Betsy Wetsy
Manufacturer	Ideal Toy Company Ideal Toy Company Ideal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. The company changed its name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938...
Features	"Wetting" Sleep eyes Jointed limbs
Release Date	1934
Country	United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Betsy Wetsy was a doll originally issued by the Ideal Toy Company

Ideal Toy Company

Ideal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. The company changed its name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938...

 of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in 1935. Named for the daughter of Abraham Katz, the head of the company, the doll's special feature was urinating after a fluid was poured into her open mouth. The doll was made in several sizes in the 1940s and saw a spike in populairty in the 1950s. Betsy Wetsy was produced with either molded hair, caracul wigs, or brown, blond, or red plugged hair. A layette, baby bottles, a plastic bath tub, and other accessories were available.

Effanbee had previously manufactured a similar doll, "Dy-dee," and a patent infringement suit resulted. The judge ruled that drinking and urinating are natural movements and cannot be patented.

A made-in-China version was issued in the late 1980s by Ideal

Ideal Toy Company

Ideal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. The company changed its name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938...

 to boost sales, but the doll never reached the success of the original. Betsy Wetsy was one of the first major dolls to be produced in black versions.

In 2003, the Toy Industry Association

Toy Industry Association

The Toy Industry Association is a trade association that promotes the marketing of new toys, games, and puzzles. The organization usually has trade shows at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City during February. Consumers in general are not able to attend...

named Betsy Wetsy to its Century of Toys List, a roll call commemorating the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the 20th century.