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Doll Fanciers Allow Personal Tastes To Shape Their Collections
BY SUSAN USHER
Wc sleep with them, play "let's pretend" and
whisper our innermost secrets to them. As
adults wc collcct them, paying priccs our
grandmothers would never have imagined.
What are they? Dolls, of course. Simply representa
tions of the human form, typically made of whatever
supplies a culture has available ? paper, wood, rope,
satin, com husks, clays and porcelain, even prunes and
other dried fruits.
And they arc much more, harboring bits of their
maker, their past owners and a little extra.
From Betsy McCall to the Morton salt box girl, they
win the hearts of both little girls and their mothers.
As Lorclta Holz writes in The How-To Book of
International Dolls, "There is something very potent
and compelling about the images people make of them
selves and their fellow human beings. (They) retain
something of the personality of their maker ? and yet
they have a separate and distinct personality of their
own."
Dolls are special. They stir memories of childhood,
surround us with beauty and provide reliable compan
ionship. Somehow, if there arc dolls around, we don't
feel quite alone.
While most people think of dolls as playthings,
that's not all they're good for. In the past, and even to
day, they've had far more serious purposes.
In ancient times, dolls had religious significance.
Primitive man in the Stone Age carved dolls as charms
and fetishes or as ritual images and idols and used them
in religious worship. Children couldn't touch these sa
cred idols.
In some cultures dolls also served as ancestor fig
ures, set up in shrines, treated with great respect and
honored with gifts.
Dolls have also been a part of strange customs and
dark riles, as in voodoo, and arc sometimes used as sub
stitutes for human sacrifices.
In various cultures they've been used to ensure fer
tility; to insure the birth of a healthy child; to celebrate
the harvest; to ensure next year's crop; and yes, even to
beg for rain. They serve as souvenirs of places visited
and spark interest in learning the cultures of other coun
tries.
In modern timc^ dolls have been created to use in
teaching CPR and to help abused children testify in the
courtroom.
Since the 1920s, dolls have becomc popular as col
lectors' items. Collecting dolls is mainly an adult hob
by, though children are often given, as present, dolls
meant to be added to their collections.
Among collecting hobbies, dolls are rated second
only to stamps.
What to collcct? That's a matter of personal taste,
says Naomi Thomas of River Bend Estates. "Buy what
ever you-ljkc.. There is no right or wrong type of doll to
collect."
"Most collectors simply see a doll they like and pur
chase it for their collection," said Mrs. TTiomas, one of
a handful of local collectors whose dolls were displayed
earlier this spring at a doll show and luncheon spon
sored by Shallottc Presbyterian Church, where her hus
band William serves as interim pastor.
ASTRIDE HIS ROCKING HORSE,
this Gum Drop Boy looks almost real.
STAFF PHOTOS BY SUSAN USHER
She prefers cuddlesome, childlike dolls with win
some personalities. Her husband's favorite is
"Sincerity," a homely schoolgirl with pigtails and eye
glasses created by doll artist Lee Taylor Middleton.
Sincerity has her own old-fashioned school desk with
apple.
Among her own favorites is an infant, "Baby
Sulyn," displayed with her bottle and several toys in a
bassinet. Sulyn is one of two dolls she owns that were
creatcd by well-known doll artist Julie Good-Krugcr.
Another popular figure in her collection is a Gum
Drop Boy figure by Boots Tyncr that won the 1987
Doll Magazine Award of Excellence. In cap and cover
alls this nearly lifesize tot sits astride a wooden rocking
horse just his size.
For children who find the displays throughout her
home just too tempting to resist, she keeps several dolls
for touch and play, not just display.
You'll find dolls in nearly every room of Yvonne
Lewis Bright's home in northern Brunswick County,
some simple, others fancy, all adored.
The District 5 Board of Education member has a
penchant for Madame Alexander dolls, but also has ac
cumulated a number of clown dolls and others that have
struck her fancy over the years. Her interest in collect
ing was sparked in part by a relative who gave her sev
eral antique dolls, but has blossomed on its own.
Family members help add to her growing collection.
Dolls come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges and
often appeal to a specific interest. They can be consid
ered antique or modem, depending upon their age.
Beyond that distinction they may fall into one ? or
more ? other general categories, said Mrs. Thomas.
Play dolls include the dolls that talk, cry, wet and
the like, such as Betsy-Wetsy.
Barbie, Ken and Ginny arc examples of fashion
dolls. Some arc popular priced, others premium priced.
Collectible dolls often arc fashioned of bisque or
plastic, with elaborate costuming and special touches
that may include real hair or unusual facial features and
accessories.
Shirley Temple, Princess Diana and Little Bo-Pccp
are examples of celebrity dolls. These arc typically sto
rybook characters, royalty and film stars.
Doll artist dolls are typically signed by the artist and
numbered. Many arc limited editions.
Direct purchase dolls are produced by firms such as
the Danbury Mint, Franklin Mint and Georgetown col
lection.
Ann Maree of Tall Pines Plantation says many of
the dolls she has were purchased over the years for her
daughter. "Most of these are Sandy's," she said.
Her doll collection ranges from an infant named
"Tabitha" to a limited edition issue of the girl with the
umbrella and dog found on the Morton salt box.
Each, like "Whitney," has something special that
drew Ann's attention. Whitney, looks almost real, clad
in a high-necked gown and clutching a teddy bear. Her
face, with a slightly plaintive look, is framed by long
wavy hair caught on top with a bow on either side of
her head. Her eyelashes are of genuine hair.
Ann's own favorite, "Martina," has an expressive
face reminiscent of Mrs. Maree's daughter Sandy, ac
cented by a thick satin bow that runs under her chin and
through her long brunette hair. She was made in
Germany.
"They're all just so beautiful," says Mrs. Maree of
her collection of tiny friends. "I just enjoy them."
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ANN MAREE says her favorite doll is "Martina," by German
artist Hans Wilhelm, shown at left with an infant doll named
" Tabitha Long, wavy hair and real eyelashes distinguish the del
icate features of "Whitney," (above). The artist only made 100 of
these dolls.
TNext Medifast
Classes
Start
July 9
Call today to sign up.
Marilyn J. Boehm. M.D., Ph. D. 919-754-5581
Village Pines. Shallotte 919-754-9949
\
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?tip
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NAOMI THOMAS tends to Baby Sulyn, one of two Good-Kruger
dolls she owns. At her right is her husband's favorite, Sincerity, a
homely schoolgirl.
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