1916 Kewpie Postcard by artist Rose O'Neill, and published by Gartner & Bender
Postcard collectors may be familiar with Rose O’Neill’s Kewpie doll-like illustration created in 1909. A Kewpie is a comical character with a somewhat larger head, big eyes, cubby and rosy cheeks, and a curl or top knot on top of it’s head. I found out some trivia about the Kewpie I wasn’t familiar with I thought I’d share with my readers.
Did You Know?
- The Kewpie was the first case of merchandising based on a comic character.
- The 1939 New York World’s Fair time capsule contained a Kewpie doll.
- The Kewpie doll was mentioned in Anne Frank’s diary, and John Steinbeck’s 1930s novel, Of Mice and Men.
- The Kewpie is the mascot of the Kewpee Hamburgers chain.
I find trivia always fun and interesting; especially if connected to old vintage postcards. I hope you found the above trivia fun and interesting too.
** Be sure to stop by the blog, The Best Hearts Are Crunchy, to view the many postcards shared on Postcard Friendship Friday.
I never knew any of that about the Kewpie doll. She’s cute, isn’t she?
Beautiful card. Kewpie dolls were new to me. They must have been known in the Netherlands at the time, if Anne Frank wrote about them. Anne loved postcards. She had Ross postcards of film stars at her wall. She was a fan of comedian Heinz Rühmann. His postcards are still hanging at her wall in the Anne Frank House.
I didn’t know Anne Frank loved postcards.
No, I didn’t know any of that about the Kewpie.
Like you, I love odd facts.
Love this post. Kewpie dolls are so funny … guaranteed to bring a smile. You added to my Kewpie knowledge. Happy PFF
Thank you Snap.
Well – I don’t think it’s the first, however. Buster got a last name (Brown) and Tige went with him after being a favorite offshoot of the Sunday Comics – in 1904 at the St. Louis Exposition when Richard Outcault sold the licensing rights to the Brown Shoe Company. Nice card regardless!
I think my source was after the merchandising angle, not books/comic strips/etc. Either way, they were both pretty cute.
I love that card. I like both cards with kewpies and cards about correspondence.
I realize I never knew what the original Kewpie doll looked like – I picture Betty Boop, most of the time. Interesting.
Interesting info about the kewpie dolls – most of it is new to me! Such a sad message on the postcard, though. I hope the sender received a response!
My husband and I are big Kewpie fans! The real dolls are quite expensive, but there are plenty of collectible knock-offs to be found at garage sales. There is also a Kewpie paper doll, of course. I did not know there was a mention of Kewpie in Anne Frank’s diary.
Guess what? Just finished watching an episode of Antiques Roadshow from Hawaii. A lady brought in a 1914 bisque German Kewpie doll. Per the appraiser, a genuine bisque Kewpie doll will have little blue wings. This one was worth approxiately $1200 dollars! Soooo cute.
Rose O’Neill created some other wonderful illustrations too, including the Water Babies. I loved those as a child.