Doll-ADay 302: Aunt Poodie

  Today's doll is Aunt Poodie.

Aunt Poodie is  based on a character from a radio show. The show ran from 1941 to 1947, and was the work of radio comedian Bob Burns.

The radio show was very popular in it's day. Burns was from Arkansas,and the characters were stereotypical hillbilly types.

The dolls were the creation of Vina Stayton Smith. Mrs. Smith lived in Arkansas very near to Bob Burns and became friends with him. She sold them at a roadside stand, mostly to tourists. Eventually she had orders for her dolls from other states.The dolls remained popular throughout the 1950's.

The bodies were made from leftover wood from fruit or glass crates, saved for Vina by a nearby lumber dealer who was the basis for one of Burns' characters.The heads were made of walnuts.

Vina originally made them by hand, but within a year her business had become so successful that she had to hire workers to help make the dolls.
  See you tomorrow for another doll.