Pronunciation of "kewpie doll"

Factual Questions
1

Of course I am referring to the once-ubiquitous “kewpie doll” of yore. I have seen “kewpie” in print, but I don’t know that I’ve ever heard it pronounced.

At first, I figured it was “CUE-pee,” but then it occurred to me that maybe “kewpie” was a bastardization of “cutie pie.” If so, maybe the “-pie” at the end is pronounced with a long “i” like the word “pie.”

Honestly now, I don’t play with dolls or anything. It just bugs me not knowing something, and I figure that as many times as I have seen “kewpie” in print, I ought to know how to pronounce it.

Anyone have the straight dope?

2

http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=kewpie

I’m the opposite of you; I heard it pronounced before I saw it spelled out. I can’t tell you how many incorrect spelling guesses I made. :stuck_out_tongue:

3

You were right the first time: Q-p. Kewpie was originally a trademarked name for a doll desinged by Rose O’Neill. The OED’s first cite is:

4

Thanks, AudreyK. The word wasn’t in my copy of Webster’s.

5

Ahhh…Cupid…Now I get it. Thanks, JeffB.