There is so much happening in the doll making and collecting world that it is hard to keep with it all!  Reading magazines and checking the doll collectors’ and manufacturers’ sites take time and sometimes we,  or should I say I, fall behind.  So for my first blog under this category I am going to try to summarize some of the more noteworthy doll news items so far this 2012 year!

• Two major doll magazines, DOLLS and DOLL READER merged in Februrary of this year under the parent company Jones Publishing.  The new magazine will be published monthly with a special focus  issue every quarter appearing as DOLLS Presents: Haute Doll, entirely devoted to high-fashion and ball-jointed dolls . An FAQ is posted on the DOLLS website, www.dollsmagazine.com  to answer questions about the merger.
• Mattel has decided to respond to a successful Facebook campaign which called for the production of a “bald Barbie.”   This “Barbie Friend” will be manufactured and distributed to children who have lost their hair because of cancer or other illnesses. Planned for 2013, the dolls will not be sold in retail stores, but distributed directly to hospitals and alopecia foundations.   Hats, scarves and other fashion accessories will be provided to provide girls with a traditional fashion play experience.

• Robert Tonner introduced his City Girls at the 2012 Toy Fair in New York City.  The City Girls™ characters are college grads who are just starting out…”all ready to take on the world and follow their dreams.”  Dolls are 16” and apparently will be priced for younger and more frugal collectors.

I would like to open this blog category with a bibliography of the articles I have written for Doll Collector (formerly The Contemporary Doll Collector.)  Occasionally I will include excerpts from my articles which I think may be of interest to other bloggers.  If you have any questions about these and other topics, please leave a comment!

Dolls in Literature November 2003 Classic & current literary dolls

GI Joe July 2004  40 Years of Adventure

Monsters, Fiends & Villains November 2004  Those characters we love to hate

A Revolution of 14R Dolls January 2005 Vintage fashions dolls of the 1950’s &        1960’s

Make-up & Styling Head Dolls July 2005 Phenomenon of styling continues to be       Popular

Fashion Dolls Part I September 2005 Designers of the 1920’s through the 1960’s

Fashion Dolls  Part II November 2005 Designers from the 1990’s to the present

18 Inches: Just Right May 2006  18 Inch modern dolls are the new hype

Collecting Primitive and Rag Dolls March 2007 Rag dolls are coming back with a      new look!

Moving Forward with Fashion Dolls November 2007 Fashion dolls have had many       makeover over the years, including increased articulation and customizing.

Louise Goldsborough’s Fantasy Costume Designs May 2008 Ballet was a base          for Louise’s whimsical figures

Debbee Thibault’s American Collectibles July 2009 Art and practicality meld in the        hands of a doll artisan

“Hoarding” Dolls  March 2011 I once was a doll hoarder, but now I’m saved!

Decades of Dolls Part I May 2011 Dolls from the 1930’s to the 1940’s

Decades of Dolls Part II July 2011 1950’s thru 1970’s

Decades of Dolls Part III  September 2011 1980’s to 2000

The Popularity of the Doll Trunk November 2011  Toy & doll trunks from the     1800’s to the present

Lorraine Alippe’s 12 Fashion Lady Mannequins March 2012  Melding history   with doll artistry

Conversations with Linda Lipfert  White, Granddaughter of Bernard Lipfert       May 2012 The life and times of a famous doll designer

Watch for my upcoming article on Organizing a Doll Studio.

NEED TO UPDATE

For full copies of the articles and all the pictures included, you can order back issues from the  Scott Publications website www.scottpublications.com .

Logo of the Catskill Mountain Doll Club

Background

The Catskill Mountain Doll Club was chartered in September 1989 and has for the past 23 years been a source of information and access to doll lovers of all ages in the Catskill Region.

The Catskill Mountain Doll Club actually started in 1988 with its first ever doll show and sale.  Several of its charter members are still active in the Club including its current president  Marilyn Laufer.  The Club has 10 members and what the club lacks in numbers is more than compensated by the spirit and industry of its members.

The CMDC meets the fourth Thursday of each month  (excluding January and February) in Liberty, NY.  After the business of the Club is concluded, members and guests enjoy a program which includes speakers or projects related to dolls and collectible bears. Members present their own collections or speakers are invited to present a particular kind of doll.

CMDC’s 20^th Anniversary

In the fall of 2009, the Catskill Mountain Doll Club celebrated its 20^th Anniversary by creating a public exhibit of dolls from the members’ collections.  Hosted by the Liberty Museum and Arts Center in Liberty, NY  For the Love of Dolls included some of the most iconic and popular dolls throughout the 20^th, and into the 21^st centuries. From rag dolls to porcelain dolls, from Amish to Eskimo, club members displayed their best loved dolls.

Community Service  

In service to the community, the Club has purchased and donated doll and bear books to local libraries, and has collected and donated dolls and bears to area non-profit organizations during the winter holidays, including handmade teddy bears for children who are being discharged from local hospitals.   Members have made presentations, including slide shows,  for other organizations including schools, libraries, nursing homes and other educational programs, such as the 4H.  For the past three years Club members have donated cartons full of dolls and bears to Safe Passage, a local organization serving battered women and their children.

Members of the Catskill Mountain Doll Club paid a visit to the Roscoe Residential Healthcare Facility in Roscoe, NY, in May of 2009  and brought some of their favorite childhood dolls to show  the residents.  Shown here are club members , Theresa Boucher (l.) and Diane Mues.

Here demonstrating an interactive toy dog to the residents is Marilyn Laufer, a charter member of the Catskill Mountain Doll Club and current president. 

Current Activities

Members of the Club are currently preparing a video on making porcelain dolls.  Filmed by Theresa Boucher, the film hopes to highlight methods used to cast, fire and paint porcelain doll heads.

Contact Information

Current Officers:  Marilyn Laufer, President,  Grace Rivera, Vice President;  Lynn Nalven, Secretary and Janet LeRoy, Treasurer.

Contact Telephone:  Marilyn Laufer (845) 292-6628 or Lynn Nalven (845) 482-3561 or write to:

Catskill Mountain Doll Club

P.O. Box 73

White Sulphur Springs, NY 12787

In my next posting, I will be including pictures and information about the Catskill Mountains most memorable shows!