Tuesday, December 13, 2011

COLLECTION #118: Old Santa Dolls



Just three. Quite small. Nothing fancy. But cute! I have three little Santa dolls, the tallest is about 8" tall. One of them has a wind-up mechanism, but I have no idea what it once did, because it no longer works, and whatever was in his hands, is no longer there. But it doesn't matter to me, because just looking at it makes me smile! My favorite is the cute beanbag one... made of simple fabric, felt,  a little wool, a button and a bell... what more do you need?
The sitting one has a cute red & white striped bag on his back. It's empty, and I have no idea if it ever held any gifts. Maybe this year I'll tuck some tiny things inside!


I believe these little Santas are from the 40s and 50s. I haven't really taken the time to research and see what I have. If I find out later, I'll come back and edit this with proper identification. But I do know that most Christmas themed toys were manufactured very cheaply, many in Japan, for a seasonal market. The larger manufacturers rarely bothered with something that would quickly be relegated to the sale table. They were considered 'novelties', rather than toys. But they are so very cute, and I love how they look in my Christmas collections!

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