Rosebud Dolls Ltd of Raunds, Northamptonshire, was a toy manufacturing company founded in 1947. A pioneer of the plastic moulding technology, they made various plastic toys, but are most famous for their dolls.
In 1959, they diverted into the plastic model kit segment and launched a series of scale locomotive and rolling stock models, as well as a motorcycle kit and a sci-fi rocket kit.
Subject ID: 143475
MoreRosebud Dolls Ltd of Raunds, Northamptonshire, was a toy manufacturing company founded in 1947. A pioneer of the plastic moulding technology, they made various plastic toys, but are most famous for their dolls.
In 1959, they diverted into the plastic model kit segment and launched a series of scale locomotive and rolling stock models, as well as a motorcycle kit and a sci-fi rocket kit.
Rosebud was the brandname of Nene Plastics, who started making composition dolls in around 1947 with "Rosebud" stamped into the back to avoid the trap of anonymity that had prevented so many other doll companies from being better known. A Rosebud Doll was emphatically a Rosebud Doll, and the company's obvious confidence in their product made it easier to sell the dolls to retailers and to parents.
Nene was run by Eric Smith, who'd taken control of the family company in 1934. With the opening of a new factory in 1960 in Wellingborough, Northants, doll production took off, and the company was bought out in 1967 by Mattel, who continued to make the dolls with "Rosebud, Mattel" branding.
Subject ID: 143475
Subject ID: 143475