Argo Model Home for Dolls circa 1957

Cisette tiptoes into the nursery to see if little Wendy has wakened from her nap.  Of course with Cisette's feet she can't do anything but tiptoe if she isn't wearing shoes, and I couldn't find her shoes.


I fact, I wanted to do this post with Ginny and Jill, but I couldn't find them either, even though I just looked in the box containing them a few days ago. The mystery is, where did I put that box after I looked in it. I can tell you that I don't know.

So, we are doing this post with Cisette and Wendy. Both are Madame Alexander dolls, and are from the late 50s, so they fit perfectly with this room.

The nursery is an Argo Model Home for dolls - Scale 1-1/2 inches to 1 foot, perfect for 8" to 10" dolls. I won this room and the furniture on eBay. I was bidding on the kitchen too, but didn't get it.

Now that I see the nursery 'in person' I really wish I had won the kitchen too.

Actually the building and the furniture came in separate boxes. See the pictures below.

The furniture came in one box. As you can see from the picture the box is in excellent condition and the graphics are still vibrant and readable.

I am amazed that it was still in the box, in place, in mint condition. Even the bed clothes are there. The only thing missing is the lamp. There are instructions to put a pen light battery in the lamp and it will really light up. The instructions are dated 'Copyright 1957', but I couldn't find any other dates on the box or brochure.

Each room set came with the same lamp, so I might be able to find one to complete the set.

This may look like the same box on first glance, but it isn't. This box contains the room - Completely Decorated - as the box says.

Every thing for the room fits neatly into the box. It is only about half as deep as the furniture box.

The graphics are great, but the box is a bit more beat up than the furniture one. Possibly because the room is heavier.

Here is the out side of the room. If you had all four rooms you could line them up to make a four room ranch house or you could stack them to form a Colonial house of apartment building. The brochure below explains it all.

Here is the side view of the house. If you wanted to put four rooms together - two on the bottom and two on top -  to make a four room house, I guess you just put aside two of the roofs.

This is the front of the brochure that came with the house.

This is the back of the brochure.

The inside of the brochure shows all four rooms in colour. Now you can see why I wanted the kitchen too.

Below are larger pictures of each room.

A lovely modern kitchen for the lucky teenage doll. Don't you love the brown and yellow colour scheme.

Mid-century modern lovers will enjoy this modern living room. I dig that crazy wallpaper.

The bedroom looks lovely, but I'm not sure the wallpaper is all that restful. Nice double bed though.

And last, the nursery with the elusive lamp. I can't complain though. Even the curtains and curtain rod came with mine.

View from the top.

Wendy is trying to tell Cisette that she is too big for a crib, but Cisette insists that this room was designed for dolls her size and this is where she is going to sleep.


"Well;" says Wendy, "I am definitely too big for that playpen, and if you put me in it I will climb right out again."

"Deal," agrees Cisette. "Too bad we don't have any other rooms or I would make you a snack."

If you don't already know this website get over there and bookmark it.

Wishbookweb.com is a vintage Christmas catalog archive project and has complete Christmas catalogs from 1933 to 1988. Not every catalog mind you, but a select few. And they are looking for more.

A couple of days before I picked up my Argo Model Home package at the post office. I was idly surfing through the 1958 Sears Christmas Catalog and came across the page shown here.


I drooled over the room settings a bit and wondered where I could find them today. I didn't realize that the nursery I bought on eBay was one of these wonderful rooms. I read the scale from the picture on the listing and thought it was 1" to 1'. I'm very happy it was this instead.

I just hope that someday I can find the other three in mint condition. And I hope I find that box with Ginny and Jill in it.


Hugs,

Susan

How to get your own set of the Westinghouse washer/dryer Salt & Pepper shakers

It's Canada Day, a holiday here, and the weather is gorgeous.

I'm not used to having Thursday off and had nothing planned, so I took advantage of it and had a whole day of doing nothing. I think an adult  gets only about four of those in a lifetime. I enjoyed it.

But, I was a little bored after dinner tonight and I started to surf the net looking for the Westinghouse Salt and Pepper/Washer dryer set.



I found the set for sale at each of the links below. Prices ranged from $3.99 in an eBay auction to $24.00 on Ruby Lane.

There are eight sets on Ebay here: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_kw=washer&_kw=dryer&_kw=salt&_kw=pepper

Some of the sets are still in the original box. It looks like there are different colors and styles too, but that may just be the photo quality.

I hope this helps somebody get a set for his or her doll house.


