Klumpe-Type Souvenir Dolls

Name: Klumpe-Type Souvenir Dolls

Made by and When: Unknown maker, circa 1950s

Material: Sheer brown fabric, felt, other textiles, stuffing, armature, mohair wigs, paint, wood

Marks: Unmarked

Height: 10 and 11 inches (including the wooden bases)

Hair, Eyes, Mouths: Black and auburn mohair wigs, painted facial features with blue sculpted eyes that glance to their left and high-arched (inverted V) shaped eyebrows, sculpted noses and ears, and painted red lips

Clothes: There are two men and one woman. One man wears a satin aqua jacket with a red felt hem and white cuffs paired with blue pants. The woman wears a red felt dress, white and gold fringed anklets, and holds a pair of maracas. The other man wears an orange/yellow/blue plaid coat and blue pants. All dolls wear straw hats and have bare feet.

Other: Made of a sheer, stuffed fabric with an armature for posing, these circa 1950s Klumpe-type dolls feature wired armatures for added flexibility.  These were probably made in Barcelona, Spain, for the tourist trade and fashioned after the more popular Klumpe and Roldan dolls. Companies that produced Klumpe- and Roldan-style dolls include Balboa, Layna, and Nistis.

Klumpe and Roldan dolls were basically created for the tourist trade in Barcelona, Spain. Unlike many tourist dolls, however, these have a distinctive design. The dolls are made of molded felt and portray many characters, some of which were imported to other countries for collectors. In recent years, these interesting cloth dolls have attracted a growing number of fans. Without a paper label, it is sometimes difficult to determine if a doll is a Klumpe, a Roldan, or one of the 13 similar Barcelona companies that produced them (About.com).

Gallery

Reference
About.com. Accessed 1 May 2010; site inactive on 19 July 2025.

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