British Pathe

Rosebud Mattel toy factory, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

M/S of J.R. Ashby, the Finance Director of Rosebud Dolls, sits writing at a desk. Suddenly, about eight walking dollies (toys, not birds) in pink dresses come waddling along on the floor. John Dennis, the Factory Manager, enters,...

Rosebud Mattel toy factory, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

M/S of J.R. Ashby, the Finance Director of Rosebud Dolls, sits writing at a desk. Suddenly, about eight walking dollies (toys, not birds) in pink dresses come waddling along on the floor. John Dennis, the Factory Manager, enters, picks up a doll and discusses it with the man at the desk.

Various shots show the making of the dolls in the factory: the heads are sculpted in plasticine; the plastic heads (moulded from the plasticine) have blonde hair sewn onto them and lips and eyebrows spray-painted on through a mask. The designer sculpting a doll's head is Peter Nevett. Nice M/S of eye-less heads travelling along a conveyor belt; the eyes are then inserted into the eye-holes, and a young girl combs the hair into a fashionable (rather bouffant) style. Another girl, Sharon Liggins, fits a little '60s dress onto a black doll.

We see a finished doll that cries when you pull its arm (not very nice, is it?). Three talking dolls have their strings pulled and 'speak'; Bugs Bunny and Dr. Doolittle introduce themselves; Chatty Cathy seems a little confused - in an overdubbed voice she says "My name is Rosebud" - I expect mentioning her real name would have been advertising. The three toys all speak again, then Bugs says "I'm sleepy".

Note: on file is correspondence from the PR officer for Rosebud Mattel; Pathe evidently bought some of the dolls from this story and donated them to the Variety Club's toy fund. Cuts exist - see separate record.

Information provided by Alwyn York, who worked at Rosebud Dolls from 1958 until their closedown in 1982.

Rosebud Dolls always showed at the British Toy Fair and Mr. York believes this video was a preview for the Toy Show and confirmed that it was filmed at the Westfield Road Factory, Wellingborough. Rosebud Dolls became Mattel Ltd. and then Burbank Toys Ltd. (part of the DCM group).