Scarey Anns
This article and photos by Chuck Daniel
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History Scarey Anns are comical little wooden dolls that were produced in the 1920s by the Poppy Doll Company of Atascadero, California. The Poppy Doll Company had been making dolls until Dr. H. T Chin, a dentist, purchased the company in about 1924 to make the toy doll he and his wife had developed. Dr. Chin patented the mechanism for his invention in 1924. (See Scarey Anns patent). The invention consisted of a lever on the lower back of the toy that was connected to a spring loaded rod that drove a hair piece or sometimes a hat and nose of the doll. All Scarey Anns were hand turned on a lathe and hand painted. Great variety therefore exists in samples found today. Josephine Bissell, a woman who painted these dolls, passed away in 2001. All Scareys had names but most names are now lost. The "Black" dolls were called "Picaninny". Scarey Anns were made in great numbers and sold all over the world until 1929 when the beginnings of the great depression took them under. They were made mainly in Atascadero, California but also in Blue Rapids, Kansas. For more about Blue Rapids production, see below. To see a list and photographs of known Scarey Ann dolls, click Scarey Anns list.
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Chinese girl. |
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Picaninny's head is covered in its original protective head wrapper cover. This cover is necessary to keep the hair tight against the head. |
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Chinese men and clown Scareys. |
Clown, policeman, and clown with mechanism. In this clown the lever works the clown's hat and nose. |
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An Orange Scarey Ann with the Chinese Girl and Picaninny. |
This is what happens when the lever is released. Ann's hair stands up. |
Scarey-Ann book. |
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Showing lever mechanism.
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Scarey Ann Manufacturing in Blue
Rapids, Kansas Pat Osborne |
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Our local oral "history" places the dolls being made here in
1940-1941 making them of later manufacture .
This is the story as told by Onna Marie Bucholz-Wichman-Lehmkuhl of
Blue Rapids:
"Mr. George Dean, who made the dolls in Blue
Rapids, was the manager of the flour mill. I babysat with the
Dean girls, Sharon and Janice in 1940-1941 and remember that the dolls
were being produced here at that time. Some people say the
factory was above one of the stores on the north side of the square
while others say it was west of the present doctor's clinic on Train
Street. These dolls were shipped all over the country"
Two people in town have Scarey Anns that we know of. They are
both the white face girl with the 5 petal flower. Neither has
hair remaining. Mine is minus a foot that used to be around here
somewhere. We were very excited to see the
beautiful green one on eBay complete with the box from Blue Rapids.
If someone in Blue Rapids purchased it, they aren't telling us.
The museum couldn't afford the purchase.
We haven't researched through our newspaper records for more local
information nor have we documented anyone else's old memories of what
might have been. We have a black and white picture
of our two dolls together but will try to send you one in color if you
are interested in looking. Mine isn't for sale and I hope her
"sister" will stay here at home also!
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