Doll collecting is a hobby that is widely misunderstood by many people. One may assume that doll collectors are just old ladies with nothing else better to do. They picture bizarre looking dolls with plastic bodies, and old crocheted hand made clothing smelling of moth balls, that are tucked neatly away into old stale closets. Also, many people just presume that only young girls are fascinated with such a hobby. These are common erroneous beliefs, and may not be entirely false. The fact is that many different people collect many different kind of dolls. Don't be fooled; the reason for this is not because they have no alternative to entertaining themselves. Doll collecting can actually be quite a rewarding experience.
Your average collector today has a myriad of choices, from vintage to up to date, small and large. Robert Tonner's 8-inch Tiny Betsy McCall captures the real meaning of McCall's paper dolls of the 1960s with in depth fashions and the wide-eyed purity and innocence of a little girl playing grownup. More in recent times, Wilde Imagination introduced the moody Ellowyne Wilde, a beautifully rendered 16-inch doll with fashions any woman would welcome to her closet.
And then Barbie, the Queen of all Fashion Dolls, comes along! Introduced at Toy Fair in 1959, Barbie has remained an iconic symbol of twentieth century play time even in this new millennium. Her ponytail and handsomely accessorized outfits allowed little girls to let their imaginations run wild and even imitate what they might be someday. Barbie was a lot of things; a flight attendant, a nurse and a sorority sister in her early years and she went on to become an astronaut, a doctor and a presidential candidate. And so, it is this imagination and imitation that adult collectors are drawn to today.
Many collectors are drawn to antique dolls like the German and French dolls that usually cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Still others try to find the little girl dolls like Vogue's Ginny or American Character's Tiny Tears because with those, they are reminded of another time, when life was simpler. There is pretty much one word for all of this; nostalgia.
Adult life is very difficult and complicated under the best of circumstances and the doll's world is quite simply fun. When a collector is hindered in a moment of play, he or she is in their own little world. But, that's okay. Their little dollies know them.
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