Multi-headed dolls come in two main types. Either the head can be removed and replaced with another, or the doll actually has two heads, usually with one at either end where the head not on show is covered by the doll’s clothing. The earliest patent for a doll with detachable heads is French – Le Tort in 1849

This multi-headed and multi-limbed doll was made in England by the Doll Pottery Company in about 1918. This was one of the few companies set up in England during WWI to produce ceramic doll parts. The set includes parts for a dark-skinned boy and two pale-skinned girls. The heads are sewn or pinned to the stuffed cloth body through holes on the shoulder plate. The stoneware lower limbs are fastened with cord or thread to the fabric upper limbs. The cotton body is stamped Exchange Dolls Protected.

The Doll Pottery Company Ltd was based in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire England and had a showroom at 49 Hatton Garden, London. The company was registered on December 16th 1915. It made china doll’s heads and limbs and one of its trademarks was Cecily. Many of the better quality heads were made from classic designs by well-known artists. Special models were also made to customers’ own designs. New models introduced in 1917 included clowns, pierrots and black dolls. By 1920 the company was making fully jointed dolls in three sizes. The company closed in April 1922.