I can not find anything in these figurines. They are stamped Japan and only one sided. Seem vintage.
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These are not Penny Dolls like someone was saying. They are just small cultural figurines that were made in Japan. Most of these types of figurines that are only painted on one side are selling for $5-30 if they are in a set of 3 or more. You may never find the exact figurines you have because back then they made so many of them. There are some that look very similar to yours. Yours seem to be flat on the back where other ones are completed.
I have to agree with Poehere that these are not Penny dolls or Frozen Charlottes. At least not by official definitions.
What has happened is that these terms have become spamming words by sellers who think they have something or want to get attention. Almost like how Kleenex which is a brand name became synonymous for the plain old tissue or Band Aid for a bandage--not exactly because these are brands but you get the idea--there are very specific that make something a Penny Doll or a Frozen Charlotte/Charlie
Here are some good articles on Penny Dolls/Frozen Charlottes:
web.stanford.edu/
Tell tales to me that these are not the "real thing" are the holes in the bottom.
Also they look to be ceramic not bisque (although I would need to touch them to be sure--but bisque is rough to the touch and porcelain is smooth).
Now that is not to say they don't have value or someone would not want them, but you have market them correctly which would be the height, the material (bisque or porcelain) the stamp Japan and the theme.
I would (if they were mine and I have been a LONG time reseller), put them on for a Sunday-Sunday 7 day auction at the amount you want for them (I would put all 3 together as a lot by the way) and let the market dictate the selling value.
These are not exactly like yours but just a sample of someone who advertised correctly:
www.ebay.com/
Blessings and good wishes on your sale!
Researching these has been an adventure because I've never seen sellers misuse words like 'Frozen Charlotte' and 'Penny' dolls so incorrectly in all of my selling days.
I'm assuming buyers are so ill informed that some are just accepting whatever a seller adds in a description. Hopefully, most buyers just like the little dolls and do not really care if the description is correct.
The original Penny dolls (I believe) were also made of one piece, painted bisque and had just Japan stamped on the bottom (solid bottom - no holes). These were so popular that many companies copied these and those copies are what is prevalent in the marketplace right now.
There are dolls in boxes being taunted as antique Penny dolls but have 'made in Japan' imprinted on the backs of the dolls (not on the bottom) and these are nice older dolls but I cannot find any solid information that shows Penny dolls were ever marked on the backs of the dolls.
I believe your figurines fall in the category described as 'knock-offs' from the original Penny dolls but were probably made about the same time so they would be called 'vintage'.
Yours are neat and could probably list for $15-$20 but take any offer given as many of these dolls stay listed for sale for months/years and may never sell. List 3 together although the 2 being alike may lessen the value.
Thanks for sharing these as it was entertaining to do the research.
Small bisque cultural / ethnicity dolls like this appear to be priced $8 to $15 on ebay. If they're "Penny dolls" they're worth much more.
These dolls have a bit of history, They were first called Frozen Charlotte. Made between 1850 to 1920 during the Victorian era. In later years smaller versions were made in Germany and passed on through china vendors. From Germany the size got smaller and the name was changed to Penny Doll because they were sold for 1 cent.
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