I was looking up information recently about
the Effanbee Patsy Doll line.
There is a lot of incorrect labeling
of Patsy Dolls. I've seen Patsy Ann labeled
as Patsy Joan. I've seen Patsy Ann labeled
Patsy Mae. You see where this is going.
The Patsy Doll line came in various sizes.
This sweet group belongs to Donna L.
Patsyette 9", Patsy 14" and Wee Patsy 6".
With the help of my online doll club friends
and their dolls, I wanted to assemble
a record of correctly labeled photos
of the Patsy line of Effanbee dolls.
Composition Doll Collectors Club
Fleischacker and Baum, or F&B,
FandB, and eventually Effanbee,
began making dolls
in New York City around 1910.
They created a realistically proportioned
child doll named Patsy who
was 14" tall. She became very
popular and even had a fan club!
PATSY
The Patsy Doll line was made
by Effanbee from 1926 - 1946
and grew to include many
variations in size.
I will start with the smallest Patsy's
and finish with the largest.
Effanbee Wee Patsy is smallest of
the Patsy dolls at 6" tall
Effanbee Baby Tinyette at 7" tall
Effanbee Tinyette Toddlers, 8" tall.
This is an Effanbee Babyette at 9" tall.
Baby Brook belongs to my friend Janet P.
This is a wigged Effanbee Babyette at 9" tall.
She belongs to Sylvia W.
All original pristine Patsyette 9" tall.
Thank you again Sylvia W.
These are my two 9" Patsyettes,
Helena and Elizabeth.
This is my Effanbee 10" Patsy Baby, Janie.
These babies are also called Babykins.
The composition Patsy dolls came
with this metal heart hang tag.
They are now hard to find and
highly sought by collectors.
Patsy Jr. or Patsykins are 11" tall.
These two now live with
my friend Sina Ann
Patsy 14" and Patsy Jr. 11" together
with their original outfits and tags.
So adorable Teri P.
This is a wigged 14" Patsy, and a first prize winner!
I believe these wigged versions were
sometimes called Patricia
Thank you for sharing Susan K.
Another adorable Patsy 14" doll
who belongs to Sherry S.
This is my friend Janet P's Patsy Joan
She is the first version made in the 1930s.
She is 16" tall.
Janet has named her Patsy Joan "Francine"
Janet made both Francine's outfits.
So adorable!
In the 1940s Effanbee released these new
version Patsy Joan dolls.
All composition they are actually 16.5" tall.
On the left is Charlotte and the right is Joan.
Charlotte's dress is original and I
made a pattern from it to share.
My friend Karen K. made this
version of the pattern.
My friend Jane G. adjusted
the pattern for her Patsy Ann.
This is my composition Joan next to
my reproduction 2004 Joan.
As you can see the repro dolls are slightly smaller.
The reproduction dolls are vinyl and come
with this cardstock hang tag.
I frequently see people trying to pass these
reproductions off as composition!
Next is a gorgeous Effanbee Patsy Ann, 19" tall.
This sweet girl, is in all original condition,
This Ann belongs to Donna L.
Lovely!
Another beautiful Patsy Ann wearing an
adorable dress and hat made by Susan K.
It was common for these dolls
to have matching
undergarments.
Thanks again Susan K.
Patsy Ann had a picture book.
This is my copy.
In the book, Patsy Ann is
photographed doing normal daily tasks
like getting dressed....
And giving baby a bath.
These last three dolls are the largest of the
Patsy dolls and are much harder to find.
Two beautiful 22" Patsy Lou dolls
these two belong to Naida Lynn HW.
I love a doll on skates!
Another view of Patsy Lou.
This lovely girl belongs to
Naida Lynn HW.
A visual comparison of the 3 largest dolls.
The tallest Patsy is Patsy Mae at 30" tall.
Effanbee Patsy Ruth is 27" tall,
And Effanbee Patsy Lou is 22" tall.
The most interesting thing I found out while
creating this blog post is that my 19"
doll, that I assumed was a Patsy Ann, is actually
an American Character Sally doll!
Donna L's Patsy Ann on the left, and my AC Sally on the right.
With the two photos side by side you can
definitely see the difference.
The hair line is slightly different as well as
shape of the face and the set of the eyes and mouth.
In my defense, Sally Ann was one of my first
composition dolls. She was listed as a
Patsy Ann and I never questioned
her identity until very recently, but
I still adore her!
So, I now call my doll Sally Ann.
I have called her Ann for so long I couldn't
just change it completely!
9 comments:
Hi Linda!
So glad you stopped by. With a lot of help from my friends dolls I got almost all the Patsy dolls accounted for. I must admit, it was fun gathering up all these photos and getting the information correct. I love Patsy dolls so it was fun for me. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Hugs
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
I did not realize there were so many different sized Patsy dolls.
All the photos are just lovely.
What a surprise to find out your Patsy Ann was actually Sally!
They look very similar and Sally Ann is just as beautiful as she ever was.
I love her blue dress. Did you make it?
Anna
HI Anna,
I didn't realize these dolls were so varied either! I was surprised to see how big the biggest are. I was really surprised about my Sally Ann. It was when I was looking at the face of an original Patsy Ann that I realized, "Wait just a second! That doesn't really look much like my Ann?!?" Sally Ann's dress is one I found online. It is not labeled, so Mom-made, but definitely from the 1930s or 40s. I love it!
Hugs
Brenda
Seeing all of these patsy dolls was really a treat I was quite surprised to see Francine among them, she is certainly a big favorite of mine.
I love sewing for the Patsy dolls, the styles are cute, and simple, an d thus so easy to make. The only hard part is finding vintage, or vintage looking fabrics.
I do have a repro of one of her original dresses - the one you developed pattern for . I did not make it though, it was made by KKaren K. another Patsy lover.
I'll see if I can find some pictures for you.
Thanks for doing this episode, it was great to see. I think everyone I know loves Patsy - one of my first ever dolls was the regular size Patsy. And I sure did love her.
Janet
Hi Janet,
I really enjoyed putting this post together. It was revealing for myself, as I discovered my "Ann" was actually not a Patsy Ann! I would love to see the outfit made by Karen K! That little dress pattern has gone far and wide, even as far as New Zealand where Anna made a version for her two Patsy's. My hope is to correct misinformation and also to highlight some of our doll friends lovely Patsy dolls.
Hugs
Brenda
I just LOVED this post, Brenda! I have my mama's Patsy Joan doll, and a few very nice outfits that were made for her by my grandmother and great-aunt. (My mama's doll is in pretty nice condition, but does need her hair repainted.) It's been my intention for a long time to add to Patsy's wardrobe, and to finally make her some shoes and socks!
(I wasn't aware that Janet P. had a Patsy, too!)
Susan J in IL
Hi Susan,
I'm so pleased you liked this post! I wanted to be able to create a visual listing of all the Patsy's. I see them mis-labeled so frequently. I would love to see your Mama's Patsy! They are definitely some of my very favorite dolls. Yes, Janet has some lovely Patsy's and other compo dolls. SHe has been responsible for many dolls I now have in my collection.
Big hugs
Brenda
I have a Patsy doll from the 1930’s maybe earlier and it has Effenbee imprinted on her shoulder and not on back, have you ever seen or heard of this? Thank you, Patricia in IL.
Hi Patricia,
I have not heard of this, but I am sure it is just one of the many variations we find in these old dolls. There is a website that might help you find out what year your doll is:
https://www.dollreference.com/effanbee_dolls.html
Hugs
Brenda
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