Some of the best Victorian-era paper toys are the wonderful treasures once given away by the Woolson Spice Company as insert premiums. These playthings were an important part of the firm’s marketing strategy.
Along with Arbuckle Coffee Company and Cracker Jack, Woolson Spice was one of the most important users of this advertising gimmick. Their paper toy novelties, however, were just one of a variety of sales incentives employed by the company. It all began in either 1880 or 1881 when they first placed colorful trade cards into one-pound packages of their popular Lion brand coffee.
Woolson, the second or third largest coffee producer at the time, offered the free cards to anyone purchasing its product. These 5-by-7-inch lithographic miniatures included greeting cards for the Easter and Christmas seasons, as well as other themes, such as children, animals, winter scenes and rural America.
Collecting free pictorial cards from businesses and manufacturers had become a national fad during the last two decades of the 19th century. The highlight of any trip to the local grocer in those days was getting free gift cards off of counter tops or finding them inside product packages, especially those of Lion Coffee’s. Sometime after 1892, Woolson Spice abandoned lithographic trade cards and introduced a new style of insert premium: paper toys and paper dolls.
These freebies were targeted at pre-teen children. Earlier trade cards, notably Yuletide scenes, had strongly appealed to adults, mainly housewives. Now, Woolson made available sets of premiums intended to fascinate youngsters, who, it was hoped, would influence their mothers into buying Lion Coffee.
The die-cut, standup figures could be played with alone or combined with others into play sets or mini-panoramas. At least four different series, possibly more, were created and became immensely popular with America’s youth.
The series titled “Children’s Dolls With Stories” consisted of 30 different cards. These varied in size from 1.5-by-5.5-inches to 3.25-by-4.5-inches and mostly consisted of old nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters and scene stand-ups. The beloved classics were represented here by “Old Mother Hubbard,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Tom, Tom the Piper’s Son,” “Old Woman in the Shoe,” Little Miss Muffet,” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Each play set had three or more figures and props.
The series “Paper Toys for the Children” was another set of 30 titles. These toys came perforated with bendable corners, making it possible to stand them up. They were similar to the sheets of paper soldiers and villages being manufactured by McLoughlin Bros. and other publishers of the era for sale as penny, nickel and dime merchandise in stores and shops. Such toys provided young children with many hours of play.
A large assortment of other paper toys was also offered, among them Indians on the warpath, battleships, soldiers, pony carts, baby carriages, doll cradles, and billy goat cart.
Paper dolls, the province of young ladies, were another category. A lengthy series of die-cut children and women figures attracted a lot of interest. The earliest paper dolls were ordinary stand-ups. Accessories and additional changes of clothing were later added.
The variety of items grew more and more complex and expansive. Near the end of the 1890s, Woolson began inserting cards that, when combined, made up nursery rhyme mini-panoramas. This paper doll concept provided a change of clothing and offered segments of the story. The panorama of “Mary and Her Lamb,” for instance had a lamb figure, a doll of Mary going to school, and a standup classroom scene that left a place for Mary behind her desk. A doll of Mary seated, reading a book was supplied for this classroom.
During this same time, the company also stocked additional premiums obtainable through the mail. A vast array of gifts could be gotten by sending in a certain number of lion heads cut from coffee wrappers. These gifts included games, toys, and books. Woolson enclosed an “Illustrated Premium List” with every order. They also advertised in several magazines, such as Ladies Home Journal, to mail it out upon receipt of a two cent stamp to cover postage costs. Their competitor, Arbuckle Coffee, had a similar list. Such booklets are in demand today.
After the turn of the 20th century, the firm changed its advertising direction and stopped putting trade cards and paper novelties inside packages of Lion Coffee. The time of such promotions had passed. Most other food, tobacco, and candy companies were also discontinuing the practice. Modern publicity techniques, especially mass media magazine advertising, were being developed for the new age.
Woolson Spice Company’s many paper toys and paper dolls are now greatly cherished by collectors and lovers of all things Victorian. Two fortunate happenings occurred long ago to help the growing hobby. One, sturdy cardboard stock had been used in the production of the insert giveaways. And two, such huge numbers were printed and distributed that large quantities of them survived to the present day.