06/03/2026
If you haven’t met yet, let me introduce you to The Yellow Kid! I’ve had this little doll for a couple of years now, and he is currently sitting in a front booth across from the check out counter at Route 11 Antique Mall, Hagerstown, MD.
Richard Outcault’s Hogan’s Alley comic introduced the world to the lovable Mickey Dugan, a bald, snaggle-toothed little boy in an over-sized yellow shirt, living in an alley typical of the slums in New York City at the turn of the 19th/20th century. The first Hogan’s Alley was filled with equally odd characters, mostly other children, but Mickey’s , ragged, peculiar ghetto slang was printed on his shirt, leading to the first “speech balloon”, and frequently lampooned advertising billboards and political issues of the day. These sensationalist commentaries became labeled “Yellow Journalism”.
Although the comic strip ended in 1897, the popularity of The Yellow Kid led to a long line of popular products, from chewing gum to to***co and household objects. One of the longer lasting collectibles was a collectible “Scrip” card for kids, where they could send in their collected cards no later than December of 1933 to get...a dollar!
This doll is from just around 1900, made of composition, with moving joints and a very fragile crepe paper shirt. I have only seen one other like it, in a photograph of a museum collection. Our little cutie (he is NOT scary or haunted, he told me himself!) is available for sale. One Scrip card is included in the sale. You can inquire directly at Route 11 Antique Mall, or send a message to Nikki Rouse here on FB.
