Kewpie Love: Around The Frame
Valentine’s Day is here, and many people are knocking themselves out looking for that perfect gift, booking a reservation at the perfect restaurant, finding the perfect card to make the day oh so perfect. Not me. It’s just not my style. Sure, we may do all that stuff, but I don’t sweat it. For me, it’s the small things that matter: Pitching in when in a pinch, remembering to turn the bedroom heater on at least an hour before bedtime, dropping off lunch on Saturday mornings, enjoying a meal at local restaurants. That’s what love is all about. That’s what matters more to me than the frills of Valentine’s Day.
A few months ago, Jan Diller typed “Kewpie” into her computer browser and it popped up with my Waynedale News article from May 12, 2017 “There is nothing cuter than a Kewpie quilt.” Since my contact information was at the bottom of my article, she contacted me to ask if I’d do an article on her Kewpie collection. I told her I would, however; I was in the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas article stretch so why not do it for February in honor of Cupid, the god of desire, attraction, and affection? Many people love Cupids and Kewpies!
Jan’s first childhood kewpie was given to her for Christmas by her parents when she was about six years old. It was a 12” composition Kewpie in an original romper with shoes & socks, fully jointed and in the original box. Jan was so excited and thrilled that she slept with her Kewpie every night and carried it everywhere. Over the years Jan’s parents moved many times and in the process, Kewpie got lost in the shuffle. At the time she was older so losing Kewpie wasn’t traumatic, just a bit of her childhood now lost.
When Jan and her husband John wed in 1987, they had several grandchildren between them, mostly girls. Jan would pick up a few dolls at garage sales for them to play with. She identified some of the dolls as vintage and that aroused her interest in researching them. She decided to keep them and kept adding more to her collection.
In 1999, when Jan joined a doll club, members kept talking about Kewpies and Kewpiesta the annual Kewpie festival held in April. Rekindled by her desire for Kewpies, she joined the International Rose O’Neill Club Foundation (IROCF). Rose O’Neill created Kewpie in 1909. In 2015 Sharon, another doll club member, and Jan decided to go to the annual Kewpiesta in Branson, Missouri. They were welcomed like family and had the best time EVER! She has attended all of them ever since except three: 2014 due to other plans and COVID in 2020 and 2021. The 2025 Kewpiesta event is from April 30 to May 4.
After scouring Ebay and doll shows, at one of the gatherings, Jan was overjoyed to find an identical Kewpie like her childhood one. She now has several hundred Kewpies from Kewpie ephemera, dishes, jewelry, postcards, klever kards, and Scootles (Kewpie’s fictitious traveling companion), who really touched Jan. Her Kewpie doll collection now includes composition, vinyl, some cloth, and her favorite German Bisque types. She favors the German bisque since they are usually smaller from 1” to 12” and easier to “make more room” for also because they are getting more rare and harder to find.
During Kewpiesta everyone is invited to an open house at Bonniebrook, Rose O’Neill’s favorite home in Walnut Shade, Missouri, about 30 minutes from Branson. In 2015 they had a sales table where Jan saw an object shaped like Indiana. She bought it and found out it was the inactive KEWPIANA HOOSIERS affiliate logo made in limestone from southern Indiana. On their way home with the Hoosier paperweight in hand, Jan and Sharon decided to reactivate the affiliate. Ten years later they are still inviting and welcoming new members. Jan is the current president and if anyone wants to join the IROCF and the affiliate TEXT her 260-241-1478 or email her jdillerdoll@frontier.com. The Kewpiana Hoosiers are ready to welcome you with a Kewpie hug!
So, if Cupid’s arrow has pierced your heart with Kewpie love, know you are not alone!
Te amo Guadalupe Heriberto Hernandez!
Lois Levihn is the owner of Born Again Quilts. You may call/text her at 260-515-9446 or bornagainquilts@frontier.com
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