Collectors seek out Madame Alexander dolls because of their unique characteristics, including composite bodies, painted features, and distinctive face molds. Some Madame Alexander dolls, such as the 1956/1957 Cissy doll, even wear haute couture.

Antique Madame Alexander dolls: Generally, Madame Alexander dolls made before the 1930s are considered to be antique Madame Alexander dolls.   
Collectible Madame Alexander dolls: The word “collectible” can refer to many different things, but collectible Madame Alexander dolls are those that were made more than 25 but less than 75 years ago.    
Modern Madame Alexander dolls: Dolls made within the last 25 years are considered to be modern Madame Alexander dolls.   
Contemporary Madame Alexander dolls: Any dolls in current production are considered to be contemporary dolls.

Vintage Madame Alexander Dolls on sale today:

Madame Alexander created a variety of dolls, including:

Cloth Madame Alexander dolls: In the 1930s, Madame Alexander began her doll making with cloth dolls. One of the earliest Madame Alexander dolls is the Alice in Wonderland doll. The authenticated version has hand-painted features on a flat cloth face, a yellow yarn wig, and an organdy apron over a blue-and-white dress.    

Composition Madame Alexander dolls: After introducing cloth dolls, Madame Alexander began making composition dolls. These are made up of a mixture of several compounds (such as sawdust, paper, glue, and plaster of paris). Examples of composition dolls include Tiny Betty and Little Betty, Betty, Wendy Ann, and Princess Elizabeth. Examples of “personality” composition dolls include Sonja Henie, Jane Withers, Juanita Quigley, the Dionne Quintuplets, and Margaret O’Brien.    

Hard-plastic Madame Alexander dolls: Madame Alexander made the transition from composition to hard-plastic dolls in 1948. The first dolls were made of hard plastic painted in skin tones. Later dolls were made of rose-colored plastic, which added durability and eliminated the crazing, or fine cracking of the finish that used to occur. Hard-plastic dolls from the post-WWII era tend to have sharper, more defined features. Examples of this type of doll include Maggie, Margaret, Cissy, Lissy, and Elise.