The Happy Family Movable Picture Book – Slot-In Paper Doll Book (c.1920)
Publisher: Buzza Company, Minneapolis
Date: Circa 1920
Format: Softcover, stiff pictorial wraps
Size: 7 x 9.5 inches (4to)
Condition:
Very Good. All five original removable cardboard figures are present—a rarity for books of this type. Pages and slots show light expected wear, but nothing detracting from display or function.
Description:
This charming early novelty book features five freestanding paper doll figures designed to be inserted beneath printed white arrows on each spread. Each page includes a full-color illustration, a whimsical rhyme, and a designated space where the matching figure can be placed, moved, or jiggled—adding interactivity and delight.
Figures can be fully removed, making this a hybrid between a movable book and a paper doll playset. Because these figures were meant to be detached and handled, surviving complete sets are extremely rare.
Collector’s Corner:
An unusual and visually engaging example of early 20th-century American movable books, The Happy Family Movable Picture Book stands out as one of the few known “slot doll” titles issued by the Buzza Company. The Buzza Company, more widely known for its greeting cards and art prints, produced very few children’s books—making this a particularly scarce and desirable title among collectors of paper dolls, Buzza ephemera, and movable picture books.
Collector’s Corner:
George Buzza founded the Buzza Company in 1907 in Minneapolis, initially specializing in college posters and promotional signs for retail stores. As demand for these products declined, Buzza pivoted to greeting card production—a decision that ultimately made his company the second-largest greeting card manufacturer in the U.S. by the late 1920s. Renowned for his pioneering use of bold, multi-color lithography, Buzza introduced an innovative aesthetic that became his hallmark.
In 1928, the Buzza Company merged with the Charles S. Clark Company of New York City. The following year, George Buzza sold his interest and retired to California. While the company continued under new leadership, Buzza’s original creative vision left a lasting impact.
Although primarily known for greeting cards, Buzza produced a small number of highly original movable and novelty books, which are now scarce and highly collectible. Known titles include:
My Peek-a-Boo Show Book
An interactive toy book featuring eight thick cardboard scenes with die-cut openings. These could be overlaid with any of six paper pages at the back of the book, allowing children to mix text and images in a playful, story-building format.
My Whirligig Fair Book (1929)
A rare movable book with cogged wheels on the sides that rotate to change the images in the scenes. It originally came housed in a pictorial box and is extremely difficult to find complete.
Let’s Play Circus: Another Peek-a-Boo Book (1928)
Illustrated by Carrie Dudley and produced as a Gordon Volland title presented by Buzza. This inventive double-binding book uses thick board leaves with peepshow-style cutouts to reveal interchangeable text and illustrations on thinner pages bound on the opposite side.
Mother Goose in Motion Pictures
Created in the same interactive format as The Happy Family, this title featured removable cardboard figures and slots to animate traditional nursery rhymes.
The Happy Family Movable Picture Book offered here is among the most elusive of Buzza’s interactive works—particularly in complete condition with all five original removable figures present. Given the fragility of these slot-style dolls, intact examples are exceptionally rare
More about Buzza:
The Buzza Company, founded by George E. Buzza in Minneapolis, Minnesota, began printing greeting cards in 1910. Initially, the company produced college advertising posters, books, and framed mottos, pioneering the use of color and diverse paper types in their products. In 1923, the Buzza Company acquired a building at 1006 West Lake Street in Minneapolis, originally constructed in 1907 for the Self-Threading Needle Company. To accommodate rapid growth, the company expanded the facility with two additions and a six-story tower emblazoned with "BUZZA." By the late 1920s, Buzza had become the nation's second-largest greeting card company, employing several hundred workers and sponsoring employee sports teams.
In 1928, George Buzza sold 52% of his stock and relocated to California, where he partnered with a former associate to establish the Hollywood-based Buzza-Cardozo greeting card company.
The Buzza Company's fortunes declined during the Great Depression, leading to its closure in 1942. Subsequently, the Minneapolis building was utilized by the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company for World War II production.
In 2012, the Buzza Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its historical significance in the greeting card industry and its architectural value.
References:
Nokohaha Blog. (2011, March 24). The Buzza Building. Retrieved from https://www.nokohaha.com/2011/03/24/the-buzza-building/
Historical Marker Database. (n.d.). Buzza Building. Retrieved from https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240629
Laurel Cottage Genealogy. (n.d.). History of Greeting Cards. Retrieved from https://www.laurelcottagegenealogy.com/?tag=history-of-greeting-cardsWikipedia. (n.d.).
Buzza Company Building. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzza_Company_Building
AbeBooks UK. (n.d.). Let’s Play Circus: Another Peek-A-Boo Book. Retrieved from https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/the-peek-a-boo-circus