History
Their name, often shortened to "Kewpies", is derived from "cupid", the Roman god of beauty and – as Eros is the Greek version of Cupid – erotic love. The early dolls, especially signed or bisque, are highly collectible and worth thousands of dollars. The time capsule at the 1939 New York World's Fair contained a Kewpie doll.
Many other articles were made using their images, for example, coloring and poem books, stationery, cups, plates, curios, etc. Kewpies should not be confused with the baby-like Billiken figures that debuted in 1908.
This particular style of doll was awarded as a carnival prize and often collected.
Read more about this topic: Kewpie Doll
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“It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature.”
—Henry James (1843–1916)
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“All history attests that man has subjected woman to his will, used her as a means to promote his selfish gratification, to minister to his sensual pleasures, to be instrumental in promoting his comfort; but never has he desired to elevate her to that rank she was created to fill. He has done all he could to debase and enslave her mind; and now he looks triumphantly on the ruin he has wrought, and say, the being he has thus deeply injured is his inferior.”
—Sarah M. Grimke (1792–1873)