Kewpie is a brand of dolls and figurines that began as comic strip characters by cartoonist Rose O'Neill. The illustrated cartoons, appearing as baby cupid characters, began to gain popularity after the publication of O'Neill's comic strips in 1909.
The Kewpie dolls were initially made out of bisque exclusively- a type of unglazed white porcelain- but composition versions were introduced in the 1920s, and celluloid versions were manufactured in the following decades.
Due to rising tensions after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, manufacture moved from Germany to France, Belgium and the United States. These dolls made of composition material rather than bisque, due to bisque's fragility.
In the mid-1920s, small-sized celluoid versions of Kewpies appeared, and were often given out as prizes at carnivals. Many of the celluloid versions were mainly manufactured in Japan, unlicensed, and were of a lower quality than other Kewpies. During this time, many Kewpies were sold with clothing.
In 1949, Effanbee created the first hard plastic versions of the dolls, and soft rubber and vinyl versions were produced by Cameo Co. and Jesco between the 1960s and 1990s.
O'Neill also famously used the characters to promote the women's suffrage movement, using the illustrations in slogans and cartoons.
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