By Emily Progin
Photos by Joshua Armstrong
I work for the North Carolina Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures, and to our nonprofit museum, World Doll Day is a big deal. We decided on a 2024 theme of #OneDollFamily, to represent the unique power dolls have to bring people together from all walks of life and to unite them in their passion as doll collectors.
On World Doll Day this year, I was more than 700 miles away from the museum, attending my first-ever Pullip and Dal Doll Lovers Event in Chicago. The convention turned out to be a picture-perfect representation of community, passion, and what it really means to be one doll family.
PUDDLE 2024 kicked off with a welcoming registration table, customized name tags, and stickers to identify the number of prior events each guest had attended. People were excited to make their count, poring over the list of themes from the 15 prior years.
Inside each gift bag was a selection of items from sponsors and PUDDLE organizers, many fitting the Retro Memories Sweet Sixteen theme.
Entering the hotel ballroom, more than 100 PUDDLE attendees were greeted by tables that had been painstakingly decorated by volunteer table hosts. The decorations at each table were a fantastical and elaborate reflection of the theme, from disco lights to Sweet Sixteen doll cupcakes.
Most tables included dressed and posed dolls from every corner of the doll community — Pullip, Dal, and Taeyang dolls, of course, but also ball-jointed dolls, Blythe dolls, and a huge range of Smart Dolls.
Around the exterior of the ballroom, 10 vendors shared their diverse wares. Highlights included doll-sized gemstone necklaces and handmade outfits for Pullips and Smart Dolls, in addition to plenty of dolls and other accessories.
Along with a fun-filled pre-event group trip to Gigi’s Dolls, highlights included a Dress Like Your Doll contest and a doll customizing and display contest with judging and fan voting. The Dress Like Your Doll contest was one of the best examples of how attendees fully embraced the event. Participants ranged across all ages and identities, with some showcasing elaborate handmade and tailored cosplay outfits and others donning vintage finds and even last-minute costumes assembled from what they found at PUDDLE! Every contestant got a full introduction by a talented volunteer emcee and the opportunity to receive well-deserved applause from PUDDLE guests for their efforts and courage in taking the stage.
Customized dolls offered a full spectrum of creative contributions. Many reflected the nostalgic theme, from a Toys“R”Us kid to Oscar the Grouch reimagined to Smart Dolls in ’80s workout wear and Pikachu onesies.
By midday, a little sugar boost was an essential ingredient. PUDDLE delivered with a themed sheet cake for guests to enjoy.
While these programs were a hit, the spirit of the event for me was found elsewhere: in the conversations, connections, and larger sense of community that permeated every minute of PUDDLE 2024.
There was a feeling of welcoming and belonging. Everyone chatted excitedly with one another — whether they were strangers or old friends reconnecting — with an easy sense of camaraderie and with no hierarchy or judgment.
Looking around the hotel ballroom at any moment of PUDDLE, I was greeted by animated faces and huge smiles as attendees simply relished the opportunity to share their deeply held passion with one another. Every single person truly seemed to be having a ball and was more than willing to share their energy and excitement with others.
PUDDLE is a labor of love that takes months to bring together, but the event’s capacity to unite doll collectors into one doll family is a rare and precious kind of magic.
PUDDLE announced a 2025 theme of The Secret Garden to much fanfare from 2024 guests. I know every PUDDLE 2024 guest (myself included) hopes to continue collecting stickers on their badges, proudly displaying support for this annual treasure.
Learn more about PUDDLE by visiting puddlestyle.com.
