The Collectibles Store Blog

Collecting reborn dolls is a growing trend among doll collectors. Typically hand crafted by a specialized reborn doll artist, these custom dolls are highly sought after. They are frequently stunning life-like facsimiles of real-life babies. As a result, they are often called fake babies, or twin babies.

Why are they called “reborn babies?”

The term “reborn baby” refers to the fact that the custom dolls originated from a completed doll. The doll is then stripped and used as a starting point by a reborn doll artisan and recreated as a custom lifelike doll – often with new hair, skin coloring, and clothes.

They are sometimes painted and dressed to look exactly like a real baby from a family picture. In this instance, they are often termed “fake babies” or “twin baby dolls.”

Sometimes the dolls do not originate from a completed doll, but come from a soft vinyl doll kit that the artist can start with. These are termed “newborn dolls” because they came from a kit rather than a retail doll, although collectors usually refer to all such dolls as “reborn dolls.”

Reborn doll sculptors

The doll sculptor is the artist who designs the blank doll kit, while the doll artist is the artisan who brings it to life as a reborn doll. A few popular doll sculptors have risen to the top of the field who design the vinyl doll kits artists use for their creations. Some of the most common are:

• Adrie Stoete
• Angie Harris
• Birgit Gutzwiller
• Didy Jacobsen
• Elisabeth Steger
• Eva Wakolbinger
• Heike Kolpin
• Jackie Gwin
• Kim van de Wetering
• Linda Webb
• Manuela Muth
• Nel De Man
• Reva Schick
• Rolanda Heimer
• Rita Rich-Arnold
• Sheila Michael

Reborn doll artists

Some of the more popular reborn doll artists have moved on to become doll sculptors, such as Reva Schick. Reva has designed a number of popular doll sculpts available in soft vinyl doll kits, including:

• Ariella By Reva Schick
• Melina By Reva Schick
• Rebecca By Reva Schick
• Ophelia By Reva Schick
• Maya By Reva Schick

An increasingly popular reborn doll artist who is known for hand crafting her dolls with a high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail is Karen Whitmore in Valdosta, Georgia. In her studio, Neverland Nursery, she produces amazingly detailed and lifelike reborn baby dolls.

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Heavenly Handfuls

Heavenly Handfuls baby dolls from the Ashton-Drake Galleries are without doubt the most adorable miniature dolls available! At only 6″ tall, the M&M’s baby dolls are a particular favorite, having all the lifelike details you’d expect to find in full-sized dolls.Dressed in a single-piece M&M’s sweater in a variety of colors, these tiny wonders also sport a unique cap. Your heart will be melted by these adorable dolls!

Each of the amazing dolls in the Heavenly Handfuls collection is made of the highest quality vinyl and hand painted. Their soft bodies can also be posed which adds to their appeal. What a great feeling to hold one of these sweet baby dolls in the palm of your hand! Each one is a masterpiece of handcraftmanship.

At only 5″ tall, the Heavenly Handfuls Sweet As You Please Baby Doll Collection features the most lifelike dolls you’ll be able to find, right down to their tiny fingers and the creases on the bottom of their tiny baby feet. The dolls have their own crocheted booties to keep them warm and the lovely costumes are perfectly made to scale.

The Miniature Kitten Doll Collection is also included in the The Heavenly Handfuls Collection. Each of the plush poseable kittens are incredibly detailed and handcrafted, with mohair that is applied by hand so no two kittens are alike. These cuties each have a lovely baby outfit with their name on the front.

Sitting in the palm of your hand, the Heavenly Handfuls L’il Monkey Hugs Collectible is another adorable item in the Heavenly Handfuls collection. These extremely lifelike and fully poseable baby monkeys are each dressed in a beautiful outfit. The perfect gift for a monkey lover, these delightful dolls are also covered with mohair which has been applied by hand.

The Dancing For The Cure Breast Cancer Support Baby Doll is another lovely doll in the Heavenly Handfuls collection. These 5″ ballerina dolls are extremely realistic and proudly sport the pink ribbon over their custom-designed costume.

The Heavenly Handfuls Wizard of Oz Baby Doll Collection is a touch of magic. These hand-painted and finely crafted dolls are only 4 1/2″ tall. Their exquisitely crocheted clothing and fabric blankets are adorned with special Oz characters including Toto on Dorothy’s.

If you love these dolls as much as I do, you’ll want to take a look at: Heavenly Handfuls.

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Madame Alexander Dolls

The founder, Beatrice Alexander, began producing her famous Madame Alexander dolls in 1923, having developed an interest in dolls at a young age in her father’s doll shop and doll hospital. Although the dolls were originally created for children, they are now an American tradition collected and adored by people of all ages. The dolls are modeled after Dickens characters, celebrities, and fictional characters such as Scarlett O’Hara, Alice in Wonderland and Little Women. Adored for their big round eyes, gorgeous costumes and delicate features, these outstanding dolls are absolutely stunning. They are amongst the absolute best collectible dolls available.

For an excellent selection of Madame Alexander dolls, I recommend that you check out: Madame Alexander Baby Dolls.

