Corporate history (1937) The American Doll and Toy Corporation was established in 1919 by
Russian Jewish immigrant brothers Jacob and Max Brock, and their partner Ed Schaefaer, with many of the Brock relatives occupying key positions at the company. The company used the
trade names "Aceedeecee" and "ACDC". By the late 1930s, the company's manufacturing plant, comprising 130,000 square feet, was in
Easthampton, Massachusetts. The company made the news in 1937 when it was ordered by the
Federal Trade Commission to stop claiming that its patented "paratex" (a hard rubber made from a "secret formula") was superior to
composition dolls (popularly made by American Character's competitor the
Ideal Toy Company). In 1951, American Character partnered with competitors the Ideal Toy Company and the Alexander Doll Company to establish the United States-Israeli Toy and Plastic Corporation, designed to produce material for toys in Israel and the U.S. The new corporation's offices shared space with American Character. In 1954, American Character Dolls established a $2,000 annual fellowship at
Teachers College, Columbia University, known as the
Frances Horwich Graduate Fellowship in Early Childhood Education. In 1954, the company was awarded a patent for a doll that "breathes, sheds tears, drinks from a bottle, blows bubbles, and even smokes." By 1967 the company's fortunes were in decline, with unsecured claims of approximately $1.4 million. Settlements were arranged in March and June 1967, and the company continued to operate on a limited scale. Shortly after that, in 1968, American Character Dolls filed for bankruptcy and went out of business. Molds for some toys were sold to
Mattel and
Ideal Toy Company, which acquired the defunct company's dyes, patents, and trademarks.
Product history American Character dolls were thought to be well-made, with good-quality costumes. American Character's most popular doll was
Tiny Tears, introduced in 1950 and remaining in production throughout the company's existence. "Sweet Sue," introduced in 1951, was popular throughout the decade into the early 1960s. A pre-teen plastic doll, she came in a variety of sizes. In 1957, American Character marketed "Sweet Sue Sophisticate," a 14" or 20" fashion doll. The "Toodles" multi-jointed plastic doll — able to "kneel, sit, play and assume 1,000 different positions" — was introduced in 1955 and became a big seller for American Character, including its associated products like "Toodles Toddler" (1955-1959), "Teeny Toodles" (1959-1960), and "Tommy Toodles" (1959-1960). "Toni," released in 1958, was a
fashion doll for Toni hair products, sold by
Gillette. Toni, also marketed as "Cha Cha" or "High Society," was popular into the 1960s.
Tressy, introduced in 1963, was a
fashion doll with a feature to adjust the length of its hair. Modern furniture designer Jesse Dean and his wife, Diana, invented and patented the doll. It was first sold as an 11½" fashion doll similar to
Mattel's
Barbie. Tressy featured a long swatch of hair that could be pulled out of the top of the doll's head by pushing a button on the doll's midriff; that mechanism allowed children to comb the hair in various styles. American Character intended that Tressy's "growing" hair feature would give the doll a marketing edge over its blockbuster competitor, Barbie. Tressy was popular from the outset, selling into its retirement in 1965. Unlike
Mattel, which maintained sole manufacturing and global distribution rights on its bestselling Barbie doll, American Character allowed the
Regal Toy Company of Canada to manufacture and sell its version of Tressy, which had a heavier eye and facial makeup. There was also a
Palitoy Tressy sold in the United Kingdom and a
Bella Tressy made and marketed by Societe Bella in France. "Cricket" was marketed by the American Character Doll Co. in 1964 as Tressy's cousin. American Character focused on talking dolls in the early 1960s, with such models as "Little Miss Echo" (1962-1964), "Baby Babbles" (1963), and "Baby Says," (1963). The only celebrity dolls American Character released in the 1960s were the Cartwright Family (1966), based on
Bonanza. The company's final big product launches were "Whimsies" (1960–1961), a line of dolls with names like Bashful Bride, Dixie the Pixie, Fanny (an angel), Hedda Get Bedda (a multi-face doll with three faces), Hilda the Hillbilly, Lena the Cleaner, Miss Take, Monk, Polly the Lady Raggie, Simon, Strong Man, Suzie the Snoozie, Tillie the Talker, Wheeler Dealer, Zack the Sack, and Zero the Hero (a
football player); and "Tiny Whimsies" (1966), a line of 7-1/2" dolls with names like Lites Out (nightgown), I'm Yours (bride), Fly with Me (witch), Swing It (dancer), Love Me (red pantsuit), and I'm Hooked (groom); and a line of 6" dolls with names like Pixie, Swinger, Granny, Lites out, Minnie Mod, Jump'n, and Go-Go. ==Dolls manufactured by American Character==