Dolls of the Century

 

Sonja Henie 

Madame Alexander first manufactured her "Sonja Henie" doll in 1939. She came in all sizes and was made of composition. Sonja had many costumes and accessories. This doll had a special mold (face) that was never used for any other doll.

Biography of Sonja

Sonja was born in Oslo, Norway on April 8, 1912.

Sonja's father, Wilhelm Henie, was born in Kristiana (now Oslo), Norway in 1876. Sonja's mother was Selma Nielson.

Both Wilhelm and Selma inherited "old money," and Wilhelm's fur business was very successful. They were able to give Sonja the best in training, and were easily able to finance her travels and other expenses in amateur skating.

Sonja had one sibling: her brother Leif, five years her senior.

It was Leif who introduced Sonja to ice skating, when Sonja was just a toddler. Sonja took to the ice, and won her first championship at age 5; a children's ice skating competition in which she won first place, receiving a pearl-handled silver letter opener, which she cherished all her life.

At the age of nine, Sonja won the Norway national amateur skating championship. Sonja competed in the 1924 Olympics at the age of 12, but placed last, even though one judge graded her 1st place in free skating.

Sonja won her first world championship in the winter of 1926/27, at the age of 14, becoming the youngest ever to win that competition. She would win 10 consecutive world championships from 1927 through 1936.

Sonja won the Gold Medal at the 1928 Olympics, and her life would never be the same. She would win a total of three consecutive Gold Medals in the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics.

In March 1936, immediately after winning her third Gold Medal in the 1936 Olympics, Sonja went professional, signing an agreement with Arthur M. Wirtz and beginning with a benefit performance at Madison Square Garden, which ended up becoming a national tour. The tour culminated in a two-night stand at the Polar Palace in Hollywood, skillfully arranged by her father, Wilhelm, so as to ensure that every star and producer in Hollywood showed up. The result was a 5-year contract at 20th Century-Fox.

Sonja was an immediate hit with her first film, "One in a Million." She was ranked 8th in the box office polls for 1937 and second in 1938, but afterward her popularity began to slip. Fox pulled out all the stops for Sonja's seventh film, "Sun Valley Serenade," and it was a major hit. Sonja's original contract with Fox was due to terminate shortly after the release of "Sun Valley Serenade" in 1941. But, due to the success of that film, Fox offered Sonja a new contract. Her final films made money, but were far from being hits.
Sonia Henie

This beautiful "Sonja Henie"belongs to
Sharon McDowell of California.

Winner of a "Judge's Choice"and "Blue Ribbon".
(1996 Madame Alexander Doll Club Convention)
 

By 1947, it was estimated that more than 15 million people had paid more than $25,000,000 to see Sonja skate in her Hollywood Ice Revues. Sonja was one of the wealthiest women on earth. Sonja's last movie, "The Countess of Monte Cristo," was released in 1948 after several years in the works.

Sonja died of leukemia on October 12, 1969. She was 57 years old. Her estate was willed to the Henie Onstad Art Center (Henie Onstad Kunstsenter), just outside Oslo, Norway. The art center was a project which Sonja and Niels worked on during most of the 1960s, and houses most of their art collection as well as all of Sonja's trophies and medals. Sonja was buried near there.

Sonja had no children. At the time of her death, she was survived by her husband, Niels Onstad, her brother Leif and his three sons.

Information and magazine cover courtesy of
Sonja Henie Snapshots.

I hope to adding more information soon. I will describe the Dionne Quintuplets, Jane Withers, Juanita Quigley and others. If you would like to read about Margaret O'Brien, just go here.