The Kewpies

Booktryst revels in the Kewpies.

From the post...

Rose O'Neill was one of the first, if not the first, American authors to exploit her creation to establish a strong, evergreen brand through licensing the Kewpie name and image to manufacturers. A merchandising phenomenon was born. Postcards, the stitched handkerchiefs seen here, cast-iron dime banks, jewelry, talcum powder dispensers, lamp bases - you name it - were among the many Kewpie-branded products that were available to fans young and old. By the 1920s the artist had licensed Kewpie dolls to be manufactured in Germany. The Kewpies endorsed products, too, amongst which was Hendler's Ice Cream of Baltimore, MD. Rose O'Neill was a shrewd businesswoman as well as a writer.

For the Kewpie cognoscenti, the Kewpiesta, an international convention of all things Kewpie, is a part of Branson, Missouri's annual Ozark Mountain Spring celebration; the Ozarks were Rose O'Neill's retreat.