Happy Laundry ... I mean Canada Day!!

http://www.goantiques.com/detail,westinghouse-advertising-washer,774853.html

http://www.rubylane.com/item/585614-638/Large-Vintage-Westinghouse-Washer-Dryer

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-WESTINGHOUSE-WASHER-AND-DRYER-SALT-AND-PEPPER-/200488712480

http://cgi.ebay.com/WESTINGHOUSE-WASHER-DRYER-SALT-PEPPER-SET-BOX-VINTAGE-/280527357022

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45341946/vintage-westinghouse-washer-dryer-salt

http://www.collectics.com/50s_60s_f053.html

Hugs,
Susan

Bib and Bibbi Bunny

I found these bunnies at a neighbour's garage sale for 50¢ each.

I recognized them as Steiff right away. They have that quality about them.  I knew they were older, but I was very surprised when I looked them up on eBay and saw the prices they were selling for.

These Steiff  bunnies are Bib & Bibbi, each about 12 cm or 5 inches tall. They are from the late 50's or early 60's, I think.
The rabbits have a heads of mohair plush, rubber hands and feet, and felt and cotton outfits. I found out that they originally carried baskets on their backs, but these are long gone.
Unfortunately, neither one has the ear button button and only Bib has his tag.


The rubber hands and feet are in excellent condition compared to those I saw in some of the eBay ads.

I saw them listed on German eBay for the equivalent of $375.00 for the two and they were in no better condition than these two with only one basket between them.


I also saw individual Bibs abd Bibbis selling for $50 to $100 each.

I think they are adorable, and the perfect size for a dollhouse, but I don't collect Steiff. I am thinking of listing them for sale. I need to support my dollhouse habit somehow.



Does anyone have an idea of what a fair price would be here in North America?


Hugs,
Susan

There's a new house in Mindolton The FAO Schwarz Peasant dollhouse!

Mr. and Mrs. Tirolo, Bruno and Ursula,  have moved to Mindolton with their two young children, Axel and Anneliese.

They have found the perfect house. They feel right at home at first sight of the house. It is even furnished to their exact taste.




Mrs. Tirolo is very happy, and the children are curious and excited. They can't wait to go inside and look around.

Two neighbour children (from Erna Meyer) wait on the upper balcony to join in the tour.





Here is the parlour.

Here is the kitchen

The loft bedroom is one large space. The furniture is exactly duplicated on each side of the room  - like a mirror image.


It seems that the previous family has moved out and left a baby behind. The baby is looking around curiously, wondering what is going on.





















Axel and Anneliese are so happy they do an impromptu dance in front of the baby

The family settles in and Mrs. Tirolo prepares a snack in her new kitchen.

This is the peasant dollhouse imported from West Germany by FAO Schwarz and featured for many years in their catalogue, starting around 1958. It came with 25 pieces of decorated peasant Dora Kuhn furniture. The Caco family was sold separately but meant to go with this house (from International Dollhouses and Accessories, 1880s to 1980s by Dian Zillner - page 113).

I was delighted to find the house and it's entire contents, including the family, in mint condition.

I had to glue a couple of table legs back on, and one bed support but otherwise the furniture looks brand new.

The vintage Caco family is in lovely condition, but father had lost his head somehow - probably worrying about how to take care of his growing family in this economic climate. I glued his head back on and he seems to be okay now.  The dolls have metal hands and feet.

The baby in the cradle is not part of the original family but was included in this lot. Baby is also vintage Caco and is the same size as the older children. I guess it will be the new baby in the house. I hate to separate it from the family as it has been packed away with them for 50 years or so and has probably grown attached to them.

I had never seen the Bavarian stoves like those included in this house until I skied in Kitzbuel, Austria a few years ago. Apparently the stoves are used for warmth and cooking. Both stoves have benches attached so you can sit there and get warm just like we did in Austria when we were taking a rest from skiing.

This house came to me with 8 chairs, as it should, but only three chairs are red. Five are blue. I think this may be the way it was originally shipped. A mistake on the part of the store. I don't mind though.

This lovely little wooden farm was included in my purchase although it is not original to the house. I think it is adorable and the children seem to enjoy it.

I already had these two sweet Erna Myer dolls. They match the style of the house perfectly, but must be neighbours or cousins because they are obviously not from the same gene pool as the rest of the family.

They are actually a better scale for the house. The Caco family is a bit small on scale, but they are original to the house.


I have seen this house called 1" scale, but I disagree. I have some of the painted West German furniture in a 1" scale and it is larger than that in the house. I think this is a 3/4" scale with short people.

