Holiday Fair, Pose Doll Reference Gallery

This reference gallery focuses on Holiday Fair cloth-faced dolls with stump and mitten hands. It contains many Holiday Fair-type makers alongside original Holiday Fair Hedaya dolls.

Holiday Fair Company Pose Dolls were made in Japan in the 1960s by Hedaya & CO., owned by Abraham Hedaya, and was headquartered in New York City, with the dolls being produced in Japan. The Hedaya company was most active in the 1960s and registered the Holiday Fair trademark in 1964.

This reference gallery focuses mostly on Holiday Fair cloth-faced dolls with stump and mitten hands. It contains many Holiday Fair-type makers alongside original Holiday Fair Hedaya dolls.

The Holiday Fair trademark expired in 1985. The company re-filed in Texas in 1990 but has since disappeared from the records, and the company is listed as "no longer active." The majority of their activity took place between 1966 and 1982.

How were Holiday Fair dolls made? Holiday Fair dolls were lightweight and constructed over a wire frame, covered in foam, with a stockinet or nylon body. Legs were long and thin, and hands were mitten-like. The faces, usually made of nylon, were hand-painted, and their wigs were made of yarn or synthetic fiber.

These ladies were produced in different sizes and dressed in fashionable costumes of everyday fabrics. Currently, good examples of these adorable dolls are sought after by collectors for their delicate and unique beauty.

Some dolls were wholesaled to fairs and carnivals as giveaways, just like lower-priced stuffed animals are today.

Holiday Fair and Holiday Fair-type doll types:

• Dancing, musical dolls
• Gold cord loop on the head ornament dolls
• Musical dolls
• Pose dolls, NO stand
• Pose dolls on a stand
• Pose dolls with pets

Also called "Kawaii dolls."
Definition of 'Kawaii':

• 1. denoting a Japanese artistic and cultural style that emphasizes the quality of cuteness, using bright colors and characters with a childlike appearance. Noun. 2. (in Japanese art and culture) the quality of being lovable or cute.

Also called "Shōwa dolls"
Definition of 'Shōwa:

• The Shōwa era was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (commonly known in English as Emperor Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989.

Known makers of Japanese Big-Eye Pose dolls:

• Dakin & Co
• Herman Pecker & CO., INC. NEW YORK - Made in Japan
• Holiday Fair - Hedaya & Co.,
• Langcraft
• Seeking info on more makers

Dolls made in a series include:

• LANGCRAFT - Seven Days Working Dolls

HangTags found on dolls include:

• Biltmore, Rhythm Dancers, #, Biltmore, NEW YORK, Made in Japan - shaped like an artist's pallet
• Dream Dolls by R. Dakin & Co. San Francisco
• Dream Dolls by R. Dakin & Co. San Francisco - Product of Hong Kong
• Dream Pals - mermaids
• Dream Pets
• Forsum, Styled by - Made in Japan
• France Doll
• Heavenly Toys
• Hedaya & Co., N.Y.C. Holiday Fair LTD. TORONTO
• HEKINAN DOLL - a Japanese posable dolls
• Herman Pecker & CO., INC. NEW YORK - Made in Japan
• Holiday Fair
• JAYMAR, JAPAN - I AM A MUSICAL REVOLVING DOLL DO NOT OVER WIND ME.
• JILL
• Kandy Doll - Imported by Pacnovoco, 1338 Mission Street, San Francisco, Calif
• Modern Doll
• SAKAI & CO. LTD, TOKYO, JAPAN
• Sakura Doll, with mitten hands - gold star-shaped tag
• Sakura Doll, with fingers, appears in the Bradley Japan gallery
• Voguemont

Woven tags found on dolls' clothing or sewn into the bottom of a foot include:

• Holiday Fair - Hedaya & CO., N.Y.C. (1964) MADE IN JAPAN

Sewn-in tags on mermaids include:

• Dream Dolls - San Francisco
• Herman Pecker & CO., INC. NEW YORK - Made in Japan
• Holiday Fair
• Tokyo Japan
• SAKI & CO., LTD - TOKYO, JAPAN

Stickers on dolls include:

• JESTIA, No. 231 JAPAN ROMAN - on the foot of JESTIA doll

Stickers on base include:

• LANGCRAFT - Such as "Wash the Clothes Monday" and "Go to Church Sunday"
• Made in Japan
• Marketing Service

Stamps on base include:

• Japan
• Made in Japan

Box graphics include:

• DOLL
• LANGCRAFT - Seven Days Working Dolls - LANGCRAFT QUALITY
• Missy, the Model, and her dog Gigi
• SARCO - MOP PETS - FLEXIBLE TEENAGE FASHION DOLLS - ASSORTED STYLES AND COSTUMES
• SUMRE DOLL
• YOSHITOKU, DOLLS OF ALL KINDS

Stickers and decals on boxes include:

• France Doll

Songs played by Holiday fair dolls include:

• Here Comes the Bride
• Lara's Theme
• La Vie En Rose
• White Christmas,
• and More as they come in

Conclusions and findings:

• Handwritten tags stating a doll's country of origin are usually just best guesses. Keep those tags intact!
• Some taller dolls in full gowns had no legs and stood on a cone-shaped, wired frame.
• Bradley Korea Dolls were sometimes made with plastic hands.
• Japanese Bradley Sukito dolls made in the elaborate French gown style are the most well-preserved specimens because many have been preserved in glass cases.

Related Bradley Galleries:

• Japan, Bradley Doll, Reference Gallery:https://www.gaylewraydolls.com/store/pc/Bradley-Doll-Japan-Reference-Gallery-32p213.htm
• Korea, Bradley Doll, Reference Gallery:https://www.gaylewraydolls.com/store/pc/Bradley-Doll-Korea-Reference-Gallery-32p251.htm
• Bradley-type Doll, Gayle Wray Reference Gallery:https://www.gaylewraydolls.com/store/pc/Bradley-Type-Dolls-by-Gayle-Wray-32p265.htm
• Bradley-type Doll, Ayumi Uyama, Reference Gallery:https://www.gaylewraydolls.com/store/pc/Bradley-type-Dolls-by-Ayumi-Uyama-32p255.htm
• Bradley-type Doll, Chubby Kids:https://www.gaylewraydolls.com/store/pc/Bradley-type-Doll-Chubby-kids-32p262.htm
• Bradley-type Doll, Mermaid, and Kappa, Reference Gallery:https://www.gaylewraydolls.com/store/pc/Bradley-Doll-Mermaid-Water-Spirit-Kappa-Japan-Reference-Gallery-32p254.htm
• Bradley-type Doll, Showgirl, Reference Gallery:https://www.gaylewraydolls.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=260&adminPreview=1
• Holiday Fair, Japan, Pose Doll, Reference Gallery:https://www.gaylewraydolls.com/store/pc/Holiday-Fair-Pose-Doll-Reference-Gallery-32p214.htm

Bradley and Bradley-type doll sellers include:

• Gayle Wray's website: https://www.gaylewraydolls.com
• Ayumi Uyama's website: http://ayumiuyama.com
• Feeriqueshop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/feeriqueshop
• VintageKitschToys: https://www.etsy.com/shop/vintagekitschtoys

Bradley doll art, prints, and postcard sellers include:

• https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleMissModShop?ref=l2-about-shopname
• https://www.etsy.com/shop/EmmaMount?ref=l2-about-shopname

Disclaimer: This page is a general guide only and should not be used as a definitive reference to the origin of untagged dolls, as dolls without identifying marks can result in misidentification. Please keep the original tags intact and displayed, or reattach them securely under the dress to preserve the heritage of these fantastic ladies for future generations.