Ashton Drake - EM Knowles

Some time ago I came across a bulk lot which consisted of three dolls: Mary Mary Quite Contrary (edition closed 31st December 1991) from Dianna Effner's Mother Goose Collection, Goldilocks (edition closed 31st December, 1990) and Little Red Riding Hood ( edition closed 31st December, 1989) both from Dianna Effner's Heroines from the Fairy Tale Forests. They were not MIB, nor complete, but I could see the potential in each of their little faces.

According to labelling on their boxes, each doll was hand cast and handcrafted of the highest quality porcelain under the hallmark of the Edwin M. Knowles China Company. Although it states they are porcelain, they do have fabric bodies (not my usual thing) and are approximately 14 inches tall (the height of doll I love).

However, Edwin M. Knowles China Company, known for it's beautiful and high quality dinnerware, ceased operations in late 1962 citing a lack of foreseeable profits, which made me wonder how much truth was in the labelling.

There is a long line of history and mystery which surrounds these dolls. After considerable digging, I discovered these dolls are actually manufactured by Ashton-Drake Galleries, which is recognised internationally for creating baby and child dolls, bride dolls, celebrity dolls and teddy bears.

Ashton-Drake is now part of the Bradford Group which was founded in 1973 as The Bradford Gallery of Collector's Plates by J. Roderick MacArthur. The company created its first live price quotation market in 1983, but increasingly turned to creating new lines of collectibles (rather than just facilitating exchanges between collectors as it did as part of the The Bradford Exchange).

I could see the connection through the plates, but I could find no reference to Knowles actually producing dolls prior to it's closure. Did the Bradford Gallery simply purchase the rights to the name? I had so many questions and found so few answers, so I kept searching until I found this.

Here at Justia Trademarks, an attorney, Mary Lou Haflinger filed to use the 1854 Knowles trademark on 12th February, 1987 and it expired on 13th September, 2008. There was no mention on whose behalf she was filing, but I also found another reference where it stated "In the 1980s and ‘90s, the Edwin M. Knowles name resurfaced, copyrighted by a group with no connection to the original company." so I think this is how the connection began, because it's the same 1854 Knowles trademark used on the back of the boxes.

But trying to find out exactly where these dolls were manufactured was like trying to find a needle in a haystack! Though my research and suspicions lead me to believe they are made in China, which was initially a big disappointment.

However, knowing this has relieved me of the feeling I initially had . . . I certainly would have felt really guilty had I ruined these dolls by giving them a makeover.

Well after a knitting knitting frenzy, the transformation of all three Dianna Effner dolls has been completed. Here they are in all their glory ready to face the 2023 winter ahead.

I was really lucky to find boots among my stash for each of them and they all have matching striped leg warmers now as well. These have worked well to camouflage the join between the fabric part of the limb and porcelain feet.

Gracie

Shirley

Cindy

I took these portrait shots of them for my other blog, and I am really pleased with the way the dolls all look now. All three show so much expression on their cheeky little faces.