History of the Madame Alexander Dolls
Executive summary about Alexander Dolls By Rod Low
For more than 77 years Madame Alexander dolls have enticed the hearts of girls of all ages and collectors around the world. Always exquisite, enrapturing and adorable, Madame Alexander dolls remains to be a favorite classic toy and collectible item each holiday season.
The story of Madame Alexander is the story of the evolution of the dolls through the past century, as Madame Alexander entered the Toy Industry's Hall of Fame in 2000.
Do take time to meet Beatrice Alexander Behrman, the woman who fulfilled her vision of creating beautifully crafted dolls and made little girls' dreams come true.
Madame's mission was founded on the belief that dolls should engage the imagination and bestow a child happiness and joy and also enhance their understanding of the world. Under Madame Alexander's direction, The Alexander Doll Company introduced a series of "firsts" that have shaped the doll industry! Ultimately, her perfectly dressed dolls came to reflect the evolving lifestyles and dreams of the 20th century.
They started by creating composition dolls with painted features and sleep eyes using distinctive face molds bringing feature baby dolls to market creating dolls in honor of living people. Based on a licensed character, it led to the creation of dolls based on characters from popular motion pictures. The Alexander Doll Company still upholds the primary mission and standards while creating dolls that will appeal to new generations of children and doll lovers all over the world. Through tradition, elegance and innovation, Madame Alexander offers a full line of handcrafted collectible dolls, huggable and lovable play and baby dolls, runway fashion dolls, as well as today's hottest licensed dolls with Disney Princesses and Fairies, Hello Kitty, to the classic brands like Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, American Ballet Theatre, Eloise, Charlotte's Web and Madeline. Making their debut in 2002, Madame Alexander dolls quickly became one of the most popular McDonald's Happy Meals toys of all time.
If truth be told, more Alexander dolls are in the hands of adults than children, who aren't old enough to appreciate their quality and design, as Madame Alexander dolls possesses a timeless charm that only grows stronger as time passes.
Scarlett - The Madame Alexander Doll
The 1950s have often been called the golden age of American dolls, and Madame Alexander was certainly at the forefront in the production of beautiful dolls. Madame Alexander, or Beatrice Alexander Behrman, founded her company in 1923. Most of them represent fictional characters such as Alice in Wonderland, the Little Women and characters from the novels of Charles Dickens.
After reading "Gone With The Wind", a fantastic book from Margaret Mitchell, she requested and received permission from MGM to make a Scarlett O'Hara doll. With around 80 years of history, Madame Alexander's dolls have progressed from made from cloth to a vibrant mix of colors and fabrics reminiscent of the ante-bellum era to plastic.
Awarded the prestigious Fashion Academy Gold Medal for excellence in costuming in 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1954, Madame Alexander's dolls are synonyms of quality, beauty and class. The wide success of Scarlett O'Hara dolls, drove Madame Alexander to produce even more beautiful dolls based on the movie. Made to last and with hundreds of coats and dresses of various prints and trim detailing (most Scarlett dolls wore either a straw hat or a fabric bonnet), Scarlett O'Hara dolls have definitely evolved from an adaptation of the book to a product line that can stand by itself.
You can now find a doll for nearly every character in the movie! Intricately made with great attention to details and creativity, these dolls are definitely great collectibles and a must-have for all "Gone With The Wind" collectors.
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