R. John Wright Dolls

Last updated
R. John Wright Dolls
Company typePrivate
IndustryDoll/Toy Manufacture
Founded1976, Brattleboro, Vermont
FoundersR. John Wright & Susan Wright
Headquarters Bennington, Vermont
Area served
Worldwide
ServicesDesign and Production of Limited Edition Molded Felt Dolls and Plush Animals
Website http://www.rjohnwright.com

R. John Wright Dolls is an art doll making workshop located in Bennington, Vermont. Established in 1976, R. John Wright Dolls (RJW) is a privately held company founded by R. John Wright. [1]

Contents

The company designs, produces and markets original felt doll and plush animal lines along with many licensed products including Winnie-the-Pooh, Raggedy Ann, Beatrix Potter characters, Disney, Paddington Bear, and The Wizard of Oz. The dolls are designed by John and Susan Wright and produced in numbered limited editions at the R. John Wright workshop in Bennington, Vermont. [2]

History

R. John Wright was born and raised in Michigan, where he attended Wayne State University and worked towards a degree in Liberal Arts. Two years later, having relocated to New England, he met his wife Susan who had a degree in Fine Arts from the University of New Hampshire. [3] In November 1976, while living in Brattleboro, Vermont, R. John Wright created his first felt doll in the image of a simple male folk character. Production commenced at the couple's ground-floor apartment. These early dolls were primarily sold at juried craft fairs along the east coast including the American Craft Council (ACC) exhibitions in Rhinebeck, New York. The technique and style of the R. John Wright dolls underwent significant changes throughout 1977–78. [4] The early felt dolls of the Steiff Company were a strong inspiration. The Wrights were also inspired by the early molded cloth dolls of Kathe Kruse and the felt Lenci dolls. In 1978, through trial and error, the Wrights were able to reinvent the art of molded felt dolls using their own techniques.

In 1978, R. John Wright joined the United Federation of Doll Clubs [5] (UFDC) and was elected to the National Institute of American Doll Artists [6] (NIADA), where he served as the standards chairman of the organization.

In 1981, the R. John Wright facility relocated from Brattleboro, Vermont to Cambridge, New York.

Beginning in 1987, every R. John Wright item features an 8 mm brass identification button inscribed with the initials 'RJW.'

In 2005 the R. John Wright facility relocated from Cambridge, New York to Bennington, Vermont. All work continues to be done on site under the Wrights' direct supervision.

Disney Editions

In 1984 R. John Wright Inc. began a 13-year relationship with the Walt Disney Company with the development of a range of dolls and animals based closely on the original illustrations by E. H. Shepard in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. These products ushered in a new licensing division titled “Classic Winnie the Pooh” [4] which was a departure in Disney's marketing of Winnie the Pooh products in the U.S. Several editions of Winnie-the-Pooh and other characters from the Hundred Acre Wood were produced.

Under license with Disney, the R. John Wright company went on to produce many Disney art character dolls including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Geppetto, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs set won the RJW Company the Award of Excellence from DOLLS Magazine in 1998. [4]

Licensed items

R. John Wright Hummel Celestial Holiday Angel Musician R. John Wright Hummel Musician.png
R. John Wright Hummel Celestial Holiday Angel Musician

2002, R. John Wright produced the Clifford Berryman Bear under license with Linda Mullins to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Teddy Bear.

The Cowardly Lion by R. John Wright Lion 40B-001.jpg
The Cowardly Lion by R. John Wright
The Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, R. John Wright, 2015 R. John Wright Tin Man, 2015.png
The Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, R. John Wright, 2015
Felt Christopher Robin dolls in production at the R. John Wright workshop circa 1987. CRProduction.jpg
Felt Christopher Robin dolls in production at the R. John Wright workshop circa 1987.

In 2016, the company will mark its 40th anniversary with joint ventures with Steiff, an extensive array of licensed pieces, and a line of mice, bears, cats, dogs, and lambs. [7]

Collector's Club

In 1996, the company formed the R. John Wright Collector's Club which attracted more than 4,000 members worldwide. [4]

Awards

Quotes

"R. John Wright and his fanciful felt dolls exemplify the fine work being done by doll artists today." [8]

"I am grateful that somehow I was given the strength—and the unfounded optimism—to begin making dolls. I don’t know where that came from, but it was like being on the edge of a cliff with no other alternative but to jump. I’m glad I did. But even if I had failed, it would be preferable to never knowing." [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. A. Milne</span> English writer (1882–1956)

Alan Alexander Milne was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winnie-the-Pooh overshadowed all his previous work. Milne served in both World Wars, as a lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in the First World War and as a captain in the Home Guard in the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy bear</span> Soft toy in the form of a bear

A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, named after President Theodore Roosevelt, became a popular children's toy and has been celebrated in story, song, and film.

