Baby Snooks - A Real Character

Josef Kallus & Baby Snooks.

Joseph Kallus began the Cameo Doll Company in New York City in 1922.
He was one of the most prolific doll entrepreneurs in the era of the
composition doll. He worked with George Borgfelt & Company and
helped with the development of Rose O'Neils Kewpies. Their
association would last a lifetime.
Cameo Company was the maker of the compo kewpies. Kallus also
produced the Bye-lo for Borgfelt. He designed the following for the
Ideal Doll Company. Baby Snooks, Mortimer Snerd, Sunny Sue, Sunny
Sam, King Little and Gabby.
The Cameo Doll Company was moved to Portallegany, PA and sold to
Strombecker Corp in 1970.
The Baby Snooks doll by Ideal is patterned after the character from a
late 1930's and 1940's radio show with the character
"Baby Snooks".
The actress Fanny Brice portrayed baby Snooks on the radio show.
Fanny Brice was born October 29, 1891. She was an early Jewish
actress. She found early fame starring in the Ziegfield Follies. It
was on the Zeigfield Follies radio show that the character of Baby
Snooks began. Baby Snooks finally in 1944 became a radio show. The
series of shows dealt with childish innocence and constant
questioning of the long suffering Father and Mother. The show lasted
until Fanny Brice's untimely death at age 50, in 1951.
The Baby Snooks doll has the expression on its face that Fanny Brice
had when she posed for publicity pictures for the Baby Snooks Radio
Show.

Baby Snooks is an example of the early character dolls much like we have today
in the Simpsons, Rock Star  dolls and the other dolls based on popular movies or TV
shows. I can remember as a child listening to this radio show.  It was a very funny show
 and had a large audience. I love the character dolls for their unique looks and the interesting
facts behind them.  Another interesting facet of doll collecting.