Skookum Doll - Rare Store Display

$2,749.00 CAD
Regular price Sale price $2,749.00 CAD
Shipping calculated at checkout.
About

 

36" Male Doll, good condition

The man's hair is long (currently in a ponytail), he is wearing jeans and a plaid shirt covered with a blanket

Beads in hair, decorative pin in blanket, and leather moccasins

He is looking to his right

Doll is in fair condition. Face has some rippling, hair/wig shows signs of wear, shoes are dirty, and clothing shows a small amount of wear. Item is sold AS IS.

The word Skookum is an old slang term that originated from either the Chinook or Siwash traders of the American North West. The main meaning that is most attributed to the dolls is, “Bully Good!” which in simpler terms means very good, excellent or large. There are other meanings of the word Skookum, such as, mighty, brave, tough, powerful, strong, good, etc.

 Skookum dolls are Native American dolls that were first made by Mary McAboy in 1913 and continued to be produced into the 1960’s. McAboy was granted patents on for three styles of these dolls; a male, a female and a female with a baby. Due to popular demand, Mary McAboy partnered with H.H. Tammen Co. in 1920 to try to keep up with sales. She stayed on as the head of the assembly division; and while some of the materials used to make the dolls changed, the look stayed the same.

 Skookums do not have arms but they are wrapped in a Native American style blanket, giving the idea the doll has folded arms. Some dolls had accessories such as jewelry, hair ties, cigarettes, headbands, feathered headdresses and more. Most of these dolls were made to be looking to the right, those that are looking to the left are rare and much harder to find. The word “Skookum” will usually be stamped on the bottom of the plastic shoes, or come with a tag identifying it.

 The Composition of Early Skookum Dolls

Dried apples made up the heads

The bodies were wood stuffed with leaves, twigs, grass and straw stuffed in a muslin sack

Wooden dowel rods were the legs

Shoes, moccasins or feet were made of wood covered with felt, leather or usually suede

The hair was made of mohair or cotton string

The eyes were made by pins

The doll was usually adorned with blankets, jewelry and other accessories

 

The Later Composition of Skookum Dolls

The heads were made of plastic or composition

Bodies of the dolls were also made of plastic

Shoes and feet were also made of plastic, and usually colored brown from 1948 until the end of production

These dolls were usually dressed with blankets, jewelry and other accessories, similar to the original dolls

 

We welcome all reasonable offers!

We will also consider requests for dedications and autographs from the Pawn Stars, just let us know in your message when you press Make an Offer!

Free Shipping in the U.S. and U.S. territories!

Yes, we do ship Internationally!

For any questions regarding this listing or help with orders email us at orders@gspawn.com or call 702-272-0006.

We appreciate your business and look forward to helping you bring home a piece of history!

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