"You'll find collecting Hallmark Dolls is really lots of fun,
and here's a little album with a place for every one!"
Hallmark, 1948

Over the years, almost every person of note (or notoriety) has been immortalized in colored card stock. Ronald Reagan? Shirley Temple? They've been reimagined as paper dolls. So have Carmen Miranda, entire kicklines of Ziegfeld showgirls, and even Pope Francis.
Most of these dolls show their age, thanks to the chubby young fingers which have tried impatiently to dress them. Damage can range from frayed edges and creased midsections, to missing or bent clothing tabs, Scotch tape repairs, and Crayola markings.
Exceptions to the well-loved, well-worn rule are three series of paper dolls released by Hallmark in the late 1940s: "Dolls From The Land of Make Believe," "Dolls of the Nations," and the "Little Women Dolls." Many can still be found in the colorful and pristine condition that delighted young collectors when the dolls made their debut.
The reason is simple: each set came with its own "Collector's Album." Doting parents were encouraged to "buy the album with the first doll; then, add to your little girl's collection from time to time. She can take them out to play with - put them back to keep them looking fresh as new."
Each Hallmark doll arrived fully dressed, colorfully illustrated on both front and back, and "resplendent with real plumes and sparkling sequins." While this may have limited the playtime possibilities, take them out, stand them up, look at them, put them away, it did cut down significantly on wear and tear.
“Dolls From The Land of Make Believe" came first, in 1947. The 16 free-standing 5.5-by-7-inch figures, "looking as though they stepped right out of fairyland in all their glory" included such storybook favorites as "Red Riding Hood" and "Mary Quite Contrary." The 1948 "Dolls of the Nations," another set of 16, welcomed such overseas visitors as "Sing Toy of China," plus, in their pre-U.S. incarnations, "Tautuk of Alaska" and "Leilani of Hawaii." Even more popular were the 1949 "Little Women Dolls," released to coincide with the MGM movie starring June Allyson ("Jo"), Janet Leigh ("Meg"), Elizabeth Taylor ("Amy"), and Margaret O'Brien ("Beth"). The four 6-by-5-inch dolls were costumed to resemble the film characters, with on-set sketches contributing to their accuracy.
The interior of each card featured fanciful (and rather lengthy) rhymed text, detailing the back story of the doll pictured: e.g., "Sandy lives in Scotland, so he's called a little Scot, and if you saw his country, you would like it such a lot.”
The dolls were the work of Hallmark artist Vivian Trillow Smith, and her attention to imaginative detail is the primary reason they remain so collectible. For "Viv" (her identifying signature), accuracy, laced with a dash of whimsy, was all-important. Check out "Katrinka of Holland" the ethnic garb has been lovingly recreated - but from the yoke she's carrying dangle two gigantic wooden shoes, packed to overflowing with tulips.
In the wake of Hallmark's success, competitors quickly joined the doll parade. One of the most blatant: American Greetings' 1949 "Storyland" series, which borrowed liberally from the Hallmark concept, complete with feather accents and interior rhymes.
After their late-'40s flurry, the Hallmark dolls disappeared until 1954. On re-release, the album cover had changed. Gone was Disney child star Luana Patten gleefully sorting through her treasure trove. Luana's pigtailed career had long since peaked, and generic storybook illustrations now replaced her.
Hallmark dolls originally sold for just 25 cents each, or 50 cents with the album. Today, individual dolls in mint condition can fetch from 25 to 50 dollars. Just right for any young (or young-at-heart) doll collector you may know - especially when you "care enough to send the very best."

"So get yourself the first and last, and all those in between,
And see how nice your album looks, when you have all sixteen!"
Hallmark, 1948
All photos by author.

Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous books on design and collectibles, including "Postwar Pop," a collection of his columns, and an upcoming second volume. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com.