Teenie Weenies & Commercial Products
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Children loved Donahey’s Teenie Weenies Fantasy world by Jean Sparks Ducey for AntiqueWeek – Eastern Edition – Mon., Feb 28, 2000 William Donahey was born Oct. 10, 1883, in New Philadelphia, Ohio. The youngest of three boys, Bill and his brothers read the Bible, the Youth’s Companion, and the McGuffey’s Readers; but fairy tales were not allowed in their family. Bill often played by himself and created his own play world. Although his family could well afford store-bought toys, Bill had a collection of flat-headed screws that became real to him. “One screw I dabbed with red paint and called it the General. Another screw had an uneven head and was constantly failing down. That one I named the Dunce … I remember standing for hours before a Chinese laundry ... with a bit of string I made a queue on one of my screws.” He dated the inception of the Teenie Weenies to the year he was 8 and playing with this collection. After study at the Cleveland School of Art he began work in advertising and then moved on as an artist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper. He remembered a neighbor’s 3-year-old daughter who burst into tears while looking at comic strip pictures of a man kicking another man down the stairs. It made him think that there should be a strip more appropriate for children. When he suggested this, the managing editor turned him down saying, “Kids are just little savages and they like this kind of comics.” Donahey continued to lobby for a gentle comic strip, and the editor finally gave him a page in which he illustrated the Mother Goose rhymes, recasting the words in contemporary language. The page was popular and ran from 1910 to 1915.
Chicago Tribune editor Joseph Medill Patterson noticed the feature and invited Donahey to Chicago. Donahey remembered the early screw characters of his childhood as people 2 inches tall and began to write about them. Patterson was away when the first three drawings were ready. The editor who reviewed them said, “These stink! Take ‘em away!” Donahey, however, waited until Patterson could see them. He approved and ordered them printed on the first page of the section, removing all ads to do so. The first Teenie Weenie feature appeared in the June 14, 1914 issue of the Tribune in black and white. It was an overnight sensation and Patterson ordered it to continue in four colors. The Teenie Weenies and the other children’s features helped double the Tribune’s circulation from 1914 to 1921. Donahey was inundated with fan mail and answered each letter. He continued this practice throughout his career. His contract was generous. He earned $75 a week and worked at home exclusively on the Teenie Weenies. Patterson asked Donahey to go daily but the artist declined. He preferred the weekly schedule and said, “This way I enjoy doing it and the kids will like it, too. If I try to do a daily feature as well, I’d tire of it, and so would the kids.” Syndication of the Teenie Weenies began in 1923 with at least 30 newspapers in the United States and Canada carrying the feature. It was exported in 1916 to Cuba and plans were made to send it to European countries. In 1921, Donahey and Patterson experimented with involving readers by inviting children to color a panel. The 10 best would receive a prize. The mailroom was flooded with 37,000 pictures and they kept coming from China, South America and Europe for a long time.
In 1925, Donahey and his wife, Mary, bought a house in the Lincoln Park section of Chicago. Bill had his studio in a front room on the second floor. He set up a workshop in the cellar so he could build scale models of every contraption the Teenie Weenies used, to make sure the mechanisms he drew would really work. He also built a scale model log cabin, 34 inches by 20 inches by 20 inches high, with all its furnishings. In 1956 he donated it to the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus. Many businesses wanted to capitalize on the Teenie Weenies but Donahey refused until 1917, when he began a long correspondence with George Borgfeldt & Co., a manufacturer of high quality toys and novelties. This resulted in Borgfeldt’s marketing a great range of Teenie Weenies dolls of bisque and cloth, handkerchiefs, safety pins, furniture, picture story blocks, tin boxes and decalmonia. Now and then Donahey was involved with other consumer advertising. One
TO A TEENIE WEENIE an ash heap is a mountain. The General is the beloved ruler and commander in chief of the Teenie Weenie armed forces. He organizes all activities and settles all disputes, passing sentence most often on the Dunce, whose punishment is seldom harsher than bed without supper. This is the title page of The Teenie Weenies Under the Rosebush, Junior Edition, published by Rand McNally & Co. in 1940.
