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Effanbee's Johnny Tu Face
These characters are called Johnny Tu Face and were made by the American company Effanbee Doll Corporation. They were one of the early models of composition doll the company made and were manufactured in around 1912. You don't see many of these dolls and when you do find them, they tend to have heavy crazing. What is interesting about this pair is that their bodies are different (though similar in construction), the paintwork is slightly different and the mouth on the smiling faces is wider on one doll than another. Both dolls appear all original so it may be that one model was made later than another, which would also account for the differences in the bodies. They measure approximately 36-40 cm tall. The doll with the least amount of crazing has legible markings on his neck which read F & B NY. These dolls don't have their original clothing but would have originally come dressed in a three piece knit suit (trousers, top and hat). Below are the pictures of the two dolls' smiling faces. As you can see the doll on the right has a wider mouth. The rest of the shape of the dolls' faces are identical although the moulding of the doll on the left is a little bit sharper meaning his eye moulding has more of an intaglio effect than the doll on the right.
Below are the pictures of the dolls' crying faces. The moulding is identical on both dolls although they look slightly different due to the difference in the paintwork.
Many people think they have a Johnny Tu Face when they come across an Ideal Soozie Smiles doll dressed as a boy! Soozie's faces are quite different - to see pictures of a Soozie Smiles doll click here. |
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