Thanks to her personal connection with the company, Chad Valley has become one of this collector's favorite doll makers.
By Jan Johnstone
My hometown of Wellington, in the county of Shropshire, England, is fortunate in that it was home to two famous names in the doll manufacturing world: Chad Valley and Norah Wellings. Both of these companies had links with another toy manufacturer, Merrythought, which is still in existence today and based just a few miles from Wellington.
My mother worked for Chad Valley, and as a child I listened eagerly to her fascinating stories of working on both the doll and teddy bear lines. She was able to tell me a lot about how the soft cloth dolls now so eagerly sought after by collectors were made, particularly as she had been chosen to work with the designers making up their prototypes. I often think how amazed she would be at the prices that are now paid for some of the dolls she and her colleagues produced. Because it is my hometown doll maker, I'd like to take you on an imaginary tour through the history of Chad Valley.
In 1920, officials at the Chad Valley Toy Company, which had been founded in 1897 in Harborne, Birmingham, decided to open a branch of their company in the little market town of Wellington. They set up their factory in the former Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and Sunday School, which had been built in 1836, and called the factory The Wrekin Toy Works after an ancient hill just outside the town, which was and still is a well-known tourist attraction.
Girls from the area were extremely anxious to gain employment during the dark days of the depression years, so hopefuls were soon clamoring at Chad Valley’s doors. This pool of readily available labor was one of the chief reasons for the company’s decision to move to Wellington. A year later, the company added an extension to the front of the building and the Wrekin Toy Works, in full production with more than 400 girls in employment, rapidly became known locally as "the factory of young ladies."
The company’s first dolls were made at Chad Valley’s head office in Harborne, Birmingham, in 1920. Simple in design, they were manufactured from stockinette and proved to be an extremely popular line. Realizing that soft dolls were a good proposition, the company went on to produce a range of simple rag dolls with printed features at their Wellington factory. These were fitted with hand-woven wigs and rejoiced in such names as Zoe, Lady Betty, and Irish Molly.
So popular did these prove that by 1923, dolls were being made from superior materials such as good-quality felt and velvet. A line known as La Petite Caresse could be had in sizes ranging from 14½ to 18½ inches (36.8 to 47 cm). Stuffed with Aerolite, advertised as the "hygienic filling," they wore outfits made in brightly colored felt decorated with appliquéd flowers, and proved to be an instant success. Another line that was particularly charming saw the dolls dressed in velvet snow suits trimmed with artificial fur all ready for the winter snows.
In 1924 Chad Valley patented their design for a doll’s face made from cloth or felt. The face was stiffened with shellac and had glass eyes inserted from the rear of the mask. The result was the Chad Valley face well known to collectors today.
By 1927 Bambina dolls in sizes ranging from 14½ to 18½ inches and made from felt and velvet put in an appearance. With their blue glass eyes, jointed bodies, blonde curly wigs, and varied outfits, including coats and hats, they were very much in demand, particularly as they had been successfully show-cased at the British Industries Fair held in London. The dolls also came complete with their own "Bye Bye" box.
At about the same time Chad Valley produced a range of girl and boy dolls designed by the illustrator Mabel Lucie Attwell. The dolls came in three sizes -- 14, 16, and 18 inches (35.5, 40.6, and 45.7 cm) -- and were recognizable from their features, which had a particular charm well-known to anyone familiar with Attwell’s illustrations.
Between 1920 and 1938 the company produced a host of beautiful lines, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. These latter were released at the same time as Walt Disney’s film in 1937 and are very much desired by collectors, particularly if a full set can be found.
Dolls based on the royal princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, were produced at the request of then Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother. The princess dolls, dressed in frilly organza outfits or felt ensembles in pale lemon, pink, and blue, their mother’s favorite colors, were sold for one guinea ($2.02). This was at the specific request of King George VI and the queen, who wanted the dolls to be affordable for ordinary families. As a result, in 1938 Chad Valley became the first toy makers in the world to be granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment as "Toymakers to Her Majesty the Queen."
Chad Valley went on to produce many more wonderful dolls, as well as some unusual lines, such as the Mephistopheles toy -- a fearsome creature with horns, whiskers, and a long forked tail. This doll was made entirely in vivid red material and caused quite a few problems for the girls who worked on them, being particularly hard on the eyes.
Boudoir dolls, a craze of the time with their elongated limbs up to 26 inches (66 cm) in length, were sold as "sofa dolls for the sophisticated miss of 1935." They were displayed on the beds or sofas of trendy young girls and came in a range of outfits, including Pierrot and Pierette in their black and white clown-like costumes. Others wore elegant evening dresses or satin pajamas, which were much favored as day wear at the time. With their marcel waved hair and seductive side-glancing eyes, the boudoir dolls were definitely the thing to own in the late 1930s.
Carina dolls also made their debut in the 1930s. They came in a variety of outfits, including nurses, Scottish highlanders, and policemen. The line's nursery rhyme characters each carried an item to identify their character -- Bo-Peep had her crook, while Boy Blue carried a horn and Miss Muffet a spider. These toys were particularly appealing to children, who could read all about them in their books.
With the outbreak of World War II, Chad Valley and other toy companies actively engaged in producing patriotic toys. The four services were well represented -- in 1939, dolls dressed as airmen, soldiers, marines, and sailors made their appearance. Sold together in a box, not many were produced, and they are now very collectible, especially if you are lucky enough to find a full set.
It wasn’t long, however, before the Wrekin Toy Works, along with other factories in Great Britain, was commandeered to help with the war effort and remaining staff were put to work on government contracts. Production of toys was greatly reduced, although some were still made and continued to be throughout the war.
With the war over by 1948, doll production was once more in full swing, and many of the company’s pre-war designs were re-introduced. A particular favorite in 1950 was the little schoolgirl dressed in full uniform including tie, black felt shoes, and satchel. A Guardsman and a suitably dressed Susan the Gardener were also being made.
But change was on the way, and soon cloth dolls were considered old-fashioned as other materials were introduced and little girls hankered after the new and novel. By 1972, staff at the Wrekin Toy Works had been reduced to just 150 workers, and by 1975 there were just 78. In 1978, as a result of falling demand, the company was bought out by Palitoy.
Thank you for joining me for a virtual visit to my hometown, Wellington, and an imaginary tour through the history of the Chad Valley Company. I hope to see you here in Shropshire, the home of dolls, again very soon!
Editor's note: Do you have a "hometown" doll maker or a company with which you share a personal connection? Tell us about it! Write to: Doll Reader, PO Box 10545, Lancaster PA 17605-0545 or mkinsey@madavor.com.
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