The house was offered for sale for many years. Here it is in the 1967 FAO Schwarz Christmas catalog.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my new dollhouse.

hugs,
Susan

Earthquake, Tornados, Riots, Vandalism - In my city????

It's been an exciting week in Toronto!

This post is about as far from my peaceful, happy, dollhouse world as one can get. I am home, safe in my quiet lakeside neighbourhood, but, yesterday, five miles west of me all hell broke loose.

Wednesday we had an earthquake, then two tornadoes north of the city. This weekend Toronto is hosting the G20 Summit.

It's like we are living in a different city, a different country, a different world. This is not my city.  Check out this link for pictures from yesterday.


The world leaders are discussing the global economic situation in hopes of finding solutions to prevent another recession and bankruptcies of countries as we saw recently with Greece. Barrack and Michelle are here along with our Prime Minister and his wife the leaders of 18 other countries.

Activist groups saw the G20 as an opportunity to make their voices heard. City parks and other areas of Toronto's downtown were set aside for their peaceful demonstrations and marches.  Many of these groups had valid causes to present.

Thousands of Police officers came into the city from all over Canada to help out. They are using the old Toronto Film Studio on Eastern Avenue (two kilometres from my house) as a staging area for the police and as a temporary jail for those arrested.

Yesterday - Saturday June 26, 2010  - a group who call themselves the Black Bloc infiltrated the peaceful demonstration, donned black hoodies and balaclavas and went on a violent, destructive spree of vandalism. These are not activist with a cause, nor are they our regular tourists. They are a bunch of thugs who need to get a real life IMHO.


Police used tear gas for the first time in the city's history. Mounted police did cavalry charges on the crowds to disperse them. Police in riot gear were everywhere. Take downs on the streets were everywhere.

The hospitals on University Avenue went into lockdown. The Eatons Centre went into lockdown. Stores on Yonge Street were vandalized, windows were smashed, there was a report that feces were thrown into the stores (are these people gorillas?)

 I am watching the news right now (10:30 am Sunday) and the police are doing a raid on the University of Toronto campus and have arrested more than 70 people (these are not the students. They are visitors with bad attitudes).

Since the vandalism yesterday afternoon the police have arrested about 500 people. I hope these vandals will learn that they can't treat our beautiful city that way without consequences.

As I write this the crowds have marched on the old film studios to protest the arrests but the police in full riot gear have driven the crowd up towards Queen Street. It's like a war zone here.

More news stories can be found at these links:
http://thestar.blogs.com/photoblog/2010/06/peaceful-beginings-violent-ending-as-g20-protests-grip-toronto.html
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/829194--behind-the-black-bloc-mob?bn=1
http://thestar.blogs.com/g20/

Life sure is exciting here in Toronto. No wonder I enjoy my dollhouse world so much.

Hugs,
Susan

Earthquake in Toronto today

I must be getting too involved in CM's and Rebecca's reminisces of old San Francisco.

I was sitting in my desk chair at the office at 1: 45 p.m today and the chair started to shake. A 5.5 earthquake hit eastern Ontario. What a shock. People ran out of the office buildings into the streets (we didn't, but we are brave, or maybe foolhardy). Luckily no injuries were reported. More info here.

On an happier news-of-the-area note. The tiger and the two camels that were in a stolen trailer were found safe and in good health yesterday. Thank goodness! It would be a tragedy if they had been mistreated.

I heard that the tiger, who was hand-raised, is up for the role of Richard Parker in the movie version of the Life of PI.

Jonas, a Bengal tiger, is seen in a trailer that was recovered Monday June 22, 2010, in Saint-Edmond-de-Grantham, about 90 km east of Montreal.

Decorating Challenge

One house. Two Families. Who does it better.
A room by room comparison.
(My apologies for some repeated pictures)

Caco family master bedroom.

Biggar-Flagg family master bedroom.

Caco family children's bedroom

 

Biggar-Flagg family children's bedroom

Caco family dining room

Biggar-Flagg family dining room with sitting area

Caco family living room

 Biggar-Flagg family living room

Caco family kitchen. I haven't set up the kitchen for the Biggar-Flags yet, but as I imagine them living in the early 1960s I think it might be very much the same as this one.

The bathroom will also be the same for both houses unless I can locate some nicely coloured blue or pink sets, so typical of the 60s.

Yes, I have the same salt and pepper shaker washer and dryer as Florine in her post A New Home for the Ainsleys.  I like her bathroom fixtures much better than my newer ones. In fact Florine's look like the ones that were featured in the FAO Schwarz catalogue with the house. I believe all her furniture is original to the house.