What Is a Cupie?
The Cupie or Kewpie doll is one of the earliest examples of mass toy production. While the design was created by a U.S. illustrator for a magazine, the actual dolls were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century by a German toy manufacturer and quickly became popular the world over. The Kewpie doll was featured in books and showed up on everything from plates and saltshakers to soap and rattles at the height of its popularity.
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Creation
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The Kewpie doll was invented by artist Rose O'Neill in 1909 and was initially featured in magazine illustrations. In 1913 the Kewpie was patented, and the doll was manufactured. Joseph Kallus, a sculptor, created the first Kewpie doll molds used to manufacture the dolls. Production of the dolls was done in Germany until after the outbreak of World War I, when the production was moved to France and Belgium. Kewpie dolls are still manufactured as collectibles in 2010 by the Charisma Brands company.
Cultural Significance
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Kewpie dolls rose to fame quickly from their beginning as magazine illustrations. Soon after the dolls were produced, Kewpies images started to appear on all kinds of merchandise. This included coloring books, dishes, soaps and salt and pepper shakers. Kewpies also have appeared in great works of 20th century literature. Anne Frank mentions a Kewpie in her diary. Reference is also made to the Kewpie in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." In addition a Kewpie was included in the time capsule at the 1939 World's Fair. Some women, at the height of the doll's popularity, even plucked their eyebrows to match the distinctive shape of the dolls' brows.
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The Name
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More commonly spelled "Kewpie," the name of the doll might more appropriately be spelled "Cupie," because of the origin of the dolls' name. The dolls were named by their creator, O'Neill, after the Roman God of love, Cupid. The dolls even resemble, to some degree the Renaissance depiction of cherub angels, whose appearance was loosely based on earlier depictions of Cupid.
What A Kewpie Looks Like
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A Kewpie is a small doll, traditionally porcelain, that looks like a baby with little hair and tiny eyebrows. Since their creation, the dolls have been manufactured out of celluloid, wood and even paper. The dolls have simple articulation of the arms allowing them to be raised or lowered independently. Traditionally, no other part of the doll moves.
It's Not a Kewpie
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Despite some physical similarities, the popular Troll dolls are not Kewpie dolls nor are they related to Kewpie dolls. The Troll dolls were invented by a Danish fisherman in the 1960s. The Troll dolls have enjoyed a similar popularity to that of the Kewpie doll and have a similar size and articulation, but they have been and remain different toys made by separate companies.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit statuette of cupid image by Daria Miroshnikova from Fotolia.com
