Simon Halbig Dolls

The Simon & Halbig porcelain company was founded in 1839 by Wilhelm Simon and Carl Halbig. Located in the Thuringia region of Germany, they began to produce bisque doll heads in 1869. These doll heads were of higher quality than those of their competitors, and Simon & Halbig produced doll heads for many other manufacturers.

Simon & Halbig began to produce bisque shoulder head dolls beginning in 1870. These heads had molded hair and either painted or glass eyes. They also made a socket-head doll with a shoulder plate that was sold in France. The company began to produce character-like dolls in 1880, giving their dolls character expressions and closed mouths. Later, Simon & Halbig dolls were manufactured with a dolly-face look.

Simon & Halbig began to create baby dolls and distinctive character dolls in the early 1900s. The company operated independently until 1920 when they were purchased by Kämmer & Reinhardt, who continued to produce dolls until 1932. After 1932, the Simon and Halbig factory was renamed Keramisches Werk Gräfenhain and continued to manufacture dolls until 1943.

Quick Facts

• Simon & Halbig manufactured bisque doll heads for many other doll companies in both Europe and the United States. These companies included Kämmer & Reinhardt, Bing Brothers, Cuno & Otto Dressel, Schoenau & Hoffmeister, Jumeau, Arranbee, FAO Schwartz, and many others
• The mark SH was used on dolls produced before 1905. Beginning in that year, the mark was changed to S&H. This mark often appears along with the mark of the doll maker who purchased the doll heads from Simon & Halbig
• Simon & Halbig only manufactured doll heads and bisque lower limbs for dolls. They did not produce doll bodies or complete dolls. The exception to this is the line of all bisque dolls that the company manufactured, which are considered to be quite rare