Nestled into a quiet area of downtown Glendale, Arizona in the Catlin Court Historic District is the Arizona Doll & Toy Museum. It features an exquisite collection of children’s playthings spanning the mid-19th century through the 1980s, encompassing porcelain dolls up through Star Wars action figures.
One of the earliest toys in the museum collection to capture my attention was a “Magic Lantern” from 1850, a forerunner of the View Master which became highly popular after the Second World War. While the Magic Lantern allowed the user to view images on cumbersome glass plates back in the day, the modern versions would hold many more 35 mm slides and could be viewed by clicking through the disc. With the original 1850s version each slide would need to be inserted individually. It was still amazing to see an original Magic Lantern in such a well-preserved state.
The museum also has some adorable kewpie dolls. These Cupid type dolls were first conceived as comic strip characters by a cartoonist and illustrator named Rose O’Neill during the 1910s. The dolls were originally made out of bisque, which is a type of porcelain popularly used in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Any dolls from this period that have been well-preserved are highly prized. The Campbell’s soup kids from the 1930s also share some resemblance with the kewpie dolls and are valued by collectors as well.
Among the other fascinating artifacts at the Arizona Doll & Toy Museum is an original, circa-1948 copy of the popular, enduring children’s game of “Cootie”! The game could have two to four players and the first one to build the bug-like creature or cootie was the winner. Perhaps the most intriguing (if a little creepy) part of the various displays to check out is the tableau of student dolls seated for class in the likeness of an American one-room schoolhouse circa-1872. One of the students is on shameful display, wearing a pointed dunce cap in front of the rest of the class as a form of punishment for some misdeed. Apparently, this was a popular form of discipline during that era.
The museum also features a number of exquisitely detailed doll houses from the Victorian Age which are well worth studying for those interested in them. All in all, it’s a pleasant 35 minutes or so to stroll through the various exhibits here and picture-taking is welcome. The surrounding Catlin Court District where the museum is located was the original town center of Glendale when this area of mostly preserved bungalow style homes were built during the 1910s.
Many of these homes are still owner occupied while others have been converted into restaurants, cafes, antique markets or other specialty boutiques. The area became listed with the National Register Of Historic Places in 1992 and is an enjoyable place for bike riding or a walking tour during the autumn or early spring, before the oppressive summer heat takes over.
For more information about the Arizona Doll & Toy Museum and the Catlin Court area, check out the website: https://visitglendale.com
