Fantasy & Popular Culture | DOLLS magazine | Collecting Dolls

House of Nisbet: Snapshots Back in Time

DOLLS Magazine Contributor — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 18:39:00 +0000

House of Nisbet Dolls got its start in 1952 with a doll commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and grew to encompass a wide range of dolls, many celebrating British royals and other celebrities, along with traditional British costumes and traditions. Founded by British businesswoman Peggy Nisbet (1909-1995), the company grew to become one of Britain’s largest doll manufacturers. As Britain prepares to crown King Charles III May 6, after the death of Elizabeth II in September, a look back at Nisbet dolls reveals how they served as a chronicle of the changing tastes and tempos of their times and of their British roots.

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1950s Ginger: The Darling of the Doll World

DOLLS Magazine Contributor — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 20:12:35 +0000

Nearly every American doll company around in the 1950s tried to capitalize on the stellar success of Ginny, Vogue’s charming 8-inch toddler doll. Ginny reigned as queen, but Cosmopolitan promoted 8-inch Ginger as “the darling of the doll world” because she was also made from high-quality plastic and wonderfully dressed. Today, Ginger has finally come into her own among collectors after taking a back seat to Ginny for many years.

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Nancy Malay Creates Folksy, Whimsical Fantasy Characters

DOLLS Magazine Staff — Wed, 17 May 2023 20:05:52 +0000

Minnesota-based artist Nancy Malay has been making her whimsical, vintage-inspired creations for nearly four decades now.

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Halloween Spirits: Marguerite Noschese’s Dolls Combine Whimsy, Scariness, Humor

DOLLS Magazine Contributor — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 18:36:44 +0000

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!

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Pumpkins on Parade: Jennie Hepler Takens Carves Out a Career in Halloween Art

DOLLS Magazine Contributor — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:14:19 +0000

Years 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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Curious Collector: 1934 Ideal Shirley Temple

DOLLS Magazine Contributor — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 20:01:37 +0000

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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Ghoulies & Ghosties: Linda Lyons Specializes in Haunting OOAK Creations

DOLLS Magazine Contributor — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 17:29:23 +0000

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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World of EPI Pioneers New Techniques to Make Authentic ‘Black Panther’ Dolls

Joyce Greenholdt — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 18:24:56 +0000

Doll and toy manufacturer World of EPI is set to release Series 1 of its Fresh Dolls Fierce collection Oct. 1. The dolls depict the powerful characters Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia from the upcoming movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, arriving in theaters Nov. 11. Dr. Lisa Williams, the company’s founder, said that working with Marvel Studios to create the licensed dolls is “truly almost unbelievable. Even though we’ve been working with them for about a year, it’s still one of those ‘pinchable moments’ — you want to pinch yourself to make sure this is real, that I didn’t dream this.

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Elizabeth Cooper Carves Creative Niche With Clay Characters

DOLLS Magazine Contributor — Tue, 31 May 2022 20:22:24 +0000

During a nearly 30-year doll-design career, Elizabeth Cooper has unfailingly relied on the same successful formula. First comes inspiration, followed by motivation, perspiration, and when necessary, innovation.

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Autumn Bellar Makes Monsters, Fairies, More

Joyce Greenholdt — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 13:27:00 +0000

Texan artist Autumn Bellar entered the Dolls Awards of Excellence for the first time in 2021 and came away with an Industry’s Choice Award in the One-of-a-Kind Fantasy category for her Ladybug Fairy. Now living and going to school in South Carolina, Bellar said she’s relatively new to the dollmaking world.

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