Linda Webb is one of the world’s most eminent doll artists. Her original pieces are extremely valuable and the waiting list for her works of doll art stretches for years. Now, this renowned doll artist has sculpted the fabulous collection of lifelike baby dolls to measure just 10″ long! They have soft bodies that can be posed in all kinds of adorable ways.

A website with hand-built collection of half a million pages built by the public, squidoo.com/LindaWebb says this of her: “Among Doll Collectors, Linda Webb is one of the most popular doll artists today. Original Linda Webb baby dolls and lifelike dolls sell for thousands of dollars regularly.”

As for the reason why Linda Webb decided to create infant dolls, it can be traced back to the birth of her son. She admits that she knows that memories and photographs will not be sufficient to hold her son’s image in her heart so she started embarking on a journey to make a life-like infant dolls.

A renowned collection of baby dolls made by Linda Webb is the ‘Loving Emily Collection’, where she works with Aston Drake, a distinguished doll making company. It consists of a collection of 4 collectable dolls and the unique thing is that it displays the first few months of the baby’s life, from being a newborn to her first birthday party. For doll lovers, it is definitely a must buy! Baby Emily has won the Dolls Award of Excellence sponsored by Doll Magazine, the DOTY award, sponsored by Doll Reader Magazine, and she has also won the NALED Doll of the Year.

From head to toe, no efforts are spared, and no materials are too costly. Meticulously made, she is so amazingly real that she seems alive! Wait till the moment you pick her up and hold her. Once you do it, you will know why she is so coveted by collectors worldwide.

Madame Alexander’s Cissy dolls are one of the most sought after in her vast collection of dolls.

1955 was the first year that the Cissy was released, although the face had been used on the walkers of the previous years. The new Cissy was called “A high fashion doll with class.” She was 20″ to 21″, had a figure of a debutante, high heel feet and oversleeved, jointed elbowed arms. She was a walker. Trademark 686,168, Debutante Series (except Queen).

The Cissy doll was used extensively in magazine ads, advertising Yardley of London. These magazine ads from the 1950s are also collector’s items.

Also, in the 1950s, Madame Alexander was asked by the British Government to make a doll to represent Queen Elizabeth II. She manufactured a 20″ Cissy doll as Queen Elizabeth II, dressed in a court gown of white brocade with a blue garter sash and star. Her tiara, earrings and bracelets are jeweled with rhinestones and rubies and she wears long white gloves. This doll, in excellent condition, can sell for over $1200.00.

Madame Alexander designed a complete wardrobe for Cissy which included lingerie, street and evening clothes and many accessories. Each year, special dolls were issued wearing complete ensembles. Cissy was manufactured until 1959. From 1959 to 1961, her face was used for portrait dolls. The Madame Alexander Doll Company has re-issued Cissy. However, both the face and body molds have been changed. She is still being made today and still sought after by collectors.

The final word is Madame Alexander dolls have always been collectible and should continue to be. They should endure in time and value.

Established in 1925, the Mary Hoyer Doll Manufacturing Company started as a craft store in Reading Pennsylvania. The founder, Mary Hoyer, initially made knitted items for children and infants to wear. Later on, she used a model doll to make crocheted and knitted dresses with her pattern book. The dolls were initially supplied by Ideal Novelty and Toy Company with its twist waist and torso feature. Thus, the first few dolls were labeled with Ideal’s marking. Nevertheless, the doll’s clothes were labeled Hoyer.

In 1937, Mary then hired Bernard Lipfert’s expertise in doll making to create her own doll line. The dolls were made of composition materials, sleep eyes or painted eyes, real upper lashes but the lower portion is painted, and a closed mouth. The models were also manufactured by the Fiberoid Doll Products Co.. The dolls were then embossed with the label “The Mary Hoyer Doll.”

By the end of 1946, the Hoyer dolls sported a hard plastic material which has the marking “ORIGINAL Mary Hoyer Doll Made in USA.” This newer version had mohair wig, blue sleep eyes with eyelids, closed mouth, and still with real upper lashes and painted lower ones.

