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The Doll
Corner
“The Million Dollar Baby”
by Mary Senko
There have been a lot of “Million Dollar Babies” that have come into
the public eye and have slowly faded away, but none that have
maintained their appeal as the Bye-Lo Baby. The Bye-lo Baby first
appeared in 1922 and remains one of the most successful dolls of all
time. The Bye-Lo revolutionized the doll market, as it was the first
to look and feel like a real baby. It became an instant sensation
and was “the doll” for every child to have.
The reason for the “Million Dollar Baby” tag line you ask? The doll
originally sold for $1.75 - $2.50, which was a lot of money at the
time and there were millions sold. The appeal for the doll came from
the realistic feel that it provided with its stuffed body, sleep
eyes and realistically formed celluloid reaching fingers. The body,
with a frog-leg like look (which was designed to help make diapering
easier), celluloid hands with outstretched fingers which looked like
a baby trying to grab a bottle and the small sleep eyes that looked
exactly like a baby asleep and awake, was a child’s dream for play.
Continued Reading from
Newsletter . . .
The Bye-Lo baby was created by Grace Story Putnam, a well-known
artist and doll designer of the time. She studied art in San Diego
under Maud McMullan and later met a sculptor named Arthur Putnam
whom she married in 1899. The couple moved to San Francisco to allow
Arthur to pursue his career and later divorced in 1915. Grace,
needing to support her children, started drawing, teaching art and
painting. The love of art and sculpture led her to sculpting dolls
and other figures. Grace was inspired when she visited a nursery on
a trip to an area Salvation Army Store and saw a sleeping 3-day old
baby girl. The idea of sculpting a realistic looking baby was
sparked and her focus and determination was instantly directed to
creating a doll for mass-distribution.
George Borgfeldt and Co., a large importer of German dolls, doll
parts, manufacturer, assembler and distributor was always looking
for new and fresh merchandise. He was famous for distributing
dolly-faced dolls and was very keen on staying on top of the doll
market. His company, based in New York, was a significant hub for
distribution throughout the U.S. and Canada. Borgfeldt held the
distribution rights for many of the German manufacturers that doll
collectors know of today. In addition to distribution, assembling
and more, George was producing the Kewpie doll for Rose O’Neil in
collaboration with a German porcelain manufacturer, which was
extremely successful. As an American Businessman, he was always on
the lookout for other dolls that could also be big sellers. When he
saw the Bye-Lo Baby prototype, he quickly signed Grace Story Putnam
to a contract and the rest was history.
Today Bye-Lo Babies can be found with bisque heads, composition
heads, celluloid heads and everything from all-bisque bodies in the
smallest sizes, to dolls with cloth bodies that can be upwards of
20” long. The Bye-Lo baby dolls represent the determination and
imagination of a woman that wanted to support her family and is now
a recognized designer in the Doll Community. Her legacy of
creativity and ingenuity lives on with emerging creative doll
artists today. The Bye-Lo baby not only represents a tremendous
shift in the doll landscape of the times but remains a
quintessential talisman of the American Dream. “You Can Do It,” if
you just have the dream, determination, and willingness to work.
This is what truly makes the Bye-Lo Baby the “Million Dollar” Baby.”
Mary Senko, owner of World Doll Day Shows, is a life-long doll
collector. She started her collection at 6 yrs old and enjoys dolls
of all kinds today. Looking for wonderful history and collectibles
to add to your collection? You can find Bye-Lo’s, Dream Babies,
Dolly-faced dolls, Barbies, Vintage, Composition Dolls, Bears, Toys,
and Miniatures at her doll shows throughout the West. Check the
calendar in this edition to find a great Doll and Bear Show near you
and make plans to attend. Her
shows are family-friendly, safe and fun shopping events that bring
collectors and sellers of quality goods together for a fabulous
shopping day. Don’t miss the World Doll Day Shows near you!
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