Vintage Thingies Thursdays: Vintage Toy Dog

I have a cute little dog to share this week for Vintage Thingies Thursday. Believe me when I say this toy pup has been loved and cherished for many decades. Likewise, the memories of the original owner of this little dog always warms my heart. You see, this little dog belonged to my paternal grandmother, my Memaw. I remember her having this little pup for as far back as I can recall. That being said, trust me... It's vintage.

I took a picture of the marking on this little dog. You will see the same marking is on the underside of the dog's mouth. I tried to Google this marking, but came up with nothing.
The marking says....the best that I can tell....

Blue Ribbon Shoes & NOV. Co., Inc. "BI" with a circle C in the middle.

Notice that the marking is on the underneath side of the dog's body as well as the head.



I am not sure about the "NOV" even being correct, my "vintage eyes" are failing me this morning. I am assuming that stands for novelty, but maybe not. This may be why I can not find anything on it....perhaps once again, someone out there can offer some info on the maker.

I wish I knew where my grandmother got this little dog. I am quiet sure that I asked her at least a dozen times, but I just can not pull that memory from my brain. I do however, remember she kept this little dog on a shelf in her hall closet. I remember playing with it when I was younger. I was intrigued by the moving legs and could pose this little dog in a standing position. See....like this.

I bet this dog was posed in this position hundreds of times.

I wonder if this could have been a give-a-way if you purchased a certain type of shoe. I first thought of Buster Brown, and the cute little dog in the logo, but I am just not sure. I do however, remember the only shoe store in my grandparents town. It was on Main Street, with large plate glass windows, and the Red Goose Shoes sign on the front of the store. Just like this one.

I can still see that little store, with its hardwood floors, its round shoe displays of "grandma" looking shoes, and the large golden egg that was displayed in the window...funny what you can recall from your childhood when you stop and think about things.

I wonder as I write this, where my grandmother got this dog, and was it as special to her as it is to me? Did she worry when we played with this little dog that we would destroy him? Why did she keep it in her hall closet? All I know is my Memaw never said we could not play with this little guy, but then again, my memaw would never have said no to us, no matter what. I guess as small children, we just knew to take care of him. Boy, am I glad we did.

I hope you enjoyed looking at this little vintage dog today on Vintage Thingie Thursday. Be sure to check out Confessions of an Apron Queen's blog and take a look at all the other great vintage treasures that are on display, and read about their stories. You will be glad you did.