In 1937, the company started to make their boy doll which measured 14 inches tall and had an all composition body which sometimes comes in prince costumes. The hard plastic version came around 1946 which also sported a jointed body, sleep eyes, short mohair wig, and a closed mouth. The boy doll was also produced in limited number, thus it is slightly priced higher than the common female dolls. This also makes it as one of the most sought -after dolls for collectors.

Another character that was launched in the 1950s by Hoyer was the Gigi doll. It came in two size varieties, 14 inches and 18 inches tall. It had a jointed string body which was also made of hard plastic. The doll featured hair wig, sleeps eyes, closed mouth, and also a hard plastic head.

In 1957, the 10.5-inch Vicky doll was introduced and it came with twist waist, rooted hair, high-heeled feet, and a jointed hard plastic fashion body. The doll was actually the Suzette doll of Uneeda thus it has the marking of the Uneeda Doll Company on its neck as it was supplied by them. It was then repackaged and dressed with Hoyer’s clothing creations.

The Mary Hoyer Doll company had its business closed in the 1970s but was then recently relaunched with its new creations. The new doll editions are priced from $56 to as much as $229. The dolls also come with a line of accessories and clothes and amazingly a line of beautifully crafted wigs of different colors and hairstyles.

Mothers who lose a baby due to miscarriage, still birth, SIDS, sudden death, or accident grieve and ache to hold their child. I started making memorial reborn babies when I lost my own baby.

A reborn angel baby doll made to resemble your lost baby or child can help fill the void in your arms and help the ache in your heart. A mother’s need to hold and nurture her child is a very strong instinct. Having a custom made reborn baby that looks like your child can help with the pain. Your reborn is the actual size and weight of a real baby and will fit into newborn clothes.

The angel babies are created based on photos taken of the child or if there are no photos it can be based on the baby’s sibling’s photos or the hair and eye color of the parents if there are no other children.

Some of the memorial reborn babies can be made with a tiny bit of the baby’s cremated ashes inside the arms so that when mom is holding the baby and stroking the baby’s arms she is really holding her own child. Some of yoru child’s hair can also be added to the reborn angel babies.

A memorial reborn baby doll can be can be very therapeutic for the pain of losing a child.

It is a beautiful way to honor the brief time these precious angels spent on earth.

A memorial reborn baby can be made for older children who have died. They can be made from their baby photos. The last memorial baby I made was for a 17 year old lovely girl named Natasha. She was murdered. I created the memorial reborn baby from Natasha’s baby photos. I added a bit of Natasha’s ashes into the reborn baby’s arms so that when her mother cradles her she is holding Natasha.

Having a reborn doll that looks like your precious angel baby for you to hug, love and hold can help you deal with the loss of your baby.

One of the oldest doll makers in the US is the Valentine Doll, Inc., which was famous for its vinyl and hard plastic ballerina dolls in the 1950s. The company was founded by John Landers who also established Debbie Toy Company with partner Shelly Greenburg. The latter was known for its baby product line and vinyl dolls. Most of the dolls from Valentine’s were sold only through catalogs for mail order. The company had also supplied products for Sear under their toy line named Happi Time.

Some of the dolls that were marketed by Valentine were mostly dressed with ballerina’s tutu. Here is a list of Valentine’s dolls that were popular from the 1950s to the 1960s:

1) Valentina

Marked with 11VW on its back, this doll is made of hard plastic body and measured 10.5 inches tall. It is also similar to Sear’s marketed doll in the Happi Time doll line. The doll has rooted hair on its vinyl head and has jointed shoulders, neck, hips, waist, and knees. Wearing a tutu with rubber ballet slippers, the doll also came with a plastic stand wherein it will rotate to make its ballet dance.

2) Little Mannikin (1958)

Still made of hard plastic body, marked with 11VW, and measured 10.5 inches, this doll came in different styles and colors. It featured a vinyl head with rooted hair, sleep eyes, and jointed body parts. The design was similar to the Dollikin dolls of Uneeda.

