Back in the 1940s and ’50s, every little girl had one. Scratch that. Back in the 1940s and ’50s, every little girl had lots of them. They were “Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls,” and they bridged the gap between Tiny Tears and Barbie.
Doll designer Nancy Ann Abbott was born in 1901 and studied at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, Calif. However, Hollywood beckoned, and Nancy moved there in search of a film career, scoring minor roles in such movies as “42nd Street.”
To while away the time between takes, Nancy put her arts and crafts talents to good use. Tiny dolls were dressed in outfits Nancy stitched up, resembling the costumes in whatever movie she was working on. The finished products were given as gifts to her friends on the set.
When dreams of a Hollywood career dimmed, Nancy moved to San Francisco and opened a bookshop. With the Depression still in full swing, she saved pennies by decorating the shop with her beautifully dressed dolls. The dolls attracted more sales than the books, and Nancy finally accepted what folks had been telling her all along: “You should be designing full time!” In 1936, the “Nancy Ann Dressed Dolls Company” was ready for business. Its assets were $125 in capital, Nancy’s apartment (outfitted with a kiln, sewing machine, and ironing board), and, most importantly, Nancy’s talent and boundless energy (16 to 18 hour days were the norm).
Despite her Hollywood experience, Nancy Ann was inherently shy. Luckily for her, business associate Allan (“Les”) Rowland, who joined forces with her in 1937, was not. The company’s financial and promotional guru, Rowland quickly sewed up a contract for “Hush-a-Bye Baby” dolls, their made-in-Japan bodies clothed in outfits by Nancy. Sales blossomed, and the firm’s headquarters moved from Nancy’s apartment, eventually landing at “The Doll House” in downtown San Francisco.
Although the early “Storybook” series, starring such familiar faces as “Red Riding Hood” and “Little Bo Peep,” was an Abbott favorite, the “Storybook” umbrella soon covered numerous additional series (“Around the World Dolls,” “Dolls of the Month,” etc.). By 1942, “Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls” were raking in over a million dollars a year. By 1943, there were 125 different doll characters in the inventory. When the 1940s ended, “Nancy Ann” was the country’s largest doll producer. The peak came in the 1950s, with the firm churning out over 12,000 dolls a day.
Most dolls could be dressed in an endless array of outfits. But when it came to Nancy Anns, each doll arrived in a unique, almost impossible-to-remove costume. If you wanted a different look, then you (or more likely Mom) bought another Nancy Ann. At “65 cents to $1.95,” an entire sorority of the dolls was within the range of almost every pocketbook.
The major enticement? Those costumes. Each Nancy Ann was extravagantly arrayed in lavish taffetas and organdies, often trimmed with imported lace. Mohair wigs were topped off with eye-catching picture hats, oversize bows, and other headpieces. The bisque (later, plastic) dolls themselves, with their fixed expressions, weren’t the selling point. It was Nancy Abbott’s wonderfully detailed costumes that had collectors clamoring. And it wasn’t just little girls driving sales. As one department store noted, Nancy Ann fans ranged “from 6 to 60.” Plus, at an average 5.5 inches high, even a bevy of them didn’t take up much room.
After Nancy Abbott’s death in 1964, the company was sold, although various reinterpretations of her “Storybook” dolls have been released over the ensuing years. Competitors such as K & H and Dollcraft periodically brought out their own “storybook” dolls, but it’s the official Nancy Anns that continue, as the ads promised, to “make your eyes sparkle.” For today’s collectors, the work of the original “Doll Lady” remains readily attainable; over 2,000 “Storybook Dolls” were recently listed on eBay, most priced under $20. Nancy Ann Abbott’s “Little Stars of Toyland” continue to captivate.
Nancy Ann dolls courtesy of Jan Andreasen.
Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann.
All photos by Donald-Brian Johnson.

Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous books on design and collectibles, including “Postwar Pop,” a collection of his columns. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com.