Madame Alexander Dolls

Dolls and Friends is a proud sponsor of the educational content at Surfnetkids.com. Dolls and Friends is a collectible doll retail store specializing in contemporary collectible dolls. Owned and operated by Kathy Notenboom and her husband Leo (who operates Ask Leo! where he answers tech questions), Dolls and Friends has been in operation since 1994.

One of the most popular lines at Dolls and Friends has been Madame Alexander Dolls.

In 1923, with $1600 in hand, Beatrice Alexander started what became the Alexander Doll Company. She hired neighbors to help with cloth doll production. A studio in Manhattan became the new home of the company. She was an admirer of the Lenci Dolls creator Elena Scavini and may have taken on the name "Madame Alexander" because of Elena Scavini's tendency to call herself "Madame Lenci". Beatrice liked the aura of nobility and elegance inherent in such a title and adopted "Madame" as her own.

Though Madame Alexander passed away in 1988 (at the age of 93), the company is still going strong. Quality baby dolls are made for little girls to play with, which was Madame's original vision for the company. Collectors of all ages are enjoying the large selection of dolls dressed in beautiful costumes. Many dolls are handed down through families, from mother to daughter, to granddaughter. In 1998 the 75th anniversary of Madame Alexander Dolls was the occasion of a reissue of some of the company's most popular dolls as well as several Anniversary dolls.

You can read much more about the history of Madame Alexander Dolls, and the see the currently available Madame Alexander Dolls at Dolls and Friends.

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