3) LuAnn Simms (1950s)

The 14-inch tall doll is made of hard plastic and featured a closed mouth, sleep eyes, and mohair wig. The companies Roberta and Horsman also had their versions of LuAnn Simms.

4) Doreena and Concertina

Both dolls measure 20 inches and have rooted hair on their vinyl head. The dolls featured sleep eyes and hard jointed plastic bodies. The Concertina doll also has a music box which played the song “Dance, Ballerina Dance” of the Swan Lake while Doreena comes with a set of wardrobe aside from her tutu. Both are also indicated with the marking “20HH”.

5) Queen for a Day

Also marked with “20HH”, this doll stands at 20 inches tall which features blue sleep eyes and a rooted vinyl head. She wears a white ball gown with red velvet cape and a tiara.

These are just some of Valentine’s dolls which became popular and are now sought-after vintage pieces. The ballerina dolls can be acquired from auction sites and in doll conventions which may be pricey due to its rarity.

Have you been making doll clothes for your children as well as for others? If you enjoy making these tiny garments then you have discovered a delightful and rewarding hobby. On the other hand, if you have been looking for a hobby to challenge your creativity and sewing skills look no further.

Sewing doll clothing can be done with a sewing machine, hand stitching, or a combination of both. Patterns range from making original designs to purchasing the more difficult and complex.

Accessories are other items needed to compliment or expand a wardrobe. Scarves, belts, purses, bags, sandals, and jewelry are easily made with decorator trims and appliques, ribbons, buttons, or fabric remnants.

Required talents:

• Basic sewing skills
• Fabric knowledge
• Clothing construction
• Making or reading patterns
• Crochet
• Knitting
• Embroidery
• Creativity
• Imagination
• Patience

The easy patterns are constructed with non-fraying stretch fabrics, cotton, felt, or a variety of the synthetic fabrics. No sewing skills will be required. Non-sewers like to use glue or bonding materials.

The challenging patterns will include historical, action figures, and apparel for collectible dolls. Knowledge of the different types of historical fabrics are critical to add to the authenticity.

You may wish to design your own fashions. Free patterns are available online or patterns may be purchased. The niche which you choose to be creative will determine the availability of patterns. This hobby will grow as you mature through the different stages or change your interests.

Types of Dolls:

• Plastic – soft, hard, and vinyl
• Fabric
• Wood
• Straw
• Paper Mache
• Leather
• Wax
• Bisque
• Porcelain
• Composition

This hobby is interesting and never-ending as there are a variety of dolls which wear clothing in the United States and in other countries. Dolls are like people; they are everywhere.

Children who play with dolls love dressing and undressing their dolls. Assembly of the fashions can be made simple or more complex depending on the age of the child. Children will role-play or act out stories. The dolls are the actors and this is one of many reasons for an extended wardrobe.

Are you looking for a hobby which can be shared with your child? This sewing activity that can be fun as well as educational. This hobby may be considered as both an art and a craft.

In summary, making doll clothing can be restricted to your current family, gifts for other family and friends, replacing or designing appropriate fashions for collectible dolls, or contributing to a charitable organization of your choice nationally or internationally.

Established in 1927 in New York City, Eugenia Poir produced specialty cloth dolls under the direction of partner Alvin Grey. The company was also part of The French Dollmakers. The dolls were initially designed and produced in France and measure mostly within 16 to 23.5 inches tall. However, the company halted its operations in 1935. The dolls were made cloth usually with pressed felt or fabric and cotton bodies. These were also jointed at the neck, hip, and shoulder areas and also had a distinguishable protruding section at front and back of the lower torso. The facial features were painted and had side glancing eyes.

Another distinguishing feature on their dolls made with felt was its dotted eyebrows. The eyelashes on the upper portion were made of real lashes while the lower ones were painted. The mouth was also shaped like a heart on its felt face. The all cotton versions had painted eyelashes on the top and bottom with painted single stroke eyebrows. It still had the same side glancing painted eyes yet the difference can be observed from its height since the cotton ones came in either 17 or 18 inches. A seam running from the front to the back at the center of the doll’s body is another indicator of Gre-Poir’s cotton doll version.

