FIRST RUBBER DOLL AMERICAN CHARACTER DOLLS MUSEUM GRADE 1930 EDWARD G SCHAEFFER

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IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY MY GRANDFATHER EDWARD G SCHAEFFER WAS EXPERIMENTING WITH THE PROCESS OF VULCANIZATION WHEREBY RUBBER WOULD BE BOMBARDED WITH HEAT AND PRESSURE; COLLAPSING THE MOLECULES TIGHTER AND TIGHTER AND SLOWING OR EVEN PREVENTING THE EFFECT OF OZONE EATING AWAY AT THE RUBBER MOLECULES AND RENDERING THE MATERIAL CORRODED LIKE A RUBBER BAND LEFT OUT TOO LONG IN THE SUN. MY GRANDFATHER WAS SUCCEEDING WITH VULCANIZATION LIKE NO OTHER INVENTOR HAD DONE BEFORE AND HIS PROCESSES WERE BECOMING SO SUCCESSFUL THAT HE DECIDED TO EMPLOY HIS SUCCESS IN CREATING A RUBBER PRODUCT FOR COMMERCIAL USE. HIS FIRST CHOICE WOULD BE A SIMPLE 4" RUBBER DOLL FOR A CHILD TO PLAY WITH THAT WOULD DEFY THE CURRENT LAWS OF PHYSICS AND DENY THE EFFECTS OF OZONE AND EROSION AND REMAIN A PLIABLE RUBBER PRODUCT FOR EVER. THE MOLDS WERE TOOLED AND THE RUBBER WAS POURED AND THE RESULT WAS A LITTLE GIRL AND A LITTLE BOY DOLL THAT STILL TODAY NEARLY 90 YEARS LATER, THE RUBBER DOLLS ARE STILL IN INCREDIBLE CONDITION. MY GRANDFATHER THEN WENT ON TO CREATE THE WORLDS FIRST JOINTED AND FULLY ARTICULATED RUBBER DOLL WHICH WOULD BE THE MODEL FOR SO MANY DOLLS STILL IN USE TODAY. EDWARD SCHAEFFER WENT ON TO EVENTUALLY OWN THE AMERICAN CHARACTER DOLL CORPORATION AND CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SOME OF THE MOST WIDELY KNOWN AND WILDLY SUCCESSFUL TOYS THAT EVEN TODAY, REMAIN ICONIC. TINY TEARS WAS IN FACT ONE OF HIS FINEST ACHIEVEMENTS AND TODAY A MINT IN BOX EXAMPLE COSTS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. PLEASE VISIT GOOGLE PATENTS AND LOOK AT THE REGISTERED PATENTS AND INVENTIONS THAT MY GRANDFATHER IS MOST KNOWN FOR INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WORLD FAMOUS ROCK A BYE EYES THAT EVERYONE ON THE PLANET KNOWS OF AS WELL AS THE EARLY PATENTS FOR ARTICULATED LIMBS, VOICE BOXES AND MORE. AS GENIUSES OFTEN ARE, THERE WAS STILL A UNIVERSE LEFT TO CONQUER FOR MY GRANDFATHER AND HE BEGAN MANUFACTURING ELECTRICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL RUBBER PRODUCTS. HE LEFT AMERICAN CHARACTER AND BEGAN THE PARAGON RUBBER CORPORATION OF EASTHAMPTON MASSACHUSETTS. THIS FACTORY WITHIN A SHORT TIME WAS THE NUMBER ONE PRODUCER OF ELECTRIC PLUGS, 3 WAY ADAPTERS, TEST TUBE STOPPERS OF EVERY SIZE, CANE BOTTOMS, CHAIR LEG BOTTOMS AND DOZENS OF OTHER INVENTIONS FROM THE MIND OF THIS GENIUS THAT TODAY ARE STILL IN USE ALL OVER THE WORLD. HE INVENTED THE RUBBER ELECTRICAL INSULATION ON EXTENSION CORDS REPLACING THE FABRIC OR ASBESTOS COATING THAT WAS ON ALL ELECTRIC APPLIANCES ELECTRICAL WIRES. HE REPLACED ALL GLOBALLY USED CERAMIC PLUGS WITH FIRST RUBBER AND THEN EVENTUALLY INJECTION MOLDED PLASTIC ELECTRICAL PLUGS.  ALONG WITH HUGE ACHIEVEMENTS IN INJECTION MOLDING; HE BEGAN MAKING PLASTIC ELECTRICAL AND CAR PARTS FOR MAJOR US AUTO MANUFACTURERS. THE PARAGON RUBBER CORPORATION AND ITS TWO SUBSIDIARIES RHOADES RUBBER AND THE SPRING ACTION CORPORATION LASTED UNTIL THE 1980'S WHEN FOREIGN COMPETITION ENDED THIS GIANT FAMILY LEGACY. TODAY YOU GET TO SEE WHERE IT ALL STARTED AND WHAT CREATED THE EDWARD G SCHAEFFER EMPIRE. YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE WORLDS FIRST RUBBER DOLLS STILL UNCUT ON THEIR ORIGINAL FACTORY SHEETS PULLED FROM THE MOLDS OF THE AMERICAN CHARACTER DOLL CORPORATION IN BROOKLYN NEW YORK. THESE SHEETS ARE ABSOLUTELY AN AMERICAN TREASURE AND HAVE A TON OF HISTORY AS THEY ARE THE FIRST EVER USE OF VULCANIZED RUBBER FOR A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT. PLEASE LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS CAREFULLY AS THESE ARE PIECES OF HISTORY THAT CROSS OVER FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION AND ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEGINNINGS OF THE RUBBER DOLL ERA. THE FINAL PHOTO IS OF MY FATHER IN THE EARLY 1950'S AT A TRADE SHOW WHERE HE WOULD INTRODUCE NEW RUBBER PRODUCTS THAT PARAGON WAS AT THAT TIME CONSTANTLY INVENTING. THE IMAGE SHOWS MY FATHER SETTING UP THE BOOTH. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE THE RUBBER SHEETS OF THE FIST DOLLS ATTACHED TO THE BACK WALL OF THE PARAGON RUBBER BOOTH.