Samantha's Collectible Dolls, Bears & Figurines Presents:
2008 Effanbee Doll Collections
Tonner and Effanbee® Dolls are designed for the adult collector. Inspired by childhood themes and whimsy, each feature extraordinary quality and detail in vinyl & hard plastic with articulated jointing, highly detailed clothing, and hand-painted features.
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Effanbee® promoted Patsy® sales with a newspaper "The Patsytown News" that went to reported quarter million children. Effanbee® also had an " Aunt Patsy" that toured the country promoting their dolls. In addition they formed a Patsy® Doll Club and gave free metal pinback membership buttons to children who wrote in or bought a Patsy® doll. Effanbee® tied their doll line to popular current events such as producing George and Martha Washington for the bicentennial of George's birth. They costumed a group of dolls like the White Horse Inn Operetta that toured the U.S. During the war years; they fashioned military uniforms for the Skippy dolls and also costumed dolls in ethnic dress (Dutch) or after characters in books like "Alice In Wonderland".
The death of Hugo Baum in 1940 and the loss of income during the war years' brought the Effanbee® success story into a decline. In 1946, Effanbee® was sold to Noma Electric and they reissued a 1946 Patsy and later a new 17-inch Patsy Joan. Since that time the company changed hands several more times, at one time with Stanley Wahlberg as president and Irene Wahlberg as designer.
Limited editions of Patsy Ann™ and Skippy were issued during the 1970s, and Patsy® reappeared in vinyl in the 1980s. Effanbee reissued Patsy Joan in 1995, and continued with a new group of Patsy®, Skippy, and Wee Patsy™ dolls in vinyl painted to look like the old composition ones. In 2002, the Robert Tonner Doll Company acquired Effanbee® from bankruptcy. Tonner, a talented designer had already made a name for himself with his creations of Betsy McCall and fashion dolls like Tyler, Esme and Sydney. It is expected his creativity will enhance Effanbee's entire line. --Patsy Moyer, Author of "Patsy and Friends."
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