A Creepy 1930 Stop Motion Animation Starring Dolls

The 1930 stop motion animation “Doll Daisy in Hearts and Flowers” tells the story of a pair of suitors who separately see Daisy changing through her window and decided that each man wanted her for himself. In the end, no one got what they wanted except maybe Daisy. This early type of stop motion was shot with dolls in black and white, giving it a creepy, almost sinister, feel.

The animation was initially released by Warner Brothers as part of the Vitaphone Varieties animation series. Howard Moss directed this and other films within the series. The animation was nearly lost, however, animator Mark Kausler was able to rescue the footage, although the soundtrack was lost.

This nearly lost short was released by Warner Brothers as part of its varieties series. The sound track, on Vitaphone disc, remains lost. The film remains for us to enjoy, thanks to the preservation efforts of Mark Kausler.

Different people have put their own soundtrack to the story.

The original soundtrack for this film is missing so I added a piece of music that shares its title.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.