DOLLS

The renowned New York City-based collectible and play doll manufacturer, Alexander Doll Co. (founded in 1923), has acquired the business assets of Ohio-based Lee Middleton Original Dolls (founded in 1989), also a manufacturer of collectible and play dolls.

Estonian pop star Kerli's music video for her song "Tea Party" was released today. The song is featured in the runaway box office hit Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton. Dollmaker Paulette Goodreau's ball-jointed dolls(Goodreau Doll) appear throughout the video. Click here to watch the video. The full story and behind-the-scenes photos will appear in the upcoming June/July issue of DOLLS, which mails April 1, 2010.

For the first time, Mattel asked girls around the world to choose Barbie’s next career. Polls closed Feb. 10, and more than a half million votes were counted, deciding Barbie’s 125 career as “News Anchor.”

The Wachtanoff Gallery in Moscow recently awarded German dollmaker Sylvia Weser with The Golden Star and precious jewelry in recognition for her superior doll artistry.

To help encourage girls to get outdoors, American Girl introduced “Lanie,” the 2010 Girl of the Year. She is a thoughtful, energetic girl who discovers the world in her own backyard.

The time of year has come again to join the W Club—the official collectors club for Jason Wu and Integrity Toys dolls, including Fashion Royalty, the AvantGuards, Poppy Parker, the Dynamite Girls, FR: Monogram and more.

Helen Kish will be presented with Jones Publishing’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Doll & Teddy Bear EXPO to be held in Winston-Salem, N.C., Oct. 1-3, 2010.

The Modern Doll Collectors Convention (MDCC) will once again offer its fun and doll-packed festivities to collectors. In 2010 it will bring the event to Winston-Salem, N.C., Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2010.

Mel Odom has announced that as of June 2010 his iconic “Gene Marshall” doll will be officially retired. “Gene and I are pulling a Garbo, and retiring,” Odom wrote in a letter he sent to Gene fans explaining his decision.

April 1, 1941-Sept. 22, 2009

The founder of DOLLS magazine, Robert Campbell Rowe, died on Sept. 22, 2009, at his home in Paradise Valley, Ariz., after a brief illness. Journalist, publisher, entrepreneur, man of ideas and connoisseur of the fine things of life, Rowe built a mini-empire of magazines and books that brought an unprecedented level of professionalism to the coverage of popular hobbies for collectors: plates and figurines; miniatures; dolls and teddy bears.