The disc joints of the cotton dolls were also found on the jointed neck, hip, and shoulder areas. Most of the dolls came with mitten type hands with some stitching for its fingers. The Gre-Poir dolls were stuffed with excelsior or straw and its hair could be blonde or red mohair wigs. Its hair came in various styles such as curly, bob cut, and wavy. The dolls wore socks with three stripes on the top on some of the models and these were paired with Mary Jane shoes.

Most dolls also had cardboard or cloth hang tags bearing the label “French Doll Makers” that had the printed marking “The French Dollmakers / Name Of The Doll / My hair can be washed / I can be dry cleaned.” Another interesting addition in its doll series was the smoker and musical boudoir dolls that wore fashionable clothing and stylish accessories.

Those who are interested in collecting Gre-Poir’s dolls may have to scour the internet and auctions to find these rare collectibles. These cloth and felt dolls need special care and perhaps due to its natural fiber materials, it made Gre-Poir’s creations one of the hardest dolls to find at present.

This article describes the history of Adora dolls, their description and what makes these dolls unique.

Adora Dolls are high quality collectible dolls which are produced by the Adora Company. The company has years of experience in making artistic dolls. The Adora Dolls are the result of the company’s research on dolls in museums and collections throughout Europe.These Dolls are made of vinyl to resemble porcelain and have exquisite faces and outfits. The company started producing these dolls in 2000. The company has years of experience in making artistic dolls.

Adora Dolls are high quality collectible dolls which are produced by the Adora Company. The company has years of experience in making artistic dolls. The Adora Dolls are the result of the company’s research on dolls in museums and collections throughout Europe.

There are two collections of Dolls available. The first is the Limited Edition Dolls which have limited number of dolls in each style. They are sculpted by the company’s in house artists and their outfits are custom designed with exquisite detailing. You can know that they are exclusive as each doll comes with a locket with a photograph of the doll inside and the words Adora Inc. and the year of the collection inscribed on it. These Dolls are small in size as they depend on the size of the available fabric. The dolls are 22″ tall and weigh 4#.

The second collection of these Dolls are the “Name Your Own Baby Dolls” they are available in a variety of faces, skin color, gender, hair and eye color. This enables children to have a doll looking just like them. These Dolls have the unique feature of a birth certificate with each doll so that the “parents” of each doll can name their baby, and decide on it birth date and place of birth.

These Dolls are very popular with collectors. Both children and adults liketo play with these dolls as they have a realistic appearance and weight. They also come with extra outfits which make playing with dolls more fun! These Dolls are surely very adorable for everyone!

If you want to know more about adora dolls just visit www.dollhousecollectables.com.

The dolls of Eegee Doll Company are one of the popular vintage collectibles that most want to include in their doll collection showcase. The company owes its name to its founder E.G Goldberger and the company was established in 1917. The first few dolls had the markings “E.G.” or “E. Goldberger” but other dolls that were made later bear the markings Eegee, Goldberger, or “TRADEMARK/EEGEE/Dolls/MADE IN USA”. Most were made of materials such as composition, latex, hard plastic, and vinyl.

Here is a list of Eegee dolls that a collector can scour the internet for to add in their valuable collection:

1) Patsy (1930) – The doll is made of composition head and shoulder while its arms are made of full composition. The 14-inch doll’s body is made of stuffed cloth partnered with swing cloth legs. Its hair is molded and painted yellow with a molded headband on top. IT has a pair of painted side glancing eyes, tiny closed mouth, and is marked “GOLD DOLL” on her shoulder.

2) Chikie (1930) – The doll’s height ranges from 17 to 19 inches and is made of all composition jointed body. It has a brown molded hair and blue sleep eyes or could also be painted for some models. The open-mouth version of Chikie shows four upper teeth.

3) Susan Stroller (1953 to 1955) – This is a walker type doll with a turning head and bendable knees. It can measure from 19.5 to 29 inches and it could be unmarked or marked with Eegee or EE-GEE. It also features braided hair with curlers, a mama crier, and a pair of sleep eyes.

