Some folks are of the school of thought that doll collecting is going away. I happen to believe it’s just changing in a big way. One factor I believe has changed the timbre of doll collecting is pop culture. So a person may not be a doll collector per se but he or she may buy dolls that play into his/her pop culture interests, i.e., someone collects everything related to say Marilyn Monroe and so s/he purchases several likenesses on the market. Or Super Woman, or Gene Simmons, or the Twilight characters (by the way, New Moon launches Nov. 20 … I’ve already purchased my tickets!). You get the idea.

Many doll companies like Tonner Doll Co., Alexander Doll Co., Mattel, etc., already play to this market. I imagine many of these occasional collectors stay just that … once and awhile doll buyers. But when you look at the power pop culture has over the masses and the sheer numbers there, it’s clear there’s a market even if the purchases aren’t as frequent as those of “real doll collectors.”

And who knows? Maybe these “occasional buyers” will realize they actually dig doll collecting itself and transition into a doll collector.