Celluloid  ICSA  Doll  of the 50s. This doll came to my hands disassembled. The rubbers have been changed. It measures about 33 cm.

The doll has a mark on the nape with the letters IC-SA . Attributed to the Iberica Commercial brand.

The ICSA Brand

IBÉRICA COMERCIAL, was founded in Barcelona in 1918. The company was created by the young Otto Katzenstein Schwarz, a German fully integrated into the Barcelona society of the time. He held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of “Ibérica Comercial” (ICSA) until his death in 1950.

In the brand a winged helmet of Hermes (Mercury in Roman mythology) appears in its initial logo, since this is the God of Alchemy, like Celluloid ICSA Doll

However, in 1935 they applied for the registration of the patent for “A PROCEDURE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF DOLLS, BABYS, FIGURES, ANIMALS AND SIMILAR ITEMS, USING SPECIAL MOLDS WITH STEAM PRESSURE”. What we know today as a blow molding machine, which is used to manufacture all kinds of plastic objects and which at that time would be used with celluloid, since plastic would appear later, in the 1950s. .

Firstly, 1946 they were announced as “Fine Celluloid Factory”. In the 1950s, the dolls, “Linda”, “Luisito”, and especially the better-known “Merceditas de España”, were widely publicized, inspired by Otto’s own daughter, Mercedes, who would compete in popularity with the “Mariquita Pérez”, like Celluloid ICSA Doll

Later in  the early 70s, the company began to have difficulties marketing its dolls with the same success as in previous years and in 1976, we do not know exactly why, but the company stoped the manufacturing and selling of its products, although it continued to be officially registered. until 1980.

We probably can’t tell which was the first doll ICSA made, nor which was the last.

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