1905 ~ 1960

Mademoiselle Bleuette was ‘born’ in 1905, as a premium for the French girls’ magazine “La Semaine de Suzette”, (meaning Suzette’s Week).  The magazine was published by Gautier Languereau for the Societe Francaise de Fabrication de Bebe and Jouets, (French Society for the Manufacturer of Dolls & Toys).  Bleuette quickly became a beloved playmate and an indispensable teaching tool.  Her mission was to instruct little girls in the fine art of becoming proper French ladies.  Published from 1905 to 1960, the magazine included stories, games, crafts, recipes, etiquette and most important, clothing patterns for Bleuette’s wardrobe.  All 20,000 dolls were ordered from SFBJ (known as “Premier Bleuette or Bleuette Jumeau”) were sold before the first issue of the magazine was ever published!  Subscriptions submitted to receive the free doll numbered over 60,000!  In 1916, the publisher commissioned SFBJ to make other models, one of which we refer to as “Bleuette Silver”.

Bleuette was created with a porcelain head, from a Jumeau mold and a fully-jointed composition body.  While she remained essentially the same for 55 years, she did undergo some minor transitions.  From 1905 to 1933, Bluettes were 327cm tall, and then from 1933 to 1960, they were 29cm tall.  Certain heads were used on body sizes during her transition.  She was only available with set eyes from 1905 to 1919; then little girls had a choice of set eyes or sleep eyes from 1919 to 1922; and all Bluettes had sleep eyes from 1922 to 1960.

During the 55 years that she was produced, Bleuette had more than 1,060 patterns for her wardrobe.  She had costumes for every facet of life, reflecting the lives of her delighted owners.  Each outfit required all the accouterments to be complete including hats, stockings, belts, shoes, undergarments, collars & cuffs, aprons, purses, countless accessories and even her own line of furniture!  And she was one of the first dolls ever to wear slacks or sporting apparel ~ ~ quite vogue and audacious for her time!