Doll:Madame Alexander | Queen Elizabeth II

The Madame Alexander company, founded in 1923, succeeded because it offered dolls of high quality and, especially, doll clothing superior to the competition. It maintained its edge during the years of the Great Depression and World War II by becoming the only source for dolls representing popular characters of books, theater, and movies like the March sisters of "Little Women," Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. It made dolls of newsmakers, too, like the Dionne quints and Queen Elizabeth II. By the 1950s, doll customers were primed and ready to collect the company's large and varied line of diminutive eight-inch dolls so beautiful to look at and of a size just perfect for sitting by the dozens on shelves in little collectors' bedrooms. Many little collectors of the mid-20th century grew up to become the adult collectors of today.