Welcome !

When I  became  involved in adding to my childhood collection of Nancy Ann dolls, I quickly realized I had so much to learn. Once I started my research I found that there was a limited amount of information available.  Ebay is a great place to see a wide range of Nancy Ann dolls and learn about them at the same time. There are a couple of wonderful website's that helped me so much, but still, I had so many unanswered questions.  This is why I decided to open this site to help others in their own quest to learn more about these precious little dolls.  If you have questions and I know the answer, I will be happy to help you.  Even though these precocious little dolls are 60 years plus, they are just as endearing today as when they were first made. 

A Brief History Of Nancy Ann Dolls

Ms. Nancy Ann Abbott was known as the "Doll Lady".  She always had a love of dolls and created them most of her life. She was an aspiring actress and costume designer.  She would make replicas of her favorite costumes and dress dolls for her friends. Everyone loved them and she decided, in 1936, to start making dolls to sell. She started her company with approximately $125, working long hours from her home in San Francisco, California.  At first she sold them out of a little shop she was working in.  The orders began to grow and In 1937, she took on a partner named Allan "Les" Rowland.  He helped her with the advertising and finances, so she could concentrate on designing the clothes and filling the orders.

The first doll bodies she used were made in Japan.  They were actually small jointed baby dolls.  She also bought some from European countries, mainly Germany. She was not happy with the quality and wanted to have them produced close to home so she could make sure they met her high standards. The sales were so successful she eventually was able to buy a building and expand the production.. Everyone loved the little girl dolls, and wanted to collect all of them. 

Nancy Ann Dressed Dolls was incorporated on February 23, 1937 in San Francisco, California.  By 1942, the company claimed a million dollar gross yearly income. In late 1945, the company's name was changed to Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls Inc.  By mid 1950s doll production reached 12,000 dolls per day and still they could not fill all the orders.

The very first dolls Nancy made were small 3.50" and 3.75" inches and a few 4.50" and 5.00" inch bisque baby dolls dressed in sweet little organdy dresses and gowns. They were called the "Hush-a-Bye" baby collection.  The various babies and the first 5 inch child dolls were made in Japan.. There were several prototype sizes and a few sets that were produced for only a short time.They include a variety of gift set and furniture.  Dionne Quints were also part of her early sets and very rare. These babies are rare and difficult to find.  They were the from the original Hush a Bye Series. When the dolls started to be produced in the USA the face changed. Miss Pattycake and the Christening babies are those most often found today.  They had the little open hands referred to as starfish hands.  The next babies had the closed fists. In 1939 she found a local pottery factory that would make the bodies for her.  Artists were hired to hand paint the facial features,and sew the outfits, giving each doll its own unique personality.

Elaine Pardee published 2 outstanding books for identifying the dolls and the most complete history that I've read. The "Encyclopedia of Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls, Volume 1 & "2.  Volume one (the red book) is now out of print, but I'm hoping it will become available again soon.There is also another boo written by Marjorie Miller that is very helpful but it is in black and white, making it more difficult to identify the dolls.

By the late 1940s, the company was producing the largest volume of dolls in the USA. In the late 1950s Nancy Ann's health began to fail, and she was diagnosed with cancer.  The production of dolls began to slow down without the careful watch from Nancy Ann. After several years of battling this disease, she passed away in 1964.  Les Rowland's health was also declining at the same time and following Nancy Ann's death he tried to sell the company. The final sale was not completed and the company filed for bankruptcy in 1965.

The company was eventually purchased by Albert Bourla and stockholders.  In 1967, he had the dolls made of a less expensive type plastic in Hong Kong, and the quality was not the same as the earlier dolls.  They were introduced at the Toy Fair in New York.  This venture only lasted a short time and in the 1970s an auction of doll parts and accessories eliminated the remaining inventory. Another company named Jesco began making imitation Storybook dolls, until Mr. Bourla reminded them that he still held the copyright.

In 1998, Mr. Bourla planned a reintroduction of a bisque line of 5-1/2" Storybook dolls. He planned to dress the dolls in  52 different costumes and limit the production. The dolls were issued on the basis of a two doll minimum order for $60 per doll, unless you purchased the entire collection, in which case the dolls were $53 each. The dolls were packaged in a red leatherette bound box shaped in the form of a book. Only a few dolls were produced before Mr. Bourla decided to sell the company.

In 2003, Mr. Bourla sold the company to sisters Claudette Buehler and Darlene Budd.  They commissioned doll artist Dianna Effner for a new sculpt and Londie Phillips to design the costumes.  The first dolls were introduced in 2005 for $95 each.  Only a few sets were made and sales were not as anticipated, so once again, doll production came to a halt.

- "Wee Dolls for Wee Collectors"

Nursery Rhyme Series

The first  5 inch bisque dolls were named after nursery rhymes. The dolls were marketed for little girls, but, they had great appeal to the mothers as well. Nancy Ann bisque Storybook dolls were produced from  late 1936 to 1948.  By 1943, Nancy Ann had created 125 different characters, but the number was reduced to 77 when certain costume materials became unavailable or too costly.  Nancy Ann changed her dolls outfits from year to year, and often used different materials. This adds to the difficulty we now face in identifying unmarked Storybook dolls that do not have their original wrist tag or labeled box.

Nancy Ann also produced several other types of dolls over the years.  These dolls included plastic Nancy Ann dolls that looked like bisque with hand painted faces. (1948-1950),  The cost was so high she stopped making them after a short time.  The dolls were transitions over to a less expensive plastic.  The new 1950 dolls now had  "sleepy eyes".  Plastic 8" "Muffie" dolls (1950+), plastic 18" Nancy Ann Style Show dolls (1950+), plastic 10-1/2" Miss Nancy Ann with a teenage body, plastic 9" Little Miss Nancy Ann, plastic 10" Debbie with a toddler body, and vinyl 9" Sue Sue which is a baby doll.  Aline (introduced in 1973 to compete with Barbie) and Missie (Aline's little sister) were produced during the Bourla period.

Welcome To Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls

1936 to 1964

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