Strongsville Doll Show Highlights Shirley Temples, Lenci Dolls and Vintage Finds

Strongsville’s doll show offered the kind of variety that makes a collector’s walk through the aisles hard to hurry: German celluloid babies, familiar character dolls, handmade figures and plenty of pieces that invite a closer look. The show was near Cleveland, so it also made a fine occasion to meet Barb, the blogger behind My Little Doll Corner.

Barb’s husband, Mr. BTEG, had also put together a replacement computer for the writer, whose old machine had been struggling. That generous gift was a personal highlight of the weekend, though transferring everything to the new computer was still on the to do list. The show itself felt sizable, if perhaps a little lighter on dealers than a previous visit. China Cupboard Bears, a neighboring dealer, was absent, but there was no shortage of dolls to browse.

Prices, bargains and tempting near misses

The price range made for an especially lively visit. An R&B Nancy Lee caught the writer’s eye at $425, but stayed at the table. The bigger test of restraint came with two 18-inch composition Shirley Temple dolls priced at $20 apiece. Both had their original wigs in good condition, a combination that would once have been difficult to leave behind. This time, neither went home.

Other finds offered a reminder that a show can mix affordable surprises with ambitious asking prices. A large Gotz doll was marked $25, while some other pieces struck the visitor as far more expensive. A group of attractive dolls priced at $20 also stood out. There was no attempt to turn those observations into a price guide; they were simply part of the day’s contrasting table by table discoveries.

Among the older dolls were an Effanbee Whistling Jim, whose open mouth inspired the name, and several dolls thought to depict Deanna Durbin. One nearby doll stood out for her clothing, while another prompted a second guess about whether she, too, might be Deanna. A striking German celluloid baby had vivid, fresh looking coloring and sat near two Shirley Temple dolls. The display gave the visitor a chance to compare very different faces and materials at a glance.

Other tables brought together Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls from the 1940s, a shelf full of Ginnys, and a figure with a jointed leather body and a notably weathered expression. A Katherine’s Collection character proved harder to judge: odd enough to be memorable, though not an easy favorite. The show also included a doll with unusually heavy makeup, a pretty dressed figure, and an Effanbee doll that drew an affectionate response.

Handmade work and character pieces

Three Dianna Effner dolls made a particular impression because the visitor had admired them from afar but had never seen them in person. The group included a Lil Dreamers, a Boneka and a Heartstrings doll. The Heartstrings figure’s eight inch height was familiar, yet seeing one in person made her seem remarkably small.

There were also dolls whose appeal came from their materials and construction. Two figures that looked like Lenci dolls were labeled Nora Wellings. Nearby, two ladies seemed to be having a comic exchange around a mirror: one admired her reflection while the other appeared ready with a sharp observation. Real Lenci dolls were on view elsewhere, along with a charming little girl with two teeth and a Baby Go Bye Bye with a classic Mattel Martha Armstrong Hand face.

One unusual group had wooden heads and chest plates, with wooden feet on some figures and bodies made from a thick, straw like material. Two hand carved wooden marionettes from Germany were another distinctive sight. Felt dolls by artist Erica Daley offered a different kind of handmade character. A small German dollhouse style doll, larger than expected at about six to eight inches, also caught the visitor’s attention.

The tables mixed vintage favorites with unexpected personalities. A boxed Drowsy brought back a childhood wish, while a Dear One doll nearby was described as a competitor to Baby Dear. A Baps doll wore a tag identifying her as Mary Mary, Quite Contrary, despite a dealer’s Bo Peep description; her rake made the tag seem the better fit. A Triki Miki case recalled the articulated Triki Miki, also known as Little Miss Dollikin, a doll from the late 1960s to early 1970s about the size of a Dawn doll. A green dressed doll and a Dollikin below her also caught the eye.

More details to linger over

Among the character and play pieces were Betty’s Beauty Parlor, made by Deluxe Reading in 1964; Mr. Magoo beside Snow White and the seven dwarfs; and Uneeda’s Blabby, whose expression looked suitably crabby. A Little Mister Bad Boy was identified in an online description as a 1960s promotion for Bad Boy appliances and furniture stores in Canada, made by Earle Pullan from hard plastic. A Japanese Shirley Temple type doll, about eight inches tall, was new to the visitor. So was a Connie Lowe Steampunk Hazel doll, described as cute.

There were still more faces to puzzle over: a large Betsy McCall, a boxed 1960s Portrait Doll named Celeste that looked remarkably fresh, and an older doll that might have been Jane Withers alongside a likely Deanna Durbin. The visitor recalled Withers as a child star who appeared with Shirley Temple in Bright Eyes, and remembered her sharp, funny line in a Christmas scene. A smaller Daisy Kingdom doll, estimated at 10 or 12 inches, filled a size gap between an 18-inch example and a tiny one the writer already knew.

By the end, the show had delivered a broad cross section of doll collecting: recognizable names, handmade pieces, character figures and uncertain identifications worth checking later. The visitor did buy a few things, small enough to fit in a very large pocket. What those purchases were will be the next reveal.