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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Meet Otto, Schoenhut 11" Toddler

Hi Doll Friends,

Martha is so excited to introduce you to her baby brother, Otto!


Otto is a tiny all wood Schoenhut toddler. At just 11" tall, this was the smallest size Schoenhut doll made. He is a model number 11/107, which was made from 1917-1926. Isn't he a sweet, handsome little tot?


The #107 refers to the painted hair toddler, but there was also a #107W, which was a wigged version. As you can see, Otto is the painted hair version.


It's amazing how well these dolls have survived a history of nearly 100 years. As with most Schoenhut dolls, they were not able to escape without a few bumps and bruises along the way. Otto must have fallen down and bumped his nose. He has a wee scrape on the tip of his little nose, evidence of his lifetime of love.


Here you can see the size difference between little 11" Otto and Martha, who is 16" tall.


The 11" toddler has a fully jointed toddler body with the same metal spring jointing and points of articulation as the larger dolls. His body looks like Martha's, only smaller. See more about the amazing Schoenhut articulation on Martha's page by clicking here.


He has the oval decal mark on his back and a smaller round copyright mark on his neck. Only the babies had the round 1913 copyright mark on the back of the neck.


The Schoenhut babies were designed by Harry E. Schoenhut, Albert Schoenhut's fifth son. Harry modeled the baby on his nephew, William (Bill) F. Schoenhut, the thirteenth grandchild of Albert Schoenhut, when he was approximately nine months old. In these profile pictures, you can see the sculpting of his little wooden face.


According to Carol Corson's Schoenhut book, Bill showed the original plaster mold that was modeled in his likeness at the First Schoenhut Collector's Club Convention in October 1986. It still looked like him even then, 75 years later. Although, Bill told the convention attendees that at the time his mother complained that her son did not have all those "bumps on his head." :)

Bill (William F.) Schoenhut at the 1st
Schoenhut Collector's Club Convention
in October 1986

Otto's History

I found Otto on Ruby Lane, which is an online marketplace for antique and vintage dolls. The seller told me that she bought him in San Diego, California from his previous owner's estate. His previous owner was a lady that passed away in the 1980's. She loved her dolls dearly and she sewed clothes for them. She made Otto's adorable outfit that he came wearing. The lady's husband kept her entire collection as long as he lived, and then after his passing, they went to their estate. The couple had no children and their estate went to an Aunt, who sold the collection.


Otto wears a blue and white striped button front shirt with a white collar and a pair of blue knickers. The shirt attaches to the knickers with tiny buttons at the waist. Underneath, he is wearing a union suit that buttons in the front. He is also wearing black socks and shoes.


A lifetime of love continues...

Otto is so happy to be here and to meet his new big sister!


Otto can't wait to drag Martha off to go play.


Come on Martha!!! Let's go!!!


We can play with my bear!


I wuv this bear! He is so soft and cuddly...


...and fun to play with!


You wanna hold him, Martha?


Martha keeps Otto busy pulling him around in his little red wagon.


Otto loves riding in the wagon!!!


But mostly he just loves his big sister... and she loves him!


Thanks for visiting to welcome Otto! Please leave a comment below to let us know you were here. We'd love to hear from you!


 Hugs 


12 comments:

  1. I think Martha and Otto are both very adorable. And it is amazing how well they hold poses. That must be so much fun when taking pictures.
    Linda

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    1. Hi Linda,
      Thanks so much for visiting and taking the time to leave a comment. Schoenhuts are very fun to pose and take pictures of. :)
      Lisa

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  2. It's perfect. Even their clothes coordinate!

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    1. Hi Tam,
      Thanks for stopping by to visit! I am very lucky that Otto came with the special outfit that his previous owner made for him. He and Martha make such a sweet family. :)
      Lisa

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  3. He is adorable. What a handsome little boy he is. It was nice hearing the back story of where he came from.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks!!! These old dolls have so much history, I think it's wonderful to find out as much as we can and write it down for the future. I have started just telling the seller that I want to journal the doll's history, and asking them for anything that they know, like how long they've had the doll, where it came from, etc. Sometimes they can't tell you much, but I want to write down whatever they know to keep it as part of the doll's history. History can be fun and interesting! :)
      Lisa

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  4. Absolutely wonderful! I love little Otto and how wonderful to know some of his history as well, very special indeed. They look so sweet together.

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    1. Thank you Serenata! These little Schoenhuts are very special. I wish they could tell us more about their history. I'd love to know their story from the beginning! :)
      Lisa

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  5. What a great addition! Oh that little Otto look so full of personality already. I am sure Martha is pleased as punch to have him! Great to know the story of how these dolls came about. I am learning so much about the doll world! :)

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    1. Thanks Farrah! Otto is full of personality and he is keeping Martha very busy! :)

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  6. He's adorable, and the two look like they've always belonged together! Your Otto has the same face mold as my Nature Baby, only Otto is on a child's body while my little guy has the bent-limb baby body. I think perhaps that Martha and Otto now need a big brother or sister, or maybe both to join the family!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Angela! The toddlers and Nature Babies do have the same face mold, either a #107 or #108 (108 was just a larger more detailed version of the 107). #107 came in the 11" fully jointed Toddler, a 13" Nature Limb baby and a 14" Toddler. The larger #108 came in a 15" Nature Limb baby and a 17" Toddler.
      Hmmm, I think you're right that they need a big brother or sister. :) I'd love to have a big Schoenhut family! :)

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Thanks so much for stopping by. I'd love it if you left a comment to let me know you were here. Have a wonderful day!