In this guide I will introduce you to the romantic world of vintage wedding cake toppers. I adore these little mementos from special times in women's lives and hope that this guide will help you date your vintage topper more accurately. I categorize any topper from the Victorian era up until the 1920s as antique, and those made from the 1930s-1970s as vintage. If you find the guide helpful, please vote YES below. Thanks!

Early cake toppers:

Cake toppers first appeared during the Victorian era and although it isn’t documented who was the first to utilize one, both French and American bakers would hand mold little figures for bride’s cakes, or small little dolls would stand atop a tier. There are records that exist showing that in the 1890s, a one piece mass produced cake topper was widely popular. Other cake toppers used in the Victorian era were bouquets of flowers, the British favored this tradition, whereas Americans seemed to prefer more romantic figural toppers.

Early cake toppers were made of bisque, composition,chalkware or gum paste and were set upon a base made of pierced or molded gum paste. Starting from around the turn of the century in the Edwardian era, all cake topper figure grooms wore or were holding a top hat and were dressed in a black tux with tails. This was a traditional garb seen on toppers well into the 1930s. Starting in the Edwardian era brides wore very close fitting capped veils with long trains, this style was very popular in the entire decade of the 1920s and spilled over into the 1930s. A cute feature was the usage of real tulle attached to the bride’s head or dress, again, you will see this on toppers well into the 1950s even. The brides wore bias cut styled dresses which hugged their bodes. Some 1920s brides might have dresses that reached just below their knees or just above their ankles.

Bisque toppers were real popular during the 1920s and were in my opinion, the finest of all toppers ever made. Their medium allowed their features to be realistically molded and great care was given when painted. They might be one piece, or some are single figures with jointed arms. The finest toppers were made in Germany and the lesser quality ones were made in Japan. Look for markings impressed onto the backs, and sometimes the feet or base. You might even come across a label. German bisque is very smooth whereas Japanese bisque has a slightly gritty feel.

In the case of the precious bisque Kewpie toppers, look for the little blue wings which were a signature of Rose O’Neill, the feet or back might be marked or will have a label. O’Neill Kewpies were made in Germany and are finely detailed and painted with care. The Japanese firms made inferior Kewpie look-alikes in stone bisque and are shoddily painted. The Campbell Soup Kids and look-alikes were also popular characters in the late 1920s and 1930s, they were often made up of Japanese stone bisque and had jointed arms. Celluloid was an inexpensive material which made for some interesting cake topper examples, in Kewpies, Campbell Kids and look-alikes. Plenty of Kewpies were made of celluloid, some of these will have little crepe paper wedding clothes, and I think they are just adorable.

Antique 1920s Celluloid Kewpie Toppers

 1930s Toppers:

In the 1930s, Chalk ware toppers were extremely popular and were an inexpensive medium for those struggling in the Depression. Chalk ware was still being used well into the 1940s with all the war time restrictions and halting of importation from Japan & Germany, the two major countries that supplied a good deal of bisque toppers. Chalk ware toppers will sometimes have a date stamped into the base or on the back. Because of their inexpensive nature, most chalk ware toppers were hurriedly painted and turned out in the thousands, but I have come across a select few that are carefully detailed and realistically molded.

Vintage 1930s chalkware topper with silk flowers on plaster base.

In the late 1930s, I have seen chalk ware toppers with a Victorian style of a bride in a crinoline skirt holding a basket of flowers, her groom has a frilly shirt, these are no doubt inspired by the introduction of Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. The 1930s also saw toppers on molded plaster of Paris on net lace bases, imitating the earlier look of gum paste. This medium was still being used well into the 1960s or so.

1940s Toppers:

During the Second World War, some cake toppers featured grooms wearing military uniforms. There are collectors who specialize in collecting only these types and sometimes prices for military toppers are premium. Even rarer are the ones from the first World War in their doughboy uniforms.

