he Dominion Toy
Manufacturing Company was established in Toronto in 1911 and began
making dolls and teddy bears. Aaron Cone, its founder, was also a
partner in the Ideal Toy Company of New York and had designed many
of the Ideal character dolls.
In the early years, Dominion produced dolls with lifelike heads and,
for the most part, very primitive bodies with large metal disks in the
joints. In the twenties, it offered a range of dolls, some inexpensive
and others beautifully made and dressed, including dolls that walked
and talked. A few years later, in 1932, the company folded.
Several companies were founded in Toronto in 1917 in response to the
sudden shortage of dolls caused by the war in Europe. Among them were
Commercial Toy and the Bisco Doll Company, both of which lasted only
a year or two. Another company with a short life span, the
C. & W. Doll & Pottery, was established in 1919 to
make dolls with a pottery head. It closed its doors in 1921. Dolls
bearing the name of any of these early companies are quite rare today.
The Florentine Statuary Company manufactured dolls from 1917 to 1932.
The Reliable Toy Company, established in 1920, was by far the most
successful. It produced dolls until the 1990s.
Baby boy
ca. 1917
Dominion Toy Manufacturing Company, Toronto, Ontario
All composition
Courtesy of E. Strahlendorf,
Hamilton, Ontario
L2455.023
This doll appeared on a Canadian stamp issued on June 8, 1990.
Little girl
1920
Florentine Statuary Company,
Toronto, Ontario
Composition shoulderhead and hands, cloth body
Original clothing
Courtesy of E. Strahlendorf,
Hamilton, Ontario
L2455.050
Metal head doll
ca. 1920
Dominion Toy Manufacturing Company
Toronto, Ontario
Composition hands, cloth body
Redressed by Georgee Prockiw, Edmonton, Alberta
Courtesy of E. Strahlendorf,
Hamilton, Ontario
L2455.003
Dainty Dorothy
1918
Dominion Toy Manufacturing Company
Toronto, Ontario
Composition head, fully ball-jointed composition body
Redressed
Courtesy of E. Strahlendorf,
Hamilton, Ontario
L2455.151