Petitcollin is a
French toy manufacturing company. It is the last French factory of Swimmers, Poupons and traditional dolls still operating. It still manufactures the plastic version of the swimming
doll
A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...
Petit Collin, production of which began around 1924-26.
History
In the early 1800s, Nicolas Petitcollin, the company's founder, manufactured horn combs in
Étain,
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
, France. Since 1864, the company has been headquartered in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Nicolas Petitcollin began working in
celluloid
Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common present-day ...
in the late 1800s. In 1901, the company adopted an eagle's head logo, which it retains to this day. It has been listed on the
Paris Stock Exchange
Euronext Paris, formerly known as the Paris Bourse (), is a regulated securities trading venue in France. It is Europe's second largest stock exchange by market capitalization, behind the London Stock Exchange, as of December 2023. As of 2022, th ...
since November 27, 1906. It began manufacturing dolls in 1912.
During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the factory in Étain was completely destroyed. Nonetheless Petitcollin thrived during the
interwar period
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
. Around 1924-1926, the Petitcollin company innovated by launching on the market a baby doll which can be bathed, the swimming doll "Petit Collin". With the arrival of
polyester resins, Petitcollin decided to specialize in manufacturing objects made from the material. In 1961 it became the first French manufacturer of polyester resin helmets, operating from a rebuilt factory in Étain.
In 1995, Vilac acquired the company, which became known as
SARL Jouets Petitcollin. The factory has been open to the public since 1998. It is the only operational doll factory in France; the company was given the
Label Entreprise du partimoine vivant (Living Heritage Company label) by the
French government
The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...
in 2007.
The association of local authorities around Étain built a museum dedicated to the brand; it opened in September 2009. On October 19, 2009, the French post office emitted a dolls stamps collection. A Petitcollin swimming doll appeared on one of them.
External links
Official website
Toy companies of France
Toy companies established in the 19th century
French brands
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