American Wooden Toy "Dutch Clog Dancers" from Jolly Jigger Series by Schoenhut

Live Auction

19" (48 cm.) "h. 19"l. 12" dolls. Two paper mache-head dolls with sculpted and painted hair and facial features, depicting smiling-faced Dutch children, the girl with a sculpted Dutch cap, each with wooden loosely-jointed body, painted stockings and wooden clog shoes, and with metal hook at back designed either for a child to hold or to place on wooden platform. Condition: generally excellent, original finish, few small flakes. Marks: Jolly Jigger Patent Applied For (on base) Dutch Clog Dancers (paper label on curtain). Comments: Schoenhut, circa 1914, the Jolly Jigger series offered various models of dolls, and in various forms ranging from a single doll with handle to double dolls on flat base or, this luxury example shown, with curtain back, designed that when tapped the dolls dance about. A vintage postcard included with the pair describes the "overwhelming ...merriment beyond description" the pair afforded the child. Value Points: very rare toy in fine state of preservation.