Arrow Novelty composition Skookum dolls
American Indian Family
The Arrow Novelty Company of New York was founded in 1920, they are
best known for their souvenir or tourist Skookum Native American Indian dolls
(1914-1962) designed by Mary McAboy who was from Montana.
history of the earliest
Skookum dolls is they had dried apple heads with a wood frame body wrapped with an
Indian blanket. Later the heads were made from composition, then hard
plastic. The dolls costumes represent various tribes in native
outfits; males, women, children and papooses (babies),
in sizes of a few inches to 36" tall.
Paper identification tags were often affixed
bottom of the dolls feet, tags from the 1940s to early 1950s read in an oval circle; Trademark Registered -
Patented, inside circle, Skookum (Bully Good) Indian U.S.A.