Pitiful Pearl
What's It Wednesdays
This little girl has a quite an origin!
ACHC #2008.009.13b
This is Pitiful Pearl. Well, this is the image that graces the cardboard box holding Pitiful Pearl, the doll.
Pitiful Pearl – a doll that caught the hearts of many young girls beginning in the late 1950’s.
If the style of the image looks familiar, it’s because Pearl was drawn by author and New Yorker cartoonist, William Steig. Steig was known for his New Yorker magazine covers, as well as his children’s books, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and Doctor De Soto. Oh, and he was also the creator of Shrek.
Apparently, Steig maintained that the universe of dolls needed not only glamour dolls and baby dolls, but also “a plain, unfortunate doll on which kids could exercise their ready compassion.” Steig designed Pearl on commission for Brookglad of Brooklyn NY, the original manufacturer of the doll in 1957.
Stieg’s design for Pearl was based on a real-life Pearl. William Steig’s wife, Jeanne, recounted that Pearl had been a childhood friend, “a Jewish tailor’s daughter, Pearl Bimblick, who lived in the same apartment building in the Bronx about 1920 when both children were 12 years old.” Steig felt that the character and doll, Pearl, portrayed a spunky girl – “a spirited and resourceful girl who has fun and knows how to work out a good life for herself.”
Pearl was something of a Cinderella-type doll, dressed in a patched outfit with a scarf tied around her head and black knit stockings falling around her ankles. But she also came with a party dress and a story booklet explaining that all Pearl needed was “a refreshing bath; a hairdo; a nice dress; clean socks, and new shoes; a chance to admire herself.”
Pearl lived a long life as a doll. The Horsman Doll Company took over production of her in 1963, followed by the Tristar Company into the 1970’s.
Unfortunately, the Pearl in our collection is missing her patchwork dress, scarf, underwear, shoes, and stockings. We just have her blue party dress and box. But Pearl still has her blue eyes and wistful smile.
ACHC #2018.009.13a & .13c
What’s your treasured childhood toy?