was a 1926 children’s apparel catalog with a line of clothing embroidered with Teenie Weenie designs. Donahey also became associated with an advertising campaign for Reid-Murdoch Co., a large packaged foods business. Reid launched a new line of Teenie Weenies products within its Monarch brand — Donahey was even given the right to conduct laboratory tests of any food bearing his name — and asked him to design labels, packages, magazine advertisements and even stationery in full color. In 1927, ReidMurdoch published an over sized booklet called The Teenie-Weenies: Their Book as a premium. Donahey developed close friendships with some of the Reid-Murdoch officers, but his happy relationship with the company came to an end when a Wisconsin concern appropriated a copyrighted drawing of the Teenie Weenies canning peas and used it on labels and ads without notifying or compensating Donahey. When he learned of this he engaged a New York law firm to fight for his rights. It cost him time and money but his lawyers failed to convince the judge. The ruling was based on a narrow interpretation of the Wisconsin company’s trademark registration. In 1936, he wrote: “... the federal courts decided that I had no right to my creation ... I could not expect Reid, Murdoch and Co. to advertise the business of a competitor, and to pay me for something others could take for nothing, so I withdrew the Teenie Weenies from their line of foods.” Around this time Bill and Mary bought a home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and went north every May and stayed until October. He wrote in a 1950 letter: “There are no near neighbors and it is 30 miles to the nearest railroad. The deer come around to the salt lick, which I have set up within sight of the cabin windows. I see bears ... and occasionally a timber wolf or a coyote. From the plant life, the animals
and the insects I get many ideas for my Teenie Weenies, for I spend much if my time roaming through the woods.” Bill and one of his Reid-Murdoch friends planned a surprise for Mary on the shore of Lake Superior. At dusk one day they went for a walk on the dunes of Grand Sable and Mary saw an odd shaped building with the Teenie Weenie logo on it. Suddenly a group of children dressed in Teenie Weenie costumes burst out of the door. A pintsized General greeted them with a fancy oration and presented them with the keys to a full- sized Teenie Weenie Barrel House and a barrel kitchen next door. The Reid-Murdoch friend had this idea from the advertisement for Teenie Weenie pickles, which were sold, in small oak casks. This large cask stood 16 feet tall and had two stories. The other, half as high, was a kitchen stocked with a full line of Monarch brand foods. Almost immediately, hundreds of visitors found them. The Donaheys dealt with it patiently until photos went out over the wire services. Then they found it impossible to cope and locked the barrel each Sunday and went away into the woods. After 10 summers the, attention was too much and they gave the barrel to a merchant in Grand Marais, four miles away, who set it up as an information center. Later it was deeded to the town, where it served, for a time as a visitors’ kiosk, before being moved yet again and falling into disrepair. 1964 marked the Teenie Weenies’ jubilee year, much covered by the press. One trade journal said that the feature was “the oldest in the country drawn continuously by the same artist.” The Chicago Tribune published an anniversary article which resulted in countless messages of congratulations
In 1969, Donahey was ready to retire. He drew his last feature for the paper in November. A proof was dated, in his own handwriting, for publication on Feb. 2, 1970. He died at Michael Reese Hospital on Feb. 1. Where are all the Teenie Weenie books today? They rarely come on the market and when found, range in price from $50 to $355, and from fourth printings with rubbed corners to fine first editions. During the 1920s the first five trade books sold nearly 30,000 copies and the two primers were in steady demand. The Junior Editions in 1941 sold over 150,000 copies in the first six months, and better than 100,000 copies in the next half period. IN DOWN THE RIVER real war is fought against the dread Saboes. These wild men have kidnapped two Teenie Weenies who must be rescued. When the wild men raise the white flag of surrender, the Teenie Weenies are kind in victory to their prisoners and work toward future peace. This title page is from the 1940 Junior Edition published by Rand McNally & Co.
