1950s - The Golden Age of Madame Alexander Dolls The Alexander Doll Company was founded by Beatrice Alexander Behrman, in 1923, when she was 23-years-old and are still being produced today. Madame's mission was founded on the belief that dolls should engage the imagination and bestow a child happiness and joy and also enhance their understanding of the world. Under Madame Alexander's direction, The Alexander Doll Company was located here in the US and introduced a series of "firsts" that have shaped the doll industry! Ultimately, her perfectly dressed dolls came to reflect the evolving lifestyles and dreams of the 20th Century. Over the years, they have been a favorite of doll collectors everywhere. The long popular 7 1/2" to 8" collectible dolls are referred to as Alexanderkin, Alexander-kin, Alexkin, and Alex-kin in their earliest years and later on as Wendykin, Wendy, and Wendy Ann. Another mold also in this size was the Maggie-face dolls produced in the 1960s as Maggie Mixup and later just as Maggie. Beatrice Alexander Behrman died in 1990 at the age of 95, but her legacy lives on in exhibits of museums, such as the Smithsonian and the Brooklyn Children's Museum, and in the private collections of doll lovers around the world, who won't want anything less than a Madame Alexander doll with their timeless charm that only grows stronger as time passes. The Madame Alexander Doll Company was acquired in 2012 by Kahn Lucas and continues to maintain its tradition of producing beautiful dolls that engage the imagination and bring happiness to children and adult collectors alike. Below are two detailed articles about the Alexander Doll Company and Madame Alexander, which are part of the Jewish Women’s Archive “Women of Valor” series.
Beatrice Alexander: http://jwa.org/womenofvalor/alexander The Alexander doll Company: http://jwa.org/womenofvalor/alexander/alexander-doll-company *See the article on my website Timeline of Alexanderkins and Modern Wendy Dolls to learn more about the characteristics of the 7.5 and 8 inch Madame Alexander dolls. Article “1950s – The Golden Age of Madame Alexander Dolls” ©2014 Doll Avenue®