Numerous doll and toy manufacturers were eager to jump into the 1938 Snow White marketing mix, all hoping to cash in on the anticipated furor from the film's box office success.
Ideal,
Madame Alexander,
R.G. Krueger, and
Chad Valley were some of the main participants. Not to be left out, the Knickerbocker Toy Company of New York produced their own series as well. Both cloth and composition dolls were issued. We'll focus on the latter in this post.
An all composition set with and 11" Snow White and 9" dwarfs (to top of head). Image via
200 Years of Dolls: Identification and Price Guide (3rd ed.) by Dawn Herlocher, p.234. Snow has molded black hair, blue ribbon, painted side-glancing eyes and movable head and arms. She was available in different sizes--approximately 11", 15", and 20". She also came in different outfits. The dwarfs wear velveteen clothing, mohair beards and also have movable arms.
11" blue & pink dress; 15" brown & yellow.
Blue & pink (faded).
The back of the head was typically marked "Knickerbocker Toy - Walt Disney".
A 15" Snow White in brown & yellow dress with 9" dwarfs. Original Knickerbocker doll boxes.
A 15" Snow White in blue & pink silk-like dress with 9" dwarfs. All have the original Knickerbocker wrist cardboard tag. Reads
America’s Premiere Line of Stuffed Toys - Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, plus the Knickerbocker address.
An 11" Snow White with dwarfs.
The dwarf back was marked, "© Walt Disney - Knickerbocker Toy Co."
Another all-composition Snow White was produced. She came with sleep eyes, a swivel neck, and a mohair wig. Measures 15" high. Original cloth dress.
She's pictured here, probably in an aftermarket outfit. Marked on back, "Knickerbocker Toy Co. - New York."
This Snow White doll is listed in a couple 1938 catalogs. The first is a wholesale published for N. Shure Co. of Chicago. Price: $2.25 each or $25.50 per dozen. The other is a retail catalog with Snow priced at $4.50. Also pictured are the Knickerbocker dwarfs and a
Dopey ventriloquist doll by Ideal.
