American Doll and Toy Museum: Midsummer Night's Dolls, Fairies!

Fairies, or, We’re all a bit Fey when it comes to Dolls!

Today is Midsummer, or Midsommer. You may be watching the Midsummer murders on PBS. It is the day to honor all those who love fairy gardens, dolls, and fairy dolls.

Perhaps the greatest introduction to the world of fairies is William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (MSD). Titania, Oberon, and their Fairy court dominate the mere mortals who mistakenly think they run the kingdom. Then there is Puck, the mischievous sprite who has the last word, “If we shadows have offended, think but his, and al is mended.”

Shakespeare’s contemporaries often believed in the Faere, or Fey, but they were not tiny creatures with wings that lived in abandoned teacups and under mushrooms. No, Shakespeare’s Fairies would have been life-sized, scary fairies, more like those portrayed in graphic artist Neal Gaiman’s retelling of the play in his volume, Dream Country.

Yet, despite their size, fairies in MSD are the ancestors of our Tinkerbells, Victoria Plum, and Blue Fairies, so often portrayed as dolls. Shakespeare is a master at making us sympathize with supernatural characters by giving them human traits, so that we believe Theseus and Hyppolita, King and Queen of Athens in MSD, are real sovereigns, though they are mythical figures. The greatest line of any play I’ve read is Theseus’ criticism of the hilarious spoof of Romeo and Juliet he is about to watch, Pyramus and Thisbe, when he says, “I don’t believe in these antique fables.” The irony is, of course, that he is an antique fable.

Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) was known for his illustrations for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Andersen’s Fairy Tales, and other fairy stories. His ethereal pen and ink drawings washed in color created a style for doll makers to emulate, even today. Arthur Lang (1844-1912) created the Green Fairy Book and other multicolored books of fairy tales between 1889 and 1913. He was a Scottish novelist, poet, and critic, who wrote and collected fairy tales and fairy stories form all over the world. One of his sources was, perhaps, the only available collection contemporary to him, Dinah Maria Mulock Craik's The Fairy Book (1869).

Fairies have inspired doll makers for some time. Fairy gardens and fairy houses, often with vintage items, are hot collectibles right now, too. Antique and vintage dolls have clearly influenced current fairy doll art, like the dolls featured from our friends at The Toy Shoppe. The companies and dolls surveyed below are only a few examples of fairy doll and collectibles available.

One charming example of an antique fairy-inspired doll is the 1914 Our Fairy doll mold 222 by Hertel & Schwab. She is an all bisque Googly doll, and popular with those who love tiny dolls. Another antique example is the Good Fairy by Raleigh Doll Co 1916-1920.

Based on the Disney Pinocchio character, Uneeda created a fairy doll. The Uneeda or U. 1960s Blue Fairy doll uses their Suzette Tiny Teen doll, and is 21", circa 1961. The Uneeda Magic Fairy Princess doll uses the Uneeda Debteen doll and wears a white satin & tulle fairy costume with plastic wings.

Valentine Dolls were known for their elegant, jointed ballerina dolls that could point their toes. They created a couple of fairy dolls as well, including the Ballerina doll 18” Good Fairy, with pointed toes and a fairy tutu costume, fairy wings, and crown. Some collectors claim they have seen ballerinas like this that came with other outfits. Valentine produced a 19” doll for Sears.

Certainly Barbie, most famous doll icon of all, has had her share of fairy attire, including the following 70s outfits as identified by Dollreference.com: Sugar Plum Fairy (1976), 9327 Snowflake Fairy (1976), 9329 Princess Aurora Fairy (1976) 9422 Peach satin gown, white crochet shawl, peach open toe heels (1976) , Ideal created the 1957 Pink Fairy, 18”, and the White Fairy, 15” in vinyl. Ideal, of course, created the Shirley Temple Doll, and Temple narrated a TV show for children that featured fairy tales. Small vinyl fairy tale dolls with wire armatures were hot toys during the mid 60s. Two examples were Hasbro’s Storykins dolls and Mattel’s Liddle Kiddle Storybook Dolls. One was the fairy god-mother to Cinderiddle by Mattel.

The Toy Shoppe offers several fairy dolls inspired by antiques. Sarah Niemela’s Baby White Fairy African American Ornament is tiny, only 5 inches, but she is made in the style of Victorian cotton bunting doll ornaments. Her expressive face reminds one of a good Leo Moss doll, and her gossamer wings are like those of an Edwardian Christmas fairy.

In the tradition of Lang’s multicolor fairy books, Lucia Friedericy has produced the Lavender and Blue Fairy Mirror set. Friedericy dolls have all the quality and attention detail of a fine antique, and these to fairies are no exception. With their lacy skirts and delicate wings, they could also have made Arthur Rackham’s illustrations come to life. The Friedericy Fey are 15 inches high and are sculpted of paper clay. They have hand painted faces and mohair wings with hand painted bodices. They sit on a mirror sconce that can be hung on a wall. With the mirrors, they are 19 inches tall and 6 inches wide and are a 2015 edition. Lucia and Judith Friedericy are a mother-daughter doll artist dynamo whose dolls are collected worldwide. Their Little Girl reading with Fairies is a one-of-a-kind creation, and the girl’s look is as impish as that one the pixie’s faces. The trio read together, with the tiny fairies perched on either side of her open book.

Midsomer MiniMo by Charlie Bears is dressed in flower attire and is a nod to Shakespeare. The bear is 6.5 inches tall, and is the work of Isabelle Lee. MiniMo has a body jointed in five places and flat paws that help her stand well. She has glass eyes, a hand embroidered nose and airbrush accents. This little bear is part of the 2017 Charlie Bear MiniMo collection.

Tinkerbell by Xenis is 9 inches. She is carved from Canadian maple wood with 13 joints. Her stand allows her pause “midflight!” Tinkerbell really makes Peter Pan come alive. Helen Kish also creates small fairies in the form of doll shaped boxes, like the Pink Fairy Box. The doll comes off her base to reveal a hiding place for a tooth awaiting The Tooth Fairy. Felix and Petunia are two pixies that also are part of Kish’s series, which can also serve as cake toppers. The fairy boxes are around 5 to 7 inches high and made of resin.

Finally, while there are many makers of fairy dolls, no column about them would be complete without mentioning the felt sculpted Brownies and Cicely Barker Fairies of R John Wright. The artist has truly captured the essence of both these beloved illustrators. Every detail is complete, down to the accurate portrayals of the flowers that the Cicely Barker Fairies represent.

Fairies have many relatives in folklore, including pixies, sprites, brownies, goblins, and other supernatural creatures. Shakespeare’s Puck is one of the most famous, mischievous and clever of the lot, and as he does in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, he should have the last word here:

“If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,

That you have but slumbered here

While these visions did appear.

And this weak and idle theme,

No more yielding but a dream,

Gentles, do not reprehend:

If you pardon, we will mend:

And, as I am an honest Puck,

If we have unearned luck

Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,

We will make amends ere long;