Kewpie doll (toy)

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Rose O'Neill and her patented dolls, mid 1910s. They were the first case ever of merchandising based on a comic character.

Celluloid Kewpie doll. They were made from 1913 on.

The Kewpie characters as they appeared in magazines from 1909 on.

Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise

Kewpie dolls and figurines are based on illustrations by Rose O'Neill that appeared in Ladies' Home Journal in 1909. These illustrations, which incorporated words and pictures with the recurring Kewpie characters, are considered to be early versions of the comic strip medium. The small dolls were extremely popular in the early 1900s. They were first made out of bisque and then celluloid. In 1949, Effanbee created the first hard plastic versions.

Their name, often shortened to "Kewpies", in fact is derived from "Cupid", the Roman god ^[1]. The early dolls, especially signed or celluloid, are highly collectible and worth thousands of dollars. The time capsule at the 1939 New York World's Fair contained a Kewpie doll.

Many other articles were made using their images, like coloring and poem books, cups, plates, curios, etc. The incredible success of these characters made their creator rich and famous. It's a rare example of a woman making it in the media business at such an early date. Kewpies should not be confused with the baby-like Billiken figures that debuted in 1908.

The Kewpie doll was mentioned in Anne Frank's diary. She received one on her first St Nicholas Day in the Annex from Miep and Bep.

A "Kewpie Doll" is also a derogatory term for a short person.

[edit] Mascots

The Kewpie doll is the mascot of Kewpee Hamburgers, a chain of fast-food restaurants originally founded in 1923 in Flint, Michigan by Samuel V. Blair under the name "Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs". With only six locations left (three in Lima, Ohio, two in Lansing, Michigan and one in Racine, Wisconsin) it has been called America's smallest hamburger chain. The one in downtown Lima is the only remaining Kewpee with the original building structure.

Kewpie is also a Japanese food manufacturer, famous for its popular brand of Japanese mayonnaise sold in plastic squeeze bottles with a Kewpie doll logo.

The Kewpie is the mascot of Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri. It is the only known school in the world with a Kewpie as its mascot. The name dates back to 1914 when a student working for the Columbia High School yearbook, the Cresset, drew a Kewpie holding a sign that dedicated the book to the basketball team "whose loyalty to the school and the Kewpie motto ‘Keep Smiling’ has won the State Championship."