Some brides started wearing very large skirted dresses, or off the shoulder styles during the 40s.

A rarely seen material for cake toppers was the usage of pot metal. I have seen very rare examples made up of this silvery metal alloy which was cold painted. This seems to only have been in usage from the late 1930s into the early 1940s. Could you imagine setting a metal cake topper onto the frosting of your cake? I would think it would be too heavy and would settle into the frosting. No wonder these didn’t last!

Vintage 1930s potmetal cake topper

1950s-onward Toppers:

The late 1940s and the early 1950s saw the arrival of hard plastic toppers. One company led the way for these and became the world’s largest company specializing in cake decorations. Wilton, has been making fine quality cake toppers for well over 50 years. This is one of the most common names you will come across in you search for cake toppers. Other names are Magic Line, Hartland Plastics, Coast Novelty and Amidan.Some might be marked Hong Kong or Japan.  Hard plastic ones typically have the company name and sometimes a date on the base. Many hard plastic toppers will have satin or lace attached to the skirt of the bride or frilly lace or tulle bows or arches. You might also find toppers with a gazebo or church theme. Some toppers even had lighted bases or music boxes built into the bases. The brides wear dresses with wide skirts, sometimes they are off the shoulder. The grooms no longer have the top hats or wear tails.

Typical 1950s hard plastic topper with lace & silk flowers.

Hard plastic cake toppers were made well into the 1960s, 1970s and into the 1980s. The 1980s saw the arrival of the resin cake toppers. Porcelain & bisque toppers made by Norcrest and Napco can be found from the 1940s-1960s. Some post war bisque toppers may be marked Occupied Japan. Toppers by Lefton date from the 1940s onward. Blanc de Chine cake toppers were also being produced from the 1940s onward.

Decorations:

Cake toppers may have extra decorations such as a frame that supports a type of canopy over the figures. Other decorations are swans, bells, doves, hearts, silk flowers, tulle, lattice, cherubs, faux pearls, horseshoes, lace, ribbons, wedding rings,  good luck symbols, feathers, banners, wax figures, bows and extra figures.

Types of Wedding Cake Toppers:

Silver Anniversary: celebrated after 25 years of marriage. Since, the traditional wedding gift is supposed to be of silver, cake toppers will usually show a bride in a silver colored wedding dress, and any other extraneous decorations will be silver colored or trimmed. Your topper will usually have the number 25 somewhere.

1950s Silver Anniversary hard plastic topper.

Ruby Anniversary: celebrated after 40 years of marriage. Since, the traditional wedding gift is supposed to be a ruby, cake toppers will usually show a bride in a ruby colored wedding dress, and any other extraneous decorations will be ruby colored or trimmed. Your topper will usually have the number 40 somewhere. This is a cake topper I haven’t seen much of.

Vintage 1950s Japanese bisque Ruby Anniversary topper.

Golden Anniversary: celebrated after 50 years of marriage. Since, the traditional wedding gift is supposed to be of gold, cake toppers will usually show a grey haired matronly bride in a gold colored wedding dress, and any other extraneous decorations will be gold colored or trimmed. Your topper will usually have the number 50 somewhere.

1950s Golden Anniversary hard plastic topper.

Wedding Court:

In some cases you might be lucky enough to find a bevy of bridesmaids, best men, flower girls, and on some occasions even a priest cake topper.

The pictures used in this guide were provided by the following ebay sellers, please take a moment to check out their current auctions:

• suziesfinds
• $$tuition$$
• lwisbey
• dairychick
• shadesofthepast1

I am always looking for more pictures fo the guides, if you have a picture you'd like to submit please let me know, full credit is given with any picture donated.

I am a trading assistant and can sell your items for you on ebay. I have written 200+ guides on ebay, most of them are on vintage perfumes and vintage vanity items, please check them out if you are interested.I have a perfume identification and appraisal service on ebay. Please contact me thru my About Me page for details.Thanks!