Q: I recently bought a box lot of dolls at an estate sale and among them was this just fabulous composition doll in near-mint condition with knitted all-original outfit and wooden skis and ski poles. She is 14 inches tall, all composition with sleep eyes and a mohair wig. She is marked “Mary Hoyer” on her back. Can you tell me more about this doll and perhaps a value?
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Q: I am new to collecting German bisque girl dolls. I saw one in an antique mall and wondered if I should buy it. I looked up the mark on the internet, and it was made by the Goebel factory. I’m estimating she will be about 20 inches tall. The strings were broken, and the doll was in pieces, but they were all there. Two fingers were off, and she had no wig or clothes. There was no damage to her head. She was $45.
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I came to the business of creating art dolls along a very circuitous path — I had been a dealer in antique dolls, children’s toys, and antique baby clothes. I was also an avid quilter and creator of fabric dolls, while later I worked as a child portrait artist. While I loved all these different artistic pursuits, it all came together for me artistically when I began making art dolls. My passion for fabrics, design, and portrait painting were now all incorporated in one discipline: art dolls!
Read MoreYears ago, a group of friends and I had to go to one of the friends’ houses for something. When we entered his parents’ home, I was immediately enchanted. His mother, Sue Shroyer, had the most delicious collection of antique German Halloween pieces I’d ever seen. She had artisan-made pieces, antiquities, and work by famed artists the world over. I just couldn’t believe my eyes! At that moment, I began my home-grown education into dollmaking and Halloween art.
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Q: I am an avid Shirley Temple collector, and when I had the chance to buy this mint 22-inch composition Shirley Temple doll in the original box, I was just thrilled. I got her for a very good price because she needed to be restrung, which was easy. Any more information would be greatly appreciated.
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My inspiration for most of my dolls come from ghosts and animals. When I was young, I always loved the old black-and-white horror movies like “The Mummy,” “House on Haunted Hill,” “Frankenstein,” “Wolfman,” etc. I’m also a big animal lover, so many times I will create anthropomorphic dolls.
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Jane Easterly is a doll collector. Collecting Barbie and friends from an early age, she never lost her appreciation for dolls. It wasn’t until years later, however, that she would leave her mark in a small but impactful way on the hobby. What led her to that? The precocious pouty-faced Hina Ichigo Dal doll from Jun Planning (now Groove).
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I am settling an estate, and I found this old rag doll in a box with some other dolls which I was able to identify. I am wondering whether this rag doll would be of interest to a doll collector or if I should just put it in the scrap heap?
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As human beings, it’s important that we all feel connected and loved on some level. However, COVID has challenged how we go about obtaining this basic human need. How does an individual feel loved today when their “love language” is physical touch, and they can no longer embrace another person?
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Expect the JHD Fashion Doll universe to brim with cover girls, globetrotters, new face sculpts, and fantasy figures this year. Other temptations also are likely to follow, if Jiao Huadong has his way.
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I used to own a little sewing and embroidery shop in my little town. As a mom of four boys, there weren’t many dolls in my home. I would often receive requests to make doll clothing, so I started hosting sewing classes for children to sew items for American Girl dolls.
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For 99 years, Madame Alexander Doll Company has made beautiful dolls for children, families, and collectors. Madame always said, “Love is in the details,” and we could not agree more. Every doll we make is crafted for generations of play.
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Q: I was excited when the United States Postal Service issued a series of commemorative stamps in 1997 featuring popular dolls over the decades. I was able to collect the stamps as well as several of the dolls. When reviewing the stamps, I noticed that one doll in the collection did not match the stamp. What can you tell me about this?
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Jenny Graves embarked on a life-changing journey in 1922 when she joined a small number of other creative women in opening the Vogue Doll Shoppe. Born Jenny Adler in 1890, she was accustomed to designing outfits both for family members and their dolls. She’d already faced more than one challenge in her life — her father died when she was 15, and she put her dreams on hold to help support her family. She married William H. Graves in 1913 and gave birth to three children.
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My great-grandmother left me this set of dolls. My mother remembers that she kept it in a special drawer and took it out from time to time to show the children one of her playthings. Can you tell me anything about this?
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DOLLS reader Joan Elizabeth Paul recently sent us the following examples of her creativity. “I have been making fabric dolls for several years,” she said. “Sometimes I like to write a poem to go with each doll.”
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Q: I am a retired nurse and I remember the original Barbie registered nurse outfit. I learned that a Barbie doll and the outfit had been reissued, but I didn’t know it at the time. Fortunately I found one on eBay. I was very pleased with it. There were a few listed, and prices varied considerably. I was wondering if you could comment on this?
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The Modern Doll Collectors Convention (MDCC) began as a Vogue Ginny convention in Lakeland, Florida, in 1979. Now in its 44th year, MDCC has expanded to include a fantastic array of contemporary doll artists and manufacturers in an annual convention that’s held in various parts of the continental USA.
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Over a million Barbie dolls had been sold by 1962, according to a Mattel press release. This is just three years after Barbie was introduced at the 1959 Toy Fair. In an interview with Elliot Handler, one of the founders of Mattel, in 1986, he told me even he was unconvinced that Barbie would be a success.
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Since 2004, BJDC has been a long-standing tradition for the ball-jointed doll (BJD) community of artists, vendors, and collectors as the largest BJD-focused event in North America. Over the years, the convention has grown and evolved, and the theme changes for each event, but one thing remains the same — our passion for BJDs brings us together year after year!
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