An inspiring, uplifting picture book biography about iconic doll creator, Madame Alexander, whose love for dolls and bringing joy to others began at a young age and only continued to grow. Someday, she thought, I will make dolls that don’t break so children will never be unhappy. Beatrice Alexander’s family ran a doll hospital in their home in New York’s Lower East Side, where she grew to love fixing and making dolls. Beatrice dreamed of becoming an artist, but her family couldn’t afford to send her to sculpting school. She never stopped dreaming, even as she stayed home, graduated from high school, and got married. When World War I broke out, she came up with the idea to make unbreakable, cloth dolls modeled after nurses to support the war effort and help keep children happy. After the war, Beatrice founded Madame Alexander and redefined the doll industry, creating some of the first plastic and collectible dolls, dolls that never break. With beautiful, vivid art by Sarah Dvojack, author Susan Goldman Rubin tells the powerful story of savvy, feminist entrepreneur Beatrice Alexander, who founded the Madame Alexander Doll Company and became one of America’s most celebrated toy makers.

A full-color, illustrated, comprehensive book on the legendary American doll-maker and the company she founded in 1923, is also the first ever produced with the co-operation of the Alexander Doll Company and Madame Alexander's family. This book features a rich compilation of photographs, which bring to life the magical legacy of Madame Alexander. Collectors of both historical and contemporary dolls will be happy with the book's collection of 758 mint dolls dating from 1930-1998.

"Dolls are not a luxury. They are as necessary to a child's life as a loaf of bread . . . What a doll does for a little girl is develop her capacity to love others and herself." -Madame Alexander A wonderful offering for young doll enthusiasts and women's history buffs alike This fascinating book tells the stories of courageous dollmakers, all of whom were-and continue to be-filled with passion, vision, and determination. They are the unsung heroines behind some of the most important dolls of the last hundred years-such as Barbie (Ruth Handler) and Madame Alexander's collection (Beatrice Alexander). Entrepreneurs and feminists of their time, these strong women displayed both creative genius and astute business acumen, serving as excellent role models for today's young female readers.

This book concentrates on the limited editions produced by the Madame Alexander Doll Company since 1980. Since its beginning, this famous doll company has created dolls exclusively for certain stores - FAO Schwarz, Wanamakers, Neiman Marcus, Marshall Fields, Disney, and more. These limited edition dolls fall into one of four categories: store or event exclusives, mid-year releases, factory altered dolls, and factory re-dressed dolls. This book showcases these truly exclusive beauties, in almost 400 full color photographs. 2000 values.

The alphabetical listings in this book have been expanded to include nearly every Madame Alexander doll, and the newest store specials and limited editions have been added -- issues from Belk & Legget Department Stores, Madame Alexander Doll Club Convention dolls and those exclusive to members only, Neiman-Marcus dolls, QVC/Home Shopping Network exclusives, United Federation of Doll Clubs, and many more. All of the Alexander favorites remain, with updated prices given for the classic Cissy, Little Women, Wendy, Scarlett O'Hara, Alexander-Kins, and Ballerina dolls, plus hundreds more. The sizes, dates, outfits, and current values given for every doll listed, as well as the representative sampling of sharp color photographs, assist the collector in identification. 2004 values.

"To understand the history and spirit of America, one must know its wars, its laws, and its presidents. To really understand it, however, one must also know its cheeseburgers, its love songs, and its lawn ornaments. The long-awaited Guide to the United States Popular Culture provides a single-volume guide to the landscape of everyday life in the United States. Scholars, students, and researchers will find in it a valuable tool with which to fill in the gaps left by traditional history. All American readers will find in it, one entry at a time, the story of their lives."--Robert Thompson, President, Popular Culture Association. "At long last popular culture may indeed be given its due within the humanities with the publication of The Guide to United States Popular Culture. With its nearly 1600 entries, it promises to be the most comprehensive single-volume source of information about popular culture. The range of subjects and diversity of opinions represented will make this an almost indispensable resource for humanities and popular culture scholars and enthusiasts alike."--Timothy E. Scheurer, President, American Culture Association "The popular culture of the United States is as free-wheeling and complex as the society it animates. To understand it, one needs assistance. Now that explanatory road map is provided in this Guide which charts the movements and people involved and provides a light at the end of the rainbow of dreams and expectations."--Marshall W. Fishwick, Past President, Popular Culture Association Features of The Guide to United States Popular Culture: 1,010 pages 1,600 entries 500 contributors Alphabetic entries Entries range from general topics (golf, film) to specific individuals, items, and events Articles are supplemented by bibliographies and cross references Comprehensive index

This book showcases hundreds of African-American dolls, beginning with the early 1800s through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.