Uneeda Doll Company

Bridging the Past and the Future

by Pam North

The Uneeda Doll Company, was founded in 1917 in Brooklyn, NY, specializing in dolls made of cloth, composition, hard plastic, and vinyl as materials changed throughout the years. The company’s focus was on producing durable and affordable dolls from 14” to 28” tall, and over 400 models were advertised in the 1930s. Uneeda's slogan was “a Uneeda doll is a gift to be treasured,” and thousands were made for delighted children, who excitedly unwrapped Christmas and birthday presents to discover their new toy treasures. Many of those same children, now grown to adulthood, fondly remember Uneeda dolls, and they continue to collect the vintage models, establishing a secondary collectors’ market in this century. 
Uneeda was best known for their 1950s and 1960s vinyl dolls; fashion dolls Suzette and Miss Suzette, and the unusual Little Sophisticates series. The multi-jointed Dollikin, a 19-20” fashion doll, touted as the world’s most poseable doll at the time, had 16 joints, sleep eyes, rooted hair, and a sizable wardrobe. Tiny dolls also were a fad in those years, and the chubby, pocket-sized Pee Wees were Uneeda’s answer to Mattel's popular Liddle Kiddles were vintage favorites. Pee Wees were only 
3 ½" high, wore removable clothing, and made great dollhouse inhabitants. The little boy dolls had molded hair, while the more plentiful girls had rooted hair. 
Now headquartered in North Carolina, Uneeda remains a viable company, with its focus still on reasonably priced play dolls which are sold in many stores. In recent years it has produced baby dolls, and fashion girl dolls, such as American Dream, Brittany, and Girly Girls.
With 2017 marking a historic centennial year in its history, Uneeda is in the process of designing a special anniversary doll collection, along with several other new doll lines, to be released in 2018, These include a 16” realistic baby collection, each with a unique individual face sculpt; a new look for the vintage Pee Wee dolls; and an updated look for the 18” American Dreams fashion doll, with new faces and trendy clothing outfits. A company spokesperson said, “It brings us pride and joy every time one of our dolls delivers a smile to the face of a child. For that very reason, Uneeda has been creating new dolls every year over the last century, maintaining our traditional values by making dolls for every child at an affordable price.” 
Contact Information:
Email: larry@uneedadoll.com 
Website: www.uneedadoll.com