Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - May 5, 1985
By Helen Fagg
Vigo County Historical Society

'Nodder' dolls seem to greet their visitors

The doll case in the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., contains two tiny dolls which represent an Irish couple. They seem to nod a greeting when they are touched lightly.

The dolls belong to a novelty group known as nodders and swayers. The little characters pictured here are marked "Germany." They measure less than 3 inches in height.

The clothing, which is molded, is mainly white with accents of green and gold on the tie , shawl and hat bands. The hole in the closed hands of both dolls probably held a small flower or shamrock at one time.

The nodding heads are held in place by a string attached inside the head and leaving the body at the lower edge of the jacket on the man doll, and on the bottom of the feet on the lady doll.

The construction of members of this group of dolls is so varied that what one collector classifies as a nodder may be defined by another as simply a small doll with a swivel head and a figurine-type body. If the head has movement, however, and the doll is small, it belongs to the nodder group.

Some collectors do not consider nodders play dolls, but because they were usually made from a good grade of bisque, they were apparently used as toys for children as well as collectible for adults.

Nodders were first produced in Germany and later in Japan from the German molds. Most research seems to place them in the latter half of the 19th century and the first two decades of this century.

Several construction designs were used. The true nodders, whose heads moved freely for a length of time, were usually made using a metal bar and a lead weight. The bar was held in the neck cavity by wooden pegs, which were inserted into holes in the neck. The pegs extended from the neck to rest in deep grooves on the shoulders of the dolls. The bodies always were hollow with a broad base which allowed the weight to swing freely without touching the bisque. Some of the dolls were so excellently engineered that the head would swing for a surprisingly long time.

The other member of this doll group, the swayer, was constructed so that the entire upper body moved back and forth. This was accomplished by using a two-piece body equipped with a wire and loops of wire. The wire at the waistline was run through loops on the lower or leg section, and depending on how it was wired, could sway either foreword or from side to side.

Although all of the dolls were small, they were interesting and had much detail in molding and painting. Genevieve Angione's book, "All Bisque and Half-Bisque, " contains pictures of some very old nodders and swayers which are beautifully decorated in rich colors, highlighted with touches of gold and embellished with molded ruffles and lace.

Anytime a doll is different because of size, construction or novelty of appearance, it makes an interesting addition to a doll collection.