4) Miss Babette (1957 to 1965) – This was an 11.5-inch fashion doll which is also a Barbie doll competitor. It also came with rare black doll alternative and most are sporting earrings, swimsuit, and high heel shoes.

5) My Fair Lady (1958) – The doll was fashioned after a character in the movie of the same name. This jointed doll measures 20 inches tall and came with a twist waist feature.

6) Maskerade Magic (1960) – This is a 12-inch tall doll which has five different changeable face masks but its clothing is not removable.

7) Stoneage Baby (1963) – This 14-inch doll wearing an animal print upper clothing and red undergarment is probably a Pebbles of Flintstone competitor. It features a plastic jointed body and short rooted hair on a vinyl head with a toy bone tied to accent its ponytail. It also has side glancing eyes with painted facial features and pursed smiling lips.

‘Kins’ is the name given to the beautiful 8 inch dolls made by The Alexander Doll Company starting in early 1953. The ‘Kins’ were a departure from Madame Alexander as they were made from a hard heavy and durable plastic instead of her usual composite. Although the material had changed, Madame Alexander’s strict demand for high quality certain did not and it showed in these dolls.

As with all things Madame Alexander did these dolls evolved and innovated rather quickly. In just their second year of production the dolls became straight leg walkers. Two years later, in 1956, the dolls evolved again to include jointed knees. The new more versatile legs allowed the dolls to pose as never before, to kneel and of course sit.

The body of the dolls was not the only thing to change over the years. Madame Alexander like variety and she made sure her dolls never became boring. Each year the ‘Kins’ were dressed in a wondrous array of new dresses that kept the line fresh and unique. The line was also sold at different accessory levels. Some models included only the basics like the doll, panties, shoes and socks with outfits sold separately. Others were complete boxed sets with a fully dressed doll included.

Unfortunately not every doll in the line grew and evolved. The ‘Quiz-Kins’ were only made in 1953 and never returned. The distinguishing feature of a ‘Quiz-Kin’ was the two pushbuttons on the back. One button would make the doll nod yeas and the other no. Despite their relative rarity and unique the Quiz-Kins are not generally as valuable as the regular Alexander-Kins are. To my understanding this is due the Quiz-Kins generally being sold with very plain and basic clothing.

Identifying Your Alexander-Kin

Although the ‘Kins’ are still produced today and are now exported globally the most valuable ones are of course the original vintage models. Here are some tips to help you identify your doll.

Markins

“Alex” or “Alexander”

From 1953 to 1976 the Kins had “ALEX” written on their backs, after that the full name “Alexander” appeared.

Serial Numbers

Dolls that came already dress had a three digit number (i.e. #123) on their box. Boxes that had four digits (i.e.0123) were for boxed outfits. It is not uncommon to see a doll and a box with serial numbers that do not match. This is generally because dolls were often displayed in a window and when sold placed back in a box, not necessarily the box they originally came in.

FEATURES

Two Buttons

This is a trademark feature of the Quiz-Kins. The buttons control head movement and these dolls were only produced in 1953.

Straight Leg Walkers

Straight leg walkers were introduced in 1954 and 1955. If you doll was a walking feature but no joint at the knee it was made in either 1954 or 1955.

Jointed Knee

Jointed knees were introduced in 1956. If your doll has a joint in the knee area it can be no older than 1956.

Fuzzy Sole Shoes

Dolls with shoes that had a fuzzy sole were from 1953 to 1958. Be careful when using this method to date a doll as shoes are the most commonly replaced or lost item and could mislead you as to the dolls true age.

Alexander-Kin Doll Values

It would be impossible for us to list the value of every Alexander-Kin doll but they generally Kins range from $400 – $2000 with the vast majority between $600 and $1000. As with most dolls a large percentage of the value is determined by the outfit that the doll is wearing.

If you send us the right information we may be able to give you a more accurate estimate of your dolls value. Pictures really help!