Judy's 
Old Wood Toys

Scarey Anns

This article and photos by Chuck Daniel

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 in Atascadero, California and Blue Rapids, Kansas.

To see a list of known Scarey Ann dolls, click Scarey Anns list.