Under Robert Tonner, the iconic doll company is ready for another 100 years.
By Toni Fitzgerald
In 1910, the year that the Effanbee doll company was born, there was no Internet. There were no computers, no televisions, no stadium-seat cinemas, no cell phones -- heck, the telephone was only starting to gain popularity. Yes, things were very different then, in the year when Bernard Fleischaker and Hugo Baum joined forces to create a new doll-making company.
And yet, all these years later, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Now celebrating its 100th birthday, Effanbee still has the same commitment to quality and innovation, and its most iconic dolls--names like Patsy, Brenda Star, and Dy-Dee Baby--remain important parts of its current collections, not to mention some of the most beloved dolls of all time.
There have been changes over the years, of course. Eight years ago, respected doll maker Robert Tonner purchased Effanbee out of bankruptcy, giving Fleischaker and Baum's company a new chance to flourish in the new century. Since then, Tonner and his staff have worked hard to come up with a line that pleases Effanbee's existing fan base while also drawing in new collectors. Robert knows his doll history, and he knew when he acquired the company that it had a chance to once again become something special.
"My goal was to keep Effanbee alive and well!" he says. "In the past few years we’ve tried to make it our 'Sweetness and Light' division. Effanbee started out as a powerhouse of a doll brand and was very innovative in the '20s, '30s and '40s. However, in the '50s, it began to creatively take a back seat to other companies. I think in the '70s, the company 'lost its way.' It began to rebuild under Stanley and Irene Wahlberg—they did some great things with the brand and kept it going. Hopefully we’ve refocused it."
As Robert points out, Effanbee began with a flourish. The company was one of the first major U.S.-based doll manufacturers, and for a while it seemed anything new in the doll world was coming from Effanbee (so named after the first letters of the founders' last names, F and B).
In 1915, Effanbee made its popular Baby Grumpy doll available in an African-American version, becoming one of the first manufacturers to nationally distribute a black doll. Thirteen years later, the doll that arguably defined the company, Patsy, came out. The composition cutie was designed to mimic the proportions of a 3-year-old, the first time an American-manufactured doll has been based on a realistic child. Patsy inspired a host of firsts (as well as a host of imitators); she was the first U.S. doll to get a dedicated wardrobe line, and she proved so popular that she was also the first to get a "spinoff," so to speak, a line of related Patsy dolls that included everything from a little sister to a boy friend.
Following up a cultural phenomenon like Patsy was not easy, but Effanbee came up with another big innovation just five years later. The Dy-Dee Baby was the first-ever drink-and-wet doll, able to "ingest" water fed by her young owner and then wet her diapers. Though some parents considered the doll vulgar, it became a huge success, and other doll makers followed with their own version of the drink-and-wet doll.
"To me, Patsy was the most influential doll of her time. She had a very stylized look and was popular for years," Robert says. "Effanbee’s Dy-Dee Baby was also a big doll for the company."
The mid-1930s also produced the highly acclaimed American Children dolls by doll artist Dewees Cochran, considered one of the premier American talents of the century. The high quality of the sculpts, combined with small details like human-hair wigs and hand-painted eyes, have made them highly sought-after collectors' items even today.
"I think the Dewees Cochran dolls done in the late '30s are some of the most spectacular dolls ever done commercially," Robert says. "Effanbee really believed in using the best artists/sculptors of the day."
The list of Effanbee standouts goes on and on: Brenda Starr, the reporter whose fiery hair belied her fiery attitude; Honey and Honey Walker; Howdy Doody. But by the late 1940s, after years as one of the country's top toy makers, Effanbee had fallen on hard times. One of its founders died, and World War II put the pinch on manufacturers of all types. The company was sold to Noma Electric, which attempted to revive the Patsy craze with a reissued doll but never succeeded in capturing her early magic. Over the next nearly six decades, the company changed owners several times. By 2002, it had filed for bankruptcy and its long, impressive legacy was practically all that remained.
Enter Robert Tonner. Already a successful artist and businessman with his own self-titled company, Robert thought the Effanbee brand was ripe for a revival. "There were two reasons I wanted to acquire Effanbee—Patsy and the fact that it was available!" he says frankly.
Following the acquisition, Robert began the process of choosing what dolls to incorporate into the new lines and how to update them without losing their vintage appeal. He enlisted some of the doll world's best-known names, including Sandra Bilotto and Ann Timmerman, to assist in the designs, and the journey has been both rewarding and challenging.
"I’ve learned that although Effanbee has a rich history, it’s not a modern story and that’s been a challenge for me in plotting our direction for the company," Robert says.
He says Patsy and Brenda Starr have been his favorite Effanbee dolls to work with, and he says he's hard at work figuring out what Effanbee's future will be.
"Right now we’re looking at Effanbee’s future and figuring out where we want the company to be for the next 100 years," he says.
Of course, in plotting that course, there's another thing Robert must look at, and this, too, is an example of things that never change: The collectors. Effanbee collectors are as dedicated as ever, and Robert appreciates their loyalty, for both the first 100 years and the next.
"They are a great, passionate group!" he exclaims.
Check out Effanbee Doll Co. for more.
ENTER TO WIN!
That's right, Effanbee is giving away a free set of both Centennial Rose Patsy & Patsyette! To enter for the chance to win, just send us an email with your name, mailing address, and telephone number. Limit 1 entry per person.
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