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on the Winnie-the-Pooh books by authors A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard, The New Adventures was the first time a major Disney character headlined an animated, made-for-television series as well as the first Disney television series based on a major animated film. The cartoon premiered with a limited run on The Disney Channel on January 17, 1988. Nine months later, the show moved to ABC as part of their Saturday morning lineup. New episodes continued until October 26, 1991. Proving popular with children and older fans, it remained on television in the United States for nearly two decades.

<i>Winnie-the-Pooh</i> (book) 1926 book by A. A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh is a 1926 children's book by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The book is set in the fictional Hundred Acre Wood, with a collection of short stories following the adventures of an anthropomorphic teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo. It is the first of two story collections by Milne about Winnie-the-Pooh, the second being The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne and Shepard collaborated previously for English humour magazine Punch, and in 1924 created When We Were Very Young, a poetry collection. Among the characters in the poetry book was a teddy bear Shepard modelled after his son's toy. Following this, Shepard encouraged Milne to write about his son Christopher Robin Milne's toys, and so they became the inspiration for the characters in Winnie-the-Pooh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuffed toy</span> Toy with outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material

A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be called soft toys or cuddly toys. The stuffed toy originated from the Steiff company located in Germany in the late 19th century and gained popularity following the creation of the teddy bear in the United States in 1903. At the same time, German toy inventor Richard Steiff designed a similar bear. In 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy. In 1921, Christopher Robin's stuffed toy, given to him by his father, A. A. Milne, would inspire the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh. In the 1970s, London-based Hamleys, the world's oldest toy store, bought the rights to Paddington Bear stuffed toys. In the 1990s, Ty Warner created Beanie Babies, a series of animals stuffed with plastic pellets that were popular as collector's items.

<i>The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh</i> 1977 American animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a 1977 American animated musical anthology comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution. It was first released on a double bill with The Littlest Horse Thieves on March 11, 1977.

<i>Welcome to Pooh Corner</i> American TV series or program

Welcome to Pooh Corner is a live-action/puppet television series that aired on Disney Channel, featuring the characters from the Winnie the Pooh universe portrayed by actors in human-sized puppet suits, except Roo, who was originally a traditional puppet. The animatronic costumes used for the characters were created by Alchemy II, Inc., headed by Ken Forsse who later created Teddy Ruxpin. The show was first aired on April 18, 1983, the day The Disney Channel was launched. Its timeslot for its early run was at 8:30 a.m. Eastern/Pacific Time, making it the third program of The Disney Channel's 16 hour programming day. Reruns of the show aired on The Disney Channel until May 30, 1997. This is the last time Ralph Wright voiced Eeyore until his death in 1983 that Ron Gans took over full time on performing the character

<i>The Lonely Doll</i>

The Lonely Doll is the first children's book in a series by photographer and author Dare Wright. The story is told through text and photographs. It was first published by Doubleday in 1957, went out of print for years, was reissued by Houghton Mifflin in 1998, and brought out by Barnes & Noble in a narrated version for their Nook eReader in 2012. Wright wrote 10 books starring Edith and the bears. The nine that have been reprinted are The Lonely Doll, Edith and Mr. Bear, A Gift from the Lonely Doll, Holiday for Edith and the Bears, The Doll and the Kitten, Edith and the Duckling, Edith and Little Bear Lend a Hand, Edith and Midnight and The Lonely Doll Learns a Lesson.

<i>Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree</i> 1966 film directed by Wolfgang Reitherman

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is a 1966 American animated featurette based on the first two chapters of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions, and released by Buena Vista Distribution on February 4, 1966, as a double feature with The Ugly Dachshund. It was the last short film produced by Walt Disney, who died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, ten months after its release. Its songs were written by the Sherman Brothers and the score was composed and conducted by Buddy Baker.

<i>Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day</i> 1968 short film directed by Wolfgang Reitherman

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day is a 1968 American animated featurette based on the third, fifth, ninth, and tenth chapters of Winnie-the-Pooh and the second, eighth, and ninth chapters from The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne. The featurette was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company on December 20, 1968, being shown in theaters with The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit. This was the second of the studio's Winnie the Pooh theatrical featurettes. It was later added as a segment to the 1977 film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The music was written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. It was notable for being the last Disney animated short to be produced by Walt Disney, who died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, two years before its release.

