The Mystery Doll Club.
In doing research I come across all kinds of information on dolls,
but this is one of the most interesting ones to me. From 1958 until
1962 there was a club called the Mystery Doll Club. A company called
M & C Doll House sent out on an elegant letterhead an offer to send a
different doll every month for $4.00. Addresses for the company were
listed in Chicago, IL and Grand Rapids, MI. A small article appeared
in Hobbies magazine and advertisements appeared in Toy Trader
announcing that; "each month a mysterious and exciting new doll
would be presented. What is unique about The Mystery Doll Club"
is the fact that it was one woman working at her kitchen table at
night. The lady, Margaret Cruikshank worked by day at Sylvestri Arts
making decorative items for store displays. All the leftover trims
and scraps were saved and at the end of the day Margaret would pick
through them and take her pickings home with her.
At night while her husband and sons slept, Margaret would design and
put together fabric and trims for a small plastic doll to be made by
the person buying the kit. She even designed the small patterns. For
anyone that did not sew the doll could be purchased already dressed
for a higher price.
Margaret started the club for people to be able to collect dolls in
national costumes. The subscriber did not know ahead of time what
doll was being sent. Margaret bought eight-inch naked dolls from
Standard Doll Company in New York and made the mohair wigs herself.
A lot of research went in to each costume. Every thing was hand made
by Margaret. Hat, boots and even bagpipes from Scotland were made
for the dolls. Margaret also advertised Wedding Dolls. The letter
sent to subscribers called them "Tiny duplicates of a lovely
young bride make a lovely wedding gift that will be cherished for life.
Also designed were dolls of the season a specific country and when
she ran out of countries she made a series of "Queens of the
Planets". Accompanying each doll was a note with information
about the country. If she needed a striped fabric, she simply took muslin
and made stripes with crayons. The mystery Doll Club was disbanded
in 1962.
A new career was opened for Margaret when a member of her doll club
showed her a tattered shoe. She took the shoe apart and made a
pattern and that began a doll shoe business that lasted for many
years. She has continued to dress elaborate 11-1/2 fashion dolls and
GI Joe's in various military outfits.
The interesting thing to me about the Mystery Doll Club is a woman
in this era of time using things she had access to and using her work
and talents to start a small business.
I went to Google to find more information. Margaret Cruckshank
lived in Michigan. She was an avid doll collector. Her doll shoemaking
business was called Petite Boots.
She was a member of The United Federation of Doll Clubs.
She lived to her mid ninities and died in 2007.
In doing research I come across all kinds of information on dolls,
but this is one of the most interesting ones to me. From 1958 until
1962 there was a club called the Mystery Doll Club. A company called
M & C Doll House sent out on an elegant letterhead an offer to send a
different doll every month for $4.00. Addresses for the company were
listed in Chicago, IL and Grand Rapids, MI. A small article appeared
in Hobbies magazine and advertisements appeared in Toy Trader
announcing that; "each month a mysterious and exciting new doll
would be presented. What is unique about The Mystery Doll Club"
is the fact that it was one woman working at her kitchen table at
night. The lady, Margaret Cruikshank worked by day at Sylvestri Arts
making decorative items for store displays. All the leftover trims
and scraps were saved and at the end of the day Margaret would pick
through them and take her pickings home with her.
At night while her husband and sons slept, Margaret would design and
put together fabric and trims for a small plastic doll to be made by
the person buying the kit. She even designed the small patterns. For
anyone that did not sew the doll could be purchased already dressed
for a higher price.
Margaret started the club for people to be able to collect dolls in
national costumes. The subscriber did not know ahead of time what
doll was being sent. Margaret bought eight-inch naked dolls from
Standard Doll Company in New York and made the mohair wigs herself.
A lot of research went in to each costume. Every thing was hand made
by Margaret. Hat, boots and even bagpipes from Scotland were made
for the dolls. Margaret also advertised Wedding Dolls. The letter
sent to subscribers called them "Tiny duplicates of a lovely
young bride make a lovely wedding gift that will be cherished for life.
Also designed were dolls of the season a specific country and when
she ran out of countries she made a series of "Queens of the
Planets". Accompanying each doll was a note with information
about the country. If she needed a striped fabric, she simply took muslin
and made stripes with crayons. The mystery Doll Club was disbanded
in 1962.
A new career was opened for Margaret when a member of her doll club
showed her a tattered shoe. She took the shoe apart and made a
pattern and that began a doll shoe business that lasted for many
years. She has continued to dress elaborate 11-1/2 fashion dolls and
GI Joe's in various military outfits.
The interesting thing to me about the Mystery Doll Club is a woman
in this era of time using things she had access to and using her work
and talents to start a small business.
I went to Google to find more information. Margaret Cruckshank
lived in Michigan. She was an avid doll collector. Her doll shoemaking
business was called Petite Boots.
She was a member of The United Federation of Doll Clubs.
She lived to her mid ninities and died in 2007.
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