Société Française de Fabrication de Bébés et Jouets
Encyclopedia
The Société Française de Fabrication de Bébés et Jouets' (often referred to by its initials. S.F.B.J.) was a large doll
making consortium founded in France
by the union of a number of major French doll companies including Jumeau and Bru and the Franco-German doll company Fleischmann and Bloedel in 1899. The company went out of business in the late 1950s.
The S.F.B.J. made dolls in France and also assembled dolls with both French and German sourced parts. By the 1920s, it is generally believed that production was centred in France. While the S.F.B.J. may have always struggled with German doll makers for the lucrative United States toy trade, it claimed to sell well in France, the French colonies, South American and Australian markets. Its dolls were made of many materials including bisque
, composition
and early plastics - in the later years of the firm. The S.F.B.J made dolls from fine to cheap qualities and also had a large, well-equipped dressmaking branch. There were many different moulds including character dolls modelled after real children and dolls designed by French artists. S.F.B.J. dolls were used for tourist souvenirs as well as children's toys. The popular Bleuette
dolls were one of its most high profiled products.
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
making consortium founded in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by the union of a number of major French doll companies including Jumeau and Bru and the Franco-German doll company Fleischmann and Bloedel in 1899. The company went out of business in the late 1950s.
The S.F.B.J. made dolls in France and also assembled dolls with both French and German sourced parts. By the 1920s, it is generally believed that production was centred in France. While the S.F.B.J. may have always struggled with German doll makers for the lucrative United States toy trade, it claimed to sell well in France, the French colonies, South American and Australian markets. Its dolls were made of many materials including bisque
Bisque doll
A bisque doll or porcelain doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of bisque porcelain. Bisque dolls are characterized by their realistic, skin-like matte finish. They had their peak of popularity between 1860 and 1900 with French and German dolls. Bisque dolls are collectible, and antique...
, composition
Composition doll
A composition doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of composition, a composite material composed of sawdust, glue, and other materials such as cornstarch, resin and wood flour. Composition dolls were marketed as unbreakable and hailed as an improvement in doll making from the fragile bisque...
and early plastics - in the later years of the firm. The S.F.B.J made dolls from fine to cheap qualities and also had a large, well-equipped dressmaking branch. There were many different moulds including character dolls modelled after real children and dolls designed by French artists. S.F.B.J. dolls were used for tourist souvenirs as well as children's toys. The popular Bleuette
Bleuette
Bleuette is a doll that was produced from 1905 to 1960 in France, that was only available to readers of the girls' magazine La Semaine de Suzette, or the English version - "Suzette's Week". Bleuette has a fully jointed composition body. She was 27 cm until 1933, then 29 cm until production ended...
dolls were one of its most high profiled products.