Mariquita Pérez was a Spanish

composition doll A composition doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of Composition (manufacturing material), composition, a composite material composed of sawdust, glue, and other materials such as cornstarch, resin and wood flour. The first composition dol ...

created in the late 1930s and produced until 1976, considered the most famous doll in the country's history. It was created by the

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

woman Leonor Coello de Portugal, who was inspired by other dolls such as the French Bleuette and the Argentine Marilú. Mariquita Pérez was an immediate success and became the most coveted doll of 1940s and 1950s Spain, although its high cost made it a toy reserved for girls from the wealthier families. The doll is regarded as emblematic of post-war Spanish society and representative of the era's

upper classes Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...

. Nevertheless, Mariquita Pérez had great popularity across all social classes, as her image was spread through songs, radio programmes and elaborate

shop window Shop or shopping may refer to: Business and commerce * A casual word for a commerce , commercial establishment or for a place of business * Machine shop, a workshop for machining *"In the shop", referring to a car being at an Automobile repair sh ...

s. Today, the doll is a prized object for collectors and for women who were unable to acquire it during their childhood.

History

Despite its popularity, the origin of Mariquita Pérez is unknown, although there are different versions to explain it. According to writers Salud Amores and Alicia Amigó, evidence suggests that the doll was first produced in the workshops of the manufacturer Florido in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. There is also a widespread version that places its origin in the town of

Onil ''For people with the given name, see Onil (given name).'' Onil (; ) is a town and municipality located in the comarca of L'Alcoià, in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain. It has an area of 48.41 km2 and, according to th ...

. Interviewed by

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española (''Spanish Radio and Television'', RTVE), is the Spanish national public Broadcasting, television and radio broadcaster. It is a state-owned enterprise f ...

, Amores and Amigó pointed out that the doll was launched on the market in the autumn of 1940, so the conception of the product must have taken place between 1939 and 1940, following the end of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. Other writers suggest that it was created in 1938. Mariquita Pérez was created by the

woman Leonor Coello de Portugal, who was inspired by other dolls that were popular in Europe and the Americas, like the French Bleuette and the Argentine Marilú.

References

{{Dolls Doll brands