Doll:Lovums Heartbeat Doll

In 1912 doll makers Bernard Fleischaker and Hugo Baum pooled their talents and fortunes to form the Effanbee Doll company. Their success seems evident from the nearly 100 years of operation and from the scores of well-known and much loved dolls they produced like the Patsy line of dolls including her many, many family relations; the Dy-Dee Baby, the first of the drink & wet dolls; the Ann Shirley doll made at the time of the movie release of "Anne of Green Gables"; the American Children line of dolls desigend by the talented artist Dewees Cochran; and the doll made to resemble the celebrated heroine of the popular comic strip "Brenda Starr Reporter." Effanbee produced dolls most notably from composition and cloth, hard plastic, and vinyl.The company made one of the first Mama dolls in 1928, and these sweet-faced, soft and huggable dolls "with the human voice" encouraged nurturing play. From 1928 to about 1937, Effanbee offered the Lovums Heartbeat Doll. An infant doll with a soft body, the doll came in three sizes representing a 15-inch newborn, 22-inch youngster, and larger 28-inch long handful. When wound, the heartbeat mechanism in the doll's torso emitted a ticking sound, making it even more lifelike.