Mary Hoyer Doll

Q: I’ve had a hard plastic doll since I was a child in the 1950s. She’s 14 inches tall and is marked on the back, ‘Original Mary Hoyer Doll.’ She has a blond wig. I have never heard of this brand of doll. What can you tell me about it?

A: Mary Hoyer (1901-2003) began her career in the 1930s as a designer of children’s knitwear and soon started designing matching doll clothes. She came up with an idea for a slim doll that could be sold with a sewing-pattern book. Her first dolls, made of composition, were manufactured by Ideal. By 1938 Hoyer had hired a doll designer and her dolls were manufactured by the Fiberoid Doll Co. Hard plastic dolls were introduced by Hoyer in 1946 and were made until 1960. These dolls came in several sizes. With an original outfit made from a Hoyer pattern, your hard plastic 14-inch doll should sell for more than $400.