Celluloid Schildkrot Turtle Doll. It has articulated head, arms and legs. The eyes are  pinted, vibrant facial coloration, ajar mouth, molded painted hair This doll arrived in my hands in perfect condition only the rubbers have been changed. It measures about 32 cm.

The body and the head have the drawing of a turtle inside a diamond . Mark attributed to Schildkröt. It has a mark of some letters IC–SA. Brand attributed to Ibérica Comercial.

The Schildkröt Brand

Established in Bavaria in 1873 by Friedrich Bensinger, the Reinische Gummi-und Celluloid Fabrik was the major producer of celluloid in Germany.

Schildkrote is the German word for turtle, and the company’s main trademark was a walking turtle encased in a diamond, which was molded on the doll necks and bodies like Celluloid schildkrot turtle doll.

Therfore the mark is raised. In some cases the diamond is omitted, or the turtle is enclosed in a circle, square, oval, triangle, or hexagon. Other manufacturers of celluloid also used the trademark of a turtle therfore to represent durability, however, the raiser turtle-in-a-diamond was exclusive to the Rheinische Gummi und Celluloid -Fabrik.

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 schildkrot turtle 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 schildkrot turtle 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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