<i>Poohs Heffalump Halloween Movie</i> 2005 animated film

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie is a 2005 American direct-to-video Halloween animated fantasy adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and DisneyToon Studios, featuring the characters from Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise, and it was the sequel to Pooh's Heffalump Movie. This was the final Winnie the Pooh film to be produced by DisneyToon Studios before they moved to Tinker Bell films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnie the Pooh (Disney character)</span> Fictional teddy bear created by A. A. Milne

Winnie the Pooh is a fictional bear and the main character in Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise, based on the character Winnie-the-Pooh created by English author A. A. Milne and English artist and book illustrator E. H. Shepard, being one of the most popular characters adapted for film and television by The Walt Disney Company. Disney first received certain licensing rights to the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, characters, and trademarks from Stephen Slesinger, Inc. and the estate of A. A. Milne in 1961. Winnie the Pooh is one of the most popular characters adapted for film and one of Disney's most popular characters, especially in terms of merchandising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Slesinger</span> American producer

Stephen Slesinger was an American radio, television and film producer, and creator of comic strip characters. From 1923 to 1953, he created, produced, published, developed, licensed or represented several popular literary characters of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

Disney Consumer Products, Inc. is the retailing and licensing subsidiary of the Disney Experiences segment of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, Consumer Products was a segment of Disney until 2016, then a unit of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (2016–2018).

Shirley Slesinger Lasswell was an American marketer. She was the wife of comics artist Stephen Slesinger and, after his death, Fred Lasswell. She is furthermore best known for losing a lawsuit with The Walt Disney Company due to her company's judicial misconduct in a dispute over Winnie-the-Pooh royalties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. K. Farnell</span> British toy company

John Kirby Farnell or J. K. Farnell was a London company which manufactured the first British teddy bear in 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnie-the-Pooh</span> Fictional character created by A. A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name in a children's story commissioned by London's Evening News for Christmas Eve 1925. The character is inspired by a stuffed toy that Milne had bought for his son Christopher Robin in Harrods department store, and a bear they had viewed at London Zoo.

<i>Winnie the Pooh</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise

Winnie the Pooh is a media franchise produced by The Walt Disney Company, based on A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's stories featuring Winnie-the-Pooh. It started in 1966 with the theatrical release of the short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.

<i>Christopher Robin</i> (film) 2018 film by Marc Forster

Christopher Robin is a 2018 American live-action/animated fantasy comedy drama film directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Alex Ross Perry, Tom McCarthy, and Allison Schroeder, based on a story by Greg Brooker and Mark Steven Johnson. The film is inspired by the children's book series Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard, and is a live-action/CGI follow-up to the Disney franchise of the same name. The film stars Ewan McGregor as the title character, alongside Hayley Atwell as his wife Evelyn, with the voices of Jim Cummings and Brad Garrett. The story follows Christopher Robin, now an adult, who has lost his sense of imagination, only to be reunited with his childhood friend Winnie the Pooh, whom he must escort back to the Hundred Acre Wood to find his friends.

<i>Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey</i> 2023 British film by Rhys Frake-Waterfield

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is a 2023 British independent slasher film produced, directed, written, and by Rhys Frake-Waterfield. It serves as a horror reimagining to A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's Winnie-the-Pooh books and stars Craig David Dowsett as the titular character, and Chris Cordell as Piglet, with Amber Doig-Thorne, Nikolai Leon, Maria Taylor, Natasha Rose Mills, and Danielle Ronald in supporting roles. It follows Pooh and Piglet, who have become feral and bloodthirsty murderers, as they terrorise a group of young university women and Christopher Robin when he returns to the Hundred Acre Wood five years later after leaving for college.

References

  1. ↑ Margiotta, Christine (2004). "Incentives and hometown pull prompt doll maker to leave NY". Albany Business Review.
  2. 1 2 "History". R. John Wright. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Collecting R. John Wright Dolls". World Collectors Net.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Goddu, Krystyna Poray (February 1, 2004). R. John Wright: The Art of Toys (1st ed.). Reverie Publishing; 1st edition. p. 36. ISBN   1932485147.
  5. ↑ United Federation of Doll Clubs
  6. ↑ the National Institute of American Doll Artists
  7. ↑ Ross, Bonnie (January 10, 2016). "A quality of warmth: R. John Wright's collectable dolls". So Vermont Arts & Living.
  8. ↑ A. Glenn, Mandeville (August 1992). 40 Years of the Best, Contemporary Doll Stars: featuring Fashion Dolls: Barbie, Alexander, Celebrity. Hobby House Pr Inc. p. 103. ISBN   0875883850.
  9. ↑ "The Wright Way". DOLLS MAGAZINE. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.