Children loved the illustrations. Each picture showed a large object from their real world as a reference point. The Teenie Weenies canoe in peapods in the runoff from a drain
spout or they go riding on the cat’s back. There are 26 named Teenie Weenies living in the cluster of houses under the overgrown rosebush as well as many other unnamed, all women and children. There is respect for elders, deference to women, kindness to children, birds and animals, and cooperation with one another. Topical matters such as rationing and DDT and the atom bomb have some influence on their lives, and there are thunderstorms, but no severe weather as the four seasons come and go. Like the much beloved characters in “Peanuts,” the Teenie Weenies never age and never die.
Chicago Tribune editor Joseph Medill Patterson noticed the feature and invited Donahey to Chicago. Donahey remembered the early screw characters of his childhood as people 2 inches tall and began to write about them. Patterson was away when the first three drawings were ready. The editor who reviewed them said, “These stink! Take ‘em away!” Donahey, however, waited until Patterson could see them. He approved and ordered them printed on the first page of the section, removing all ads to do so. The first Teenie Weenie feature appeared in the June 14, 1914 issue of the Tribune in black and white. It was an overnight sensation and Patterson ordered it to continue in four colors. The Teenie Weenies and the other children’s features helped double the Tribune’s circulation from 1914 to 1921. Donahey was inundated with fan mail and answered each letter. He continued this practice throughout his career. His contract was generous. He earned $75 a week and worked at home exclusively on the Teenie Weenies. Patterson asked Donahey to go daily but the artist declined. He preferred the weekly schedule and said, “This way I enjoy doing it and the kids will like it, too. If I try to do a daily feature as well, I’d tire of it, and so would the kids.” Syndication of the Teenie Weenies began in 1923 with at least 30 newspapers in the United States and Canada carrying the feature. It was exported in 1916 to Cuba and plans were made to send it to European countries. In 1921, Donahey and Patterson experimented with involving readers by inviting children to color a panel. The 10 best would receive a prize. The mailroom was flooded with 37,000 pictures and they kept coming from China, South America and Europe for a long time.
In 1925, Donahey and his wife, Mary, bought a house in the Lincoln Park section of Chicago. Bill had his studio in a front room on the second floor. He set up a workshop in the cellar so he could build scale models of every contraption the Teenie Weenies used, to make sure the mechanisms he drew would really work. He also built a scale model log cabin, 34 inches by 20 inches by 20 inches high, with all its furnishings. In 1956 he donated it to the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus. Many businesses wanted to capitalize on the Teenie Weenies but Donahey refused until 1917, when he began a long correspondence with George Borgfeldt & Co., a manufacturer of high quality toys and novelties. This resulted in Borgfeldt’s marketing a great range of Teenie Weenies dolls of bisque and cloth, handkerchiefs, safety pins, furniture, picture story blocks, tin boxes and decalmonia. Now and then Donahey was involved with other consumer advertising. One
TO A TEENIE WEENIE an ash heap is a mountain. The General is the beloved ruler and commander in chief of the Teenie Weenie armed forces. He organizes all activities and settles all disputes, passing sentence most often on the Dunce, whose punishment is seldom harsher than bed without supper. This is the title page of The Teenie Weenies Under the Rosebush, Junior Edition, published by Rand McNally & Co. in 1940.
