Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Marque sets new Record!!

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Marque sets new Record!!: See below, a press release from Theriault's: ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new world record for an antique doll ...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Doll Collecting at About.com

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Doll Collecting at About.com: Look for me on the doll collecting site, above. There is a free newsletter you can sign up for, and my weekly blog. I also have a blog on ...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Sample Blog with Links

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Sample Blog with Links: Similar to what I wrote on About.com, a sample blog and some links. Thanks again for all your emails and comments; while I can't read ...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: About.com Doll Collecting and Long Gone Dolls by T...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: About.com Doll Collecting and Long Gone Dolls by T...: A brief post to remind all my followers and readers that I love you and welcome comments. You can also read me on About.com Doll Collecting...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: About.com Doll Collecting and Long Gone Dolls by T...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: About.com Doll Collecting and Long Gone Dolls by T...: A brief post to remind all my followers and readers that I love you and welcome comments. You can also read me on About.com Doll Collecting...

The 19th Century Continue: The Origins of Plush Toys

See, below, from an article on the Web; our Beanies, bears, and other plush toys originated in places like Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was in the mid 1830s that stuffed toys as we know them began to emerge: Where did are Plush Toys come from: Childhood memories are filled with colorful plush toys, and stuffed animals filling up a bed. Everyone has their own favorite stuffed toy, whether they cried into a teddy bear or got it from someone that they would eventually marry. But how long ago did these cuddly creatures start springing up in toy shops? Historical records indicate that the ancient Egyptians could probably be credited with the first plush toys. There are actually no stuffed animals that have been unearthed from any of the archaeological digs in Egypt, but hieroglyphics and paintings indicate that they were present. They were not stuffed toys, however, but representatives of real animals that could be used in ceremonies. The 1830's saw the introduction of stuffed animals as toys. These were not the soft, stuffing-field plush toys that we have today, however. These were made at home from cloth and straw, and were more like sock puppets than the factory-made toys that we now have. The original idea, moreover, to stuff animals also came from taxidermy, where real animals are stuffed, and where the process is far more expensive (not to mention dangerous, if you're after stuffed moose). Finally, in 1880, stuffed animals finally took on the look of the toys that we see today. They were first made and sold in Germany. They were made from rather expensive materials, but with more technology and tests on the softness of plush animals, cotton and even synthetic fibers became more popular as materials. Even small beans were used to stuff toys, which could then be tossed around and played with. The teddy bear, it is said, was named after President Theodore Roosevelt, who was approached by a toy manufacturer interested in having a line of stuffed animals. So having plush toys isn't just about getting the right materials, it's also having the right people to inspire you! Today, stuffed animals are still selling, whether they're from classic cartoons or modern-day Disney characters. There is also a market for older, antique plush toys, which are now considered rare, if not at all precious collectors' items. Whether they're gathering dust and grime in your attic, or still sitting in your bedroom, these cuddly creatures really do make our lives brighter. Learn More: •The History of the Teddy Bear •So Where Did Our Favorite Stuffed Toys First Start Out? •A Quick History of Our Favorite Teddy Bear •A Brief History of Stuffed Toys

Debbie Ritter, Uneek Doll Designs at Etsy.com

Profile of doll artist Debbie Ritter, Uneek Doll Designs at Etsy.com Profile of doll artist Debbie Ritter, Uneek Doll Designs at Etsy.com I met Debbie after finding one of her dolls featured on a blog about Lady Jane Grey. I couldn’t wait to buy the doll, and soon bought others, including the portrait of writer Barbara Pym, featured on my blog Miss Barbara Pym meets Miss Charlotte Bronte. Debbie is a transplanted Hoosier to Alabama as of summer 2013 with four grown children and one grandchild. She has been married 25 years. Besides making dolls, her interests include reading, walking, art work, and cooking (when she has time!) Debbie is a born artist, and as she says of herself; “I grew up with a pencil in hand and carried paper everywhere I went- got in trouble a few times with teachers for drawing on my homework, and art was my best subject in school.” Debbie does not collect dolls per se, but likes to create them as a favorite art form. A doll house kit first inspired her miniature creations: “I got inspired to create my art dolls when my husband was given a dollhouse kit by my mom, who despaired of my father ever putting it together. Being the tooling engineer that he was, he put it together and I decided to make some dolls to go in it out of clothespins. She loved it so I continued and I made up my own technique and developed it over time.” I can really relate to Debbie over dollhouses and the need to populate them. My dad was an electrical engineer who built one fantastic dollhouse for me from scratch, and another from a kit. He is an electrical engineer, and it seemed to take forever. He didn’t electrify my houses, and when I asked him why, Dad answered, “We’re Victorian.” Debbie’s dollhouse adventures began a chain of thinking; she decided to combine her love of classic literature, history, and the observation of ordinary people into creating her art work. Debbie finds people in general inspiring because if you study someone long enough, you will see some features that stand out. It is those features challenge her. She started selling her creations when by chance a lady waiting on her at the craft store mentioned Etsy. Debbie wrote the word down and forgot about it for 2 months, then decided to take the plunge to see what would happen. The rest is history and she has been doing well at it ever since. The artist’s work has been featured at “The Today Show” where the crew gave Susan Boyle a replica of herself that Debbie had made during a live interview between Boyle Meredith Viera. . Debbie’s work has also been featured in Vanity Fair online, The Art Doll Quarterly, Doll Collector Magazine, New York Magazine, -Show Time series on television, -Mystery Scene Magazine, New York Magazine, CI Living in Champaign Illinois, and my blogs Dr.Es’s Doll Museum, Dr. E’s Greening Tips for the Common Person, An Apologia for Countess Erzebet Bathory, and Memoir; Writing your Life Story. She can be reached through me or her Etsy store, uneekdolldesigns.etsy.com