This celluloid Kewpie doll dates from around 1918. The Kewpie doll, one of the earliest examples of mass toy manufacturing, was developed from characters created by US magazine artist Rose O'Neill. 'Kewpie' referred to the dolls' supposed resemblance to Cupid, the Roman god of love. The first Kewpie dolls were imported from Germany in 1913 and 1914. With the outbreak of the First World War, New Zealand toy shops switched to importing their Kewpies from France and Belgium.
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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Reference:
PC002529
Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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