Happifat Dolls

Q: We’ve had two small, bisque boy and girl dolls for more than 40 years, but we haven’t been able to learn much about them. The dolls are very chubby children with moveable arms. The girl is wearing a pink dress with blue trim and shoes. The boy is wearing brown pants and a green jacket and shoes. I’ve been told the dolls are called ‘Happy Fats.’

A: Original ‘Happifats’ bisque dolls were designed by Kate Jordan and produced by Borgfeldt in Germany from 1913 to 1921. The dolls were meant to compete with the popular Kewpie dolls. Happifats dolls eventually were produced in three sizes, and one version was made with a composition head. An original German pair sells for about $500. But Happifats dolls were also made in Japan before World War II. A pair of Japanese dolls sells for about $275. Reproductions of the dolls are on the market today and sell for about $50 each.