140464

1992 – 1995    8”  Glinda the Good Witch   #473   #140473

1992 – 2005    8” Scarecrow  #430   #140430   #13230   #13231

8”   Tinman   Tin Woodsman   #432   #140432   #13210   #13211

8”  Cowardly Lion   #431   #140431   #13220   #13221

1993  14” Dorothy wearing gingham and braids   #1532

1994   14” Glinda the Good   #141573
1994   8” Winged Monkey   #140501

1994 Mid year introductions   8” Emerald City Dorothy   #94-2

8”  The Wizard   #94-1

8”  The Wicked Witch   #94-9

1994 – 1995    8” Munchkin Peasant    #140444

8”   Mayor of Munchkinland   #140443
8”   Munchkin Herald   #140445

1995    8” Auntie Em   #14515

8”   Lullaby Munchkin   #14512

8”   Lollipop Munchkin   #14513

1995 – 2001    8” Dorothy with curly ponytails    #140464    #13200

1996    14” Dorothy    #87007

1997 – 2001   10” Miss Gulch    #13240

1997 – 2005    10” Glinda the Good Witch    #13250

10”    Wicked Witch of the West    #13270

1997     8” Toto with basket edition of 750 (first 400 sold at the Walt Disney
World Doll and Teddy Bear Convention    #79180
1997 Walt Disney World One of a Kind Wizard of Oz Munchkinland Vignette
with 21” dolls of Glinda, Dorothy, the Wicked Witch and 8” Toto
Sold for $6,000

1998 – 2000    8” The Wizard of Oz    #13281

8”   The Wizard with State Fair Balloon    #13280

1999 – 2001   8” The Apple Tree    #13290
8”    Lullaby League Munchkin   Lullaby Munchkin    #13300

2000    8” Dorothy with glitter shoes    #13201

2000 – 2001    8” Oz Flower Munchkin   #27035

15”   Glinda felt (In 2000 only available at FAO Schwarz)   #27570

2000   15” Dorothy felt with curled hair    #25545
2000 – 2002    5” Dorothy porcelain

5”   Lullaby Munchkin Porcelain

2000 – 2003    8” Winged Monkey    #25950

2000   Mid year introduction     21” Wicked Witch

2001    15” Dorothy felt with braids (shown in catalog but never seen one)   #25546
2001 – 2002   8” Daisy Munchkin    #28770

8”  Flower Bonnet Munchkin   #28775

8”  Emerald City Guard      #31395

5”  Cowardly Lion  porcelain

5”  The Scarecrow  porcelain
5”  The Tin Man  porcelain

2002  5”  Glinda porcelain

8”   To Oz Dorothy with 3” teddy bear    edition of 2500    #33630

8”    To Oz Scarecrow with 3” teddy bear    edition of 1500     #33633

8”    To Oz The Tinman with 3” teddy bear    edition of 1500   #33631
8”    To Oz The Cowardly Lion with 3” teddy bear   edition of 1500   #33632

2002 – 2003    8”   OEO Guard    #33595

8”    Hairdresser    #33585

2002 – 2005    8”   Dorothy with long curled hair     #13202    #13203

2003    21”    Dorothy Cissy    edition of 500
2003 Mid Year Introduction – 2004 Dorothy and Munchkinland Set    10” Dorothy Cisette with 5” Munchkins Lullaby Munchkin, Flower Bonnet Munchkin, Mayor of Munchkinland

2003 – 2005    8” Mayor of Munchkinland    #37125

2004    8”   Total Moves Dorothy   edition of 1000    #38715

2004 – 2005    8” Coroner    #38395
8”    Wendy and the Yellow Brick Road

5”  Petite  Tinman

5”  Petite  Cowardly Lion

5”  Petite   The Scarecrow

5”   Petite Dorothy

Petite Wizard of Oz Set    5”   Daisy Munchkin, Lollipop Munchkin,
Coroner and Town’s Lady
2005    8”    Wendy Loves Munchkinland    #40160

2005 – 2006    8” Auntie Em   #39910

8”   Uncle Henry    #39915

8”    Dorothy Wendykin Wood Edition of 750 (only available through
FAO Schwarz for 2005)

9”  Play Dolls   Dorothy
Glinda

Tin Man

Scarecrow

Cowardly Lion

2006    10”    Glinda the Good Witch     #42405
10”  Wicked Witch of the West    #42400

10”  Wicked Witch of the East    #42415

8”    Off to Oz Dorothy     #42420

8”    Wendy’s Wicked Ways     #42410

*** Madame Alexander has made many other Wizard of Oz items such as doll accessories, figurines, teddy bears, waterglobes, music boxes, hinged boxes and pins.

2005 Oz Collectible Review Dolls Pt. 2

Next up we have the Alexander Doll Company or Madame Alexander as it's more commonly known. Madame Alexander is another company that has been producing Oz dolls for almost two decades. Most of them are made in the 8 inch size. I, for one, have never tired of the cherubic little darlings. Madame Alexander has shown innovation not only in the costuming of these dolls, but also in introducing oft neglected characters such as Miss Gulch, Auntie Em, the Emerald City hairdresser, and new for 2005 the first ever Uncle Henry doll. Also new in the 8 inch line we have Alexander's second Auntie Em doll and the very cute Wendy Loves Munchkinland.