Madame Alexander’s first dolls had flat hand-painted cloth faces. Although these dolls remained popular, production of composition dolls began in the 1930s. Beatrice Alexander is recognized for her beautiful costumes just as much as for her dolls. Both female and male dolls have the same face and body which is very unique. After the Second World War, Madame Alexander was one of the first to produce dolls made of plastic. In the 1950s, Madame Alexander was presented with the prestigious Fashion Academy Gold Medal for excellence in costuming. Several of the Madame Alexander dolls continued to be produced for over 40 years with minimal changes.

Before you buy a Madame Alexander doll, you must consider the condition of the doll. A doll that is not attired in the original costume, shows significant wear or is stained would be less valuable. The value of the doll would also be affected by the popularity, rarity or age of the particular doll. As most doll collectors want dolls that are in their original condition, you may be surprised to know that restoration can actually reduce a doll’s value.

Madame Alexander Huggums dolls, with their soft hands and feet, are consistently best selling baby dolls. These appealing babies are just the right size to be held by small hands but still have the beautiful costumes and attention to detail for which this premium doll manufacturer is famous.

You may be interested to know that several of the Madame Alexander dolls produced today are created in the original New York City factory that Beatrice Alexander used to create her magical dolls. Sadly, Beatrice Alexander died in 1990, however her wonderful dolls are still manufactured by the company she founded. Cherished by countless collectors and children, they represent the ultimate in collectible dolls. The Alexander Doll Company is the only remaining major manufacturer of hand-crafted dolls in North America.

For a great selection of Madame Alexander collectible dolls, take a look at: Madame Alexander Dolls.

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“Collectible” is a very broad term which may be applied to a great many items. Then again, dolls are the most commonly collected collectible. It is for this reason that people usually think of collectible dolls when the word “collectibles” is used.

If you collect dolls or are interested in collecting them, it is important that you educate yourself about them as much as possible. One thing you should learn is how to protect your investment by caring properly for your collectible dolls. Doing this will keep your doll in pristine condition, which may result in you selling it for a profit later on.

If you are looking for a great selection of collectible dolls, check out: Collectible Dolls.

After buying a collectible doll, it is important that the packaging be kept in perfect condition when you remove the doll. If possible, the packaging should be left in perfect condition. To make sure the doll is kept in pristine condition for a long period of time, it will be necessary to remove the doll from the packaging.

The first step is to remove any tape from the bows in the doll’s hair. The resale price for collectible dolls will be seriously impacted if glue from the tape gets on the fabric. Anything in the packaging that might rust should also be removed. Any rusty bits of metal in the packaging can destroy your doll.

The next steps will depend on the length of time you plan on keeping your doll. You should buy special acid free tissue paper for wrapping collectible dolls, which is available at hobby stores. Next, the doll should be undressed, wrapped in tissue paper, and then have the clothes put back on. By doing this, the integrity of the fabric will be maintained for an extended period of time. Dyes from the fabric may be transferred to the doll’s skin if you don’t use tissue paper to wrap the doll. It would not be good for your doll to have a stained face!

Just as a reminder, for a great site that has a great selection of collectible baby dolls, take a look at: Collectible Baby Dolls

The next thing you need to treat is the doll’s eyes. Treating your doll’s eyes with a diluted solution of isopropyl alcohol (half water, half alcohol) will ensure that they move freely. Lay the doll horizontally and place a small amount of the solution in each eye. You should let the eye area dry completely after wiping it with a clean cotton cloth. This preparation will make sure that the eyes of your doll are absolutely clean and free of dust. Dolls with eyes that are glued shut are certainly less than desirable!

Your collectible doll can be put on a shelf and forgotten when the necessary steps have been taken to preserve it for an extended shelf life. Collectible dolls will not increase significantly in value so they should not be considered an investment. Dolls should not be bought if your only motivation is to profit from them. If you are passionate about collectible dolls, you can always live in hope that the resale value will go up. This is why it is important to take the necessary steps to preserve your doll.

I hope that you found this article enjoyable. You may also be interested in the Heavenly Handfuls collectible dolls here: Heavenly Handfuls.

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Heavenly Handfuls baby dolls from the Ashton-Drake Galleries are without doubt the most adorable miniature dolls available! Although M&M’s baby dolls are only 6″ high, they still have the lifelike details usually found in full-sized collectible dolls.These tiny masterpieces each sport a uniquely designed cap with a one-piece sweater in M&M’s colors from red to green to yellow. They are sure to melt your heart!

The highest quality vinyl is used to create the lovely hand-crafted Heavenly Handfuls collections. Their bodies are fully poseable which is an attractive feature. How wonderful to be able to hold one of these adorable baby dolls in the palm of your hand! Each one is a masterpiece of handcraftmanship.

At only 5″ tall, the Heavenly Handfuls Sweet As You Please Baby Doll Collection features the most lifelike dolls you’ll be able to find, right down to their tiny fingers and the creases on the bottom of their tiny baby feet. The beautiful variety of costumes are made to scale and each baby doll has its own crocheted booties.

The Heavenly Handfuls Collection also includes the collectible Miniature Kitten Doll Collection. Mohair is applied by hand to each of the highly detailed and beautifully crafted poseable kittens. These sweethearts have precious baby costumes with their name clearly displayed on the front.

The Heavenly Handfuls L’il Monkey Hugs Collectible is absolutely adorable and fits right into the palm of your hand. These extremely lifelike and fully poseