My grandmother gave me this many years ago. She said it belonged to one of my uncles (he died when I was 7). It’s supposed to be from Georgia Tech (I’m thinking that the “GTA” stands for Georgia Technical Academy?). Anyhoo, the tag on the back says “Another Personality Pet by Collegiate Mfg. Co. Ames, IA” I once e-mailed the chamber of commerce in Ames, but they were unable to locate any info on the company. C’mon Dopers, don’t let me down!
With all due respect to this doll’s connection with your family history, that has to be the creepiest, ugliest toy I have ever seen.
From http://www.dso.iastate.edu/dept/parentsassoc/handbook/history.htm :
It appears to be a defunct concern, since the only other mentions I could find online were newspaper archives from the Ames public library.
I can’t find anything through google that says that Georgia Tech was ever known at Georgia Technical Academy. Also, I can’t figure out why the dog, unless it has something do do with the UGA rivalry. The GATech mascot is the yellow jackets, by the way.
Sorry, wish I could be more help.
Soryy, gotta bump this up one and give another shot. Thank you for your patience.
I live here in atlanta and I’m gonna shoot this off to a couple a friends of mine who go to Tech.
E-mail me in couple of days and see If I got anything, ok?
Tyklfe
I have to agree with jayjay – that’s one ugly stuffed animal.
Anyway, I found this link from the Ames Public Library that has a picture of Chev Adams. Apparently, the Collegiate Manufacturing Co. used to make raincoats.
I wonder about the GTA being related to Georgia Tech. With monograms, isn’t the large middle letter usually the last name? Then the initials would be GAT.
If it is really Georgia Tech related, you may want to try the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.
I know this post is VERY old, but I ran across it during a google search and thought I’d update you.
http://www.kagavi.com/collegiate-manufacturing-company-of-ames/
The Collegiate mfg co. manufactured many, many college-related toys… I found two for the University of Michigan yesterday at a garage sale.
"Collegiate Manufacturing Company started in 1904 in the sleepy town of Ames and steadily increased in size to become the premier college souvenir manufacturer in America with “more than 150 employees.” At their peak, Collegiate “produced over 2,000 stuffed animals a day, selling to a fifty-state market as well as an overseas market. The silk screen processing department printed as many as 2,500 shirts daily.
As the Ames Tribune noted this summer, Collegiate also “contributed to the war effort during World War II, and won The President’s ‘E’ Award, which recognizes organizations that contribute to an increase in United States exports. While some branches of the company are still in operation, the majority closed down in the late 1980s. During the 1950s and ’60s, business was booming.
An Ames company, Collegiate Manufacturing was then the leading supplier of college souvenirs—pennants, blankets, and stuffed animals—in the nation. "