Wendy, Madame Alexander's popular character is, wearing her Dorothy dress with illustrations of Munchkins decorating her skirt and she comes with her very own Dorothy doll. Wendy is adorable and looks ready to plunk down for a viewing of The Wizard of Oz on television or to skip down the yellow brick road to one of the many Oz conventions held around the country.

Madame Alexander produced 9 inch play dolls for 2005 as well and they are just that; suitable for handling by small hands and less expensive than the "collector dolls".

A Wendy Dorothy fashioned of wood debuted in the Fall as an FAO Schwarz exclusive. She is an edition of 750 and has been carried over to the 2006 Mainline Catalog.

I love the Madame Alexander dolls and every year I marvel over the workmanship put into the dolls' attire, not only in their Oz line, but in all their wonderful dolls. They truly are a joy to collect.

I have saved the most frustrating.....er, challenging doll pursuits for last. The dolls by Brass Key and Nanco have been some of the toughest finds I can remember. Many collectors are still looking for a doll or two to finish their sets. These companies made me very thankful I mostly collect Dorothy and Toto. I still had a dickens of a time finding just those two.

Brass Key, oy! The dolls aren't perfect portraits of the characters but they are pretty good and the price was very reasonable. To test the waters, the 14 inch porcelain Dorothy was available in 2004 only at "selected" Kmarts. Many collectors, myself included, have had great difficulty tracking this little girl down. Oz collectors had to network like crazy. Thanks to someone I consider a dear friend, I was able to locate a Dorothy at a store 500 miles away and have her delivered to a local store for pick up. More Oz dolls were planned but the fate of the line was to be determined by the initial sales of Dorothy. Frankly, I wasn't sure we'd ever see the other Oz dolls. Miraculously, she must have sold well because in 2005 Brass Key continued the line, but sure didn't make them any easier to find. Brass Key re-issued Dorothy in a slightly different box to match the rest of the set; the Scarecrow, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, the Wicked Witch and Glinda. These were available at "selected" Walmarts. Sometimes the "selected" Walmarts only got in half the set. Collectors made many phone calls and return trips only to find the remaining dolls were never stocked. I only saw Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Wicked Witch at my Walmart. It seems the Wicked Witch grows in popularity every year. She is always the one people are left looking for. She and the Cowardly Lion seem to be the hardest to find of this set. Around the same time, Brass Key issued a set of 7 inch porcelain characters available at "selected" Kmarts. These were just as difficult to locate as the larger ones. Still worn out from hunting for Dorothy the year before to no avail, I made a couple of half hearted attempts to get the 7 inch Dorothy. I still ended up having to rely on a friend to help me get this doll for my collection. What a mess! I do like the Brass Key products very much and hope to see more Oz from them.

Brass Key 14" Collection
Brass Key  7" Collection

The Nanco dolls were understandably hard to find because Nanco does not sell direct to the general public. They make licensed plush and toys for amusement parks, carnivals, fairs, arcades, crane games, and special events.

The New York department store Macy's decorated their windows with scenes from the forthcoming telefilm The Muppets' Wizard of Oz in March. In conjunction with the windows Macy's sold a small array of Muppets' Oz merchandise which included 14 inch to 16 inch plush dolls of Kermit the Frog as The Scarecrow, Fozzie Bear as the Cowardly Lion, Gonzo as the Tin Thing, and Miss Piggy as Tattypoo (the name L. Frank Baum's successor Ruth Plumly Thompson gave to the Good Witch of the North). Muppet and Oz fans were delighted and the limited supply of Muppet plush was snapped up quickly.
http://www.toughpigs.com/ozflowershow.htm

A few months later, I was surfing eBay as I often do, and *gasp* ! There's a new Dorothy doll. I was excited but I was hoping she wouldn't be a hassle to track down. Well, I was to find out she was made by Nanco. Dorothy was one of a set of 11 characters that was made for the Sugarloaf crane machines that grace the entrances of grocery and department stores. The other soft dolls were The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, Glinda, The Wicked Witch, The Lollipop Boy, The Wizard, The Munchkin Mayor, a winged monkey, and Toto in a basket. All but Toto were made in 14 inch and 7 inch sizes.

And so the hunt began......

Sugarloaf employees who filled up the machines into giving them some dolls. Never underestimate the persuasive powers of an Oz collector. Those of us without skill, luck, or charm resorted to getting out dolls off of eBay.

They are cute little dolls if you don't have to spend a small fortune to get them. Handle them with care as they do seem cheaply made and may not hold up well under duress.

As of this writing, I'm still seeing these dolls in the Sugarloaf machines so if you're feeling lucky and have some spare quarters.......

There were still more surprises from Nanco. Sculptured cloth dolls of The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, The Scarecrow, and The Wicked Witch were made in at least three different sizes for carnival games.

The Muppets plush resurfaced in sizes ranging from 7 inches to 28 inches at amusement parks, carnivals, and oversized crane machines in arcades. I do not know how, if at all, these Muppets differ from the ones sold at Macy's. If anyone has both and would care to comment and/or email a photo I'd love to know.

This is it for the 2005 doll review. In the coming days I'll be posting about other noteworthy treasures from 2005.