was a 1926 children’s apparel catalog with a line of clothing embroidered with Teenie Weenie designs. Donahey also became associated with an advertising campaign for Reid-Murdoch Co., a large packaged foods business. Reid launched a new line of Teenie Weenies products within its Monarch brand — Donahey was even given the right to conduct laboratory tests of any food bearing his name — and asked him to design labels, packages, magazine advertisements and even stationery in full color. In 1927, ReidMurdoch published an over sized booklet called The Teenie-Weenies: Their Book as a premium. Donahey developed close friendships with some of the Reid-Murdoch officers, but his happy relationship with the company came to an end when a Wisconsin concern appropriated a copyrighted drawing of the Teenie Weenies canning peas and used it on labels and ads without notifying or compensating Donahey. When he learned of this he engaged a New York law firm to fight for his rights. It cost him time and money but his lawyers failed to convince the judge. The ruling was based on a narrow interpretation of the Wisconsin company’s trademark registration. In 1936, he wrote: “... the federal courts decided that I had no right to my creation ... I could not expect Reid, Murdoch and Co. to advertise the business of a competitor, and to pay me for something others could take for nothing, so I withdrew the Teenie Weenies from their line of foods.” Around this time Bill and Mary bought a home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and went north every May and stayed until October. He wrote in a 1950 letter: “There are no near neighbors and it is 30 miles to the nearest railroad. The deer come around to the salt lick, which I have set up within sight of the cabin windows. I see bears ... and occasionally a timber wolf or a coyote. From the plant life, the animals
and the insects I get many ideas for my Teenie Weenies, for I spend much if my time roaming through the woods.” Bill and one of his Reid-Murdoch friends planned a surprise for Mary on the shore of Lake Superior. At dusk one day they went for a walk on the dunes of Grand Sable and Mary saw an odd shaped building with the Teenie Weenie logo on it. Suddenly a group of children dressed in Teenie Weenie costumes burst out of the door. A pintsized General greeted them with a fancy oration and presented them with the keys to a full- sized Teenie Weenie Barrel House and a barrel kitchen next door. The Reid-Murdoch friend had this idea from the advertisement for Teenie Weenie pickles, which were sold, in small oak casks. This large cask stood 16 feet tall and had two stories. The other, half as high, was a kitchen stocked with a full line of Monarch brand foods. Almost immediately, hundreds of visitors found them. The Donaheys dealt with it patiently until photos went out over the wire services. Then they found it impossible to cope and locked the barrel each Sunday and went away into the woods. After 10 summers the, attention was too much and they gave the barrel to a merchant in Grand Marais, four miles away, who set it up as an information center. Later it was deeded to the town, where it served, for a time as a visitors’ kiosk, before being moved yet again and falling into disrepair. 1964 marked the Teenie Weenies’ jubilee year, much covered by the press. One trade journal said that the feature was “the oldest in the country drawn continuously by the same artist.” The Chicago Tribune published an anniversary article which resulted in countless messages of congratulations
In 1969, Donahey was ready to retire. He drew his last feature for the paper in November. A proof was dated, in his own handwriting, for publication on Feb. 2, 1970. He died at Michael Reese Hospital on Feb. 1. Where are all the Teenie Weenie books today? They rarely come on the market and when found, range in price from $50 to $355, and from fourth printings with rubbed corners to fine first editions. During the 1920s the first five trade books sold nearly 30,000 copies and the two primers were in steady demand. The Junior Editions in 1941 sold over 150,000 copies in the first six months, and better than 100,000 copies in the next half period. IN DOWN THE RIVER real war is fought against the dread Saboes. These wild men have kidnapped two Teenie Weenies who must be rescued. When the wild men raise the white flag of surrender, the Teenie Weenies are kind in victory to their prisoners and work toward future peace. This title page is from the 1940 Junior Edition published by Rand McNally & Co.
Children loved the illustrations. Each picture showed a large object from their real world as a reference point. The Teenie Weenies canoe in peapods in the runoff from a drain
spout or they go riding on the cat’s back. There are 26 named Teenie Weenies living in the cluster of houses under the overgrown rosebush as well as many other unnamed, all women and children. There is respect for elders, deference to women, kindness to children, birds and animals, and cooperation with one another. Topical matters such as rationing and DDT and the atom bomb have some influence on their lives, and there are thunderstorms, but no severe weather as the four seasons come and go. Like the much beloved characters in “Peanuts,” the Teenie Weenies never age and never die.
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