NomaShe is also made by Effanbee - same as Melodie. An interesting little tidbit about Noma is that she was originally made by the company called Noma which was actually well known for making the large Christmas tree lights and other lighted Christmas decorations in the 1950's. One source I have says that the Noma Company owned Effanbee for a short period of time.
My hard-cover book on phonograph dolls and toys does have quite a bit of informtion on Noma. Here are a few tidbits that I have extracted from the text:
The battery contacts were oxidized. Motor cover was not seated properly. The motor started but clattered and ground. I cleaned the motor contacts and added a little clock oil to the shaft to lubricate it. It quieted right down. The record was very dirty. The wax bushings have melted, run, and resolidified over time. Noma's achilles heel is that her o-rings failed. The smaller one became brittle and cracked the larger one stretched out and was hanging loose. I found the mottled black box interesting. It seemed like an extravagance for an invisible component. I suspect the part was molded out of whatever plastics were left over from other items being manufactured. Noma's hard plastic head appears to have a waxy coating on it - likely the result of an oxidation reaction of the hard plastic. The plastic has a sour vomity smell. The vinyl in her arms and legs underwent a photochemical reaction turning her a deep brown. This is fairly common in Nomas. The head has a red felt tongue. Magic eraser removes the waxy residue but also removes the painted on features. Below are images of a variation of Noma that was listed on eBay. Notice the metal plate and the different configuration of the phonograph system. The record in this Noma is made of the same variegated plastic as the belly box in our Noma. Our Noma did not come with clothes. This doll has her original dress, panties, and bonnet. |