The fifties brought us many fabulous dolls, and was a lucrative time for doll sales.  Where do unmarked dolls come from? Everywhere! It was very common for the major manufacturers to sell there doll bodies to small manufacturers to dress.  All of the major doll companies such as American Character and Ideal sold their dolls to other smaller companies.  A good example is the Nancy Ann Style Show doll. They are famous for their outstanding clothing, and these dolls were sold at a premium price.  It is not a surprise that this doll looks like an early example of the Sweet Sue and even the Nanette doll.  The only company that states that they did not sell their parts was Madame Alexander.  I absolutely think that they indeed did sell their dolls.  Years ago I bought a pristine mint Vogue "Make Up" doll untouched and in her original box.  Upon careful inspection, she was marked on her back "Alexander."  The practice was to obliterate the marking, and they missed this one!

I have seen some fabulous examples of unmarked dolls.  It is wonderful to find these dolls mint in their box.  I once had the most gorgeous Sweet-Sue looking doll in a fabulous dress and the box said "My Darling Daughter."  This was an obscure company that was short-lived and gave doll making a try.  It's a wonderful find to see these unmarked dolls with their original clothing. 

Most of these companies are rather short-lived but they offer some fabulous examples.  The Nancy Ann Style Show doll was rather short-lived also, because their dolls were quite expensive and a bit too elaborate for moms to buy for their children for "play."  Finding these dolls in original condition is fabulous because these dolls were sold at cheaper prices than the more expensive "major" manufacturers and were therefore rarely put up as "look-at" dolls by moms. 

So, these dolls likely all came from Ideal, American Character, and even Madame Alexander -- but dressed by other companies and sold for less!