1930's IDEAL Composition Shirley Temple 18 Doll RARE Unmarked Prototype Button

  

This beautiful vintage Shirley Temple doll was found at an estate sale in a box of old dolls. I did research on the Shirley Temple doll and found that this one is composition and made during the 1930's when Shirley Temple first became popular.

Was on the back of her head but there was no Shirley Temple written on her neck or her back. I will put that info at the bottom of this description.

She is wearing an original pleated dancing dress with a tag, leather shoes and socks, and an under slip with panties. Everything is in excellent condition aside from a tear in the ribbon on her pleated collar. Her mohair wig could use a re-curl and has a couple of old bobby pins and an original ribbon.

She has an open mouth with 6 teeth and a felt tongue. Her one eye is slightly discolored and her eyebrow it faint on the left side along with her real lashes on one side that are not as full as the other. The composition is in great condition except for some fine lines on her face. I took off her shoe and sock to take photos and I don't think they had ever been removed. Her hands and feet are in great condition along with the rest of her composition body.

She is wearing the Shirley Temple button and was with bits and pieces of the original box that I should have kept but didn't along with the price receipt from 1995. She will display nicely but could probably benefit from tightening her arms and legs. I don't know anymore about her than that. I hope the info I found is true but since there are no markings on her body, I will have to hope that she is an authentic Shirley Temple rare early doll prototype in great condition.

Any other info on her from someone would be appreciated. Many parents could not afford a Shirley Temple doll for this children in the 1930s because they were so expensive. So, many companies offered their own version of the Shirley Temple doll (not authorized). To see a picture of a Shirley Temple lookalike doll.

If your doll is not marked Shirley Temple, it is probably is a lookalike doll (unless it is a rare prototype). To see a prototype Shirley Temple doll. History of the Shirley Temple Doll Markings.

The first Shirley Temple dolls were marketed in fall of 1934, at that time, "Stand Up and Cheer" had just come out, and Shirley was just beginning to gain popularity. Because Ideal (the ONLY company licensed to sell the Shirley Temple doll) did not know how successful the dolls would be, the first dolls, the "prototype" doll, were not marked Shirley Temple, and were only marked on the inside of the head (C) 1934 Ideal Novelty and Toy Co. (also might be marked just Ideal on the head), by my own observation, these dolls had chubbier cheeks than the Shirleys made later in production, probably because Shirley was so young, and chubby herself. These dolls are slightly more valuable that the later Shirley dolls. To see a prototype Shirley Temple prototype doll.

Once Christmas of 1934 came, and Ideal saw how successful the Shirley doll would be and so they got a patent on the Shirley Temple doll. The markings came as follows.

SHIRLEY TEMPLE (in the shape of a half circle) 2. SHIRLEY TEMPLE (in the shape of a half circle) IDEAL N.

Inside the half circle, usually written IDEAL, straight across, on one line, and N. Shirley Temple SHIRLEY TEMPLE (just as written) 4. Shirley Temple with IDEAL in a diamond below it, I have also seen just the Ideal in the diamond on the back of some Shirley dolls.