Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving Doll Newsletter-Free


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Christmas Favorites
Happy Thanksgiving!   How time flies; it seems like just yesterday it was July, and we were excited over Love, Shirley Temple.  This weekend, another auction takes place by Theriault's that features Shirley memorabilia of all kinds of things.  I particularly love her charm bracelets; look for posts on them and the vinyl Shirleys being auctioned. I hope you take out your pilgrim statues, wax candle dolls, dried apple heads and corn husk dolls to celebrate this uniquely American holiday.  On my Doll Museum blog, I featured photos of French dolls, in honor of those who died and were hurt last Friday in Paris.  More French doll posts to follow on About, with one vintage post below.  Happy Collecting!
Ellen Tsagaris
Doll Collecting Expert
Christmas
Christmas Favorites  
Christmas this year provides many choices for doll collectors.  The Holidays are here, and with them come many new choices for collectors and doll/toy lovers everywhere!
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Dolls from Spain
Being a CEO of the Doll House could Land you a Corner Office!  
Collecting dolls teaches management and other marketable skills. Just think of the creativity, passion, social media skills, historical knowledge, organization and multitasking involved in caring for a doll collection!
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storyteller
Review: The Pueblo Storyteller  
Thanksgiving is almost here, and I always like to review and study the Native American Dolls in my collection.  Just last Tuesday, we talked about it in my diversity class for law enforcement.  Storyteller's are special dolls, true art figures, memorialized in this wonderful book.
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Collections of Things I Don't Collect  
This is a fun time or year to take stock of our various, doll-related collecting passions!
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Antique French Fashion Dolls  
There are several good articles in this indexed category from our About.com doll collecting site that feature French dolls.  Enjoy surfing the links!
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Sunday, November 15, 2015

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Free Newsletter, and also, Check out Living Dead Dolls

Newsletter for Week of November 9th
Halloween flew away on a kitchen witch's broom, and Thanksgiving with pilgrim and turkey dolls awaits.  Christmas is just around the corner.  I saw doll "sightings" on "Laverne and Shirley" which featured Madame Alexanders and on "Bonanza" where Raggedy Ann and a porcelain doll starred. This week, an update on a favorite website, Ghost of the Doll which has information on dolls and toys from the 70s to 90s, and a history of Chinese Opera dolls.  Also read about how to use dolls to teach.
Ellen Tsagaris
Doll Collecting Expert
Strawberry Shortcake in Porcelain
There is nothing Spooky about this Great Site about dolls 1980-2000.  
Ghost of the Doll is fun and easy to navigate, and is a veritable web museum of the toys from this era.
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"It Ain't Over" till the Dolls Sing!  
Unusual Chinese Opera Dolls are just the tip of the iceberg when collecting dolls from China.
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Iris Clops
Keep One Eye on Monster High!  
Iris Clops is a fashionably stylish monster of a completely different stripe from the Cyclops of old myth.
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schol
Dolls go to School  
Teaching courses on dolls; resources and ideas.
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Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween!!


Newsletter for Halloween Week 2015!
Boo to all Bebes! There seems to be no end to dolls in the news this week.  Blythe-Con recently wrapped up, and Antique Doll Collector Magazine featured many doll shows and auctions in its listings, published in the November 2015 issue.  McDonald's is offering "The Minions" on its Halloween Pails, a tradition, and will release Peanuts Happy Meal Toys. New dolls are everywhere; Iris Clops joins Monster High,while American Girl will retire Grace. Madame Alexander has introduced Pixie Doodles, 9 inch Fairies with dresses you can color with Crayloa crayons.  Another Shirley Temple Auction is approaching, hence an update of our tribute to her. Here, also, are another installment of "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" and dolls, as well as the selected bibliography for doll scholars. Finally, here is an update of a profile of our talented and generous friend, paper doll artist Stephanie Hammonds. Next week, more posts on dolls in TV drama, on interesting others in collecting dolls, and much more!
Ellen Tsagaris
Doll Collecting Expert
Shirleys favorite odll
An Update to an Elegy for a Beloved Star; For Shirley  
Another auction of Shirley Temple Memorabilia is coming up November 22nd; here is an updated tribute to the star.
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Halloween Candicorn doll
Puritan Poppets, Cornhusk Dolls, and Magic  
Here are the references for the posts on Witch of Blackbird Pond; many are books with references to dolls, toys, and games.
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A Paper Doll Artists who is a Renaissance Woman and is Keene!  
Paper doll artist, writer, teacher, doll collector, tekkie, Renaissance Woman; here is an update on our friend, Stephanie Hammonds, showcasing her work on Katy Keene.
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Pilgrim
The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Dolls; IV  
Our study of dolls, toys, and games in an award winning children's novel set in 17th c. New England continues.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

October 20th Newsletter; The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Very Uncanny; Nutcracker Maker Files Bankruptcy
Truly, frost was on the pumpkin this week. We covered our plants Friday night, including a pumpkin vine I grew from seed. Leaves are falling, and I've pressed one red leaf in my copy of James Patterson's "Kill Alex Cross." Falling leaves mean the West Central Illinois Doll Club's annual field trip to Gigi's Dolls and Sherry's Teddy Bear. Sadly, Steinbach recently announced that after 200 years, they would file bankruptcy.  We will truly miss the beloved maker who made the figures that inspired Hoffman, and later Freud.  This year, Lestat by Crees and Coe came home with me. Last week's trip through the Spoon River Scenic drive yielded even more treasures. Theriault's Matter of Circumstance Auction takes place Monday. If there were ever a better time to be a doll collector, please let me know!!
Ellen Tsagaris
Doll Collecting Expert
Nutcrackers
Very Uncanny  
Dolls that are too realistic often attract attention from the scientific, medical, and psychological communities.
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A Renowned Scholar Publishes Postive Doll Book  
Review of an early doll book by G. Stanley Hall, student of William James and first person to receive a PhD in psychology in America.
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Ravyn
Dolls and Disobedience  
Dolls in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" and Puritan Culture. Children in 17th century American lived lives dictated by discipline and restraint, not whimsy and imagination.
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Patti Playpal
Patti Playpal; still Playing Patticake after all these Years!  
We are taking another look at a beloved doll of the late 50s and early 60s.  Thanks to our reader Terri Lee for recommending this post.
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Lucy Gets A Paris Gown
Dolls in Sitcoms: Bebes in TV Land  
Read about how dolls infiltrate their way into your favorite past and current sitcoms.
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