The trademark “Revalo” came from the surname of one of the owners. The doll company was established in either 1897 or 1912 on some doll reference materials. It was founded by the brothers Hinrick and Jonny Paulas Gerhard Ohlhaver. The company’s name was the phonetically reversed spelling of their surname. Around 1913, the company started selling jointed dolls and they sourced their doll heads from porcelain factories like Gebruder Heubach, Ernst Heubach, and Porzellanfabrik Mengersgereuth. Pozellanfabrik was also known for its dolls marked with an X inside a circle.
Some Revalo dolls also have a mark “Igodi” which signified the patent for Johann Gottlieb Dierich’s swivel head dolls. The known mold numbers used on these dolls were: 150, 151, 10727, and 11010.
Here are some of Revalo dolls’ markings:
1) Revalo (size number) (DEP)
2) Revalo (DEP)
3) Mold Number (Germany)
4) Germany (Revalo)
5) Revalo (Germany)
6) A pyramid with an eye icon at the base (Germany) (Mold Number)
The company sold several doll types like the Bebe Princess, Dolly Face, Character Babies, and Character Child dolls. These measured from 8 to 28 inches tall with jointed composition bodies. Although the Ohlhaver brothers were late entrants to the doll manufacturing business, the Revalo company was reported to have the largest factory in Sonneberg in 1925. Revalo had been manufacturing 6,000 dolls per week with most of its production focused on crafting doll bodies, clothes, and wigs. The bisque heads were still ordered from major porcelain factories.
They marketed the distinguishable thinner and longer faced girl dolls and they advertised these as the “Queen of Dolls”. Collectors of Revalo dolls would usually go for these types as these are structured differently than the other dolly face dolls of other doll companies. The dolls usually had open or closed mouth, some with teeth showing from its slightly smiling mouth, human or mohair wig, some may have painted molded hair, glass sleep eyes with hair upper lashes and painted lower ones.
Owning a Revalo doll could really be a good addition to your collection or perhaps an heirloom to the next generation. There is always a piece of history kept intact through these highly collectible elegant dolls. Collecting vintage dolls is not purely for investment but also a way of keeping a part of history alive through these dolls design and elegant period clothing. Anyone who might be interested in starting a collection of Revalo dolls, online auctions are a good way to easily start acquiring rare and great pieces. However before you purchase one, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the prices and the markings to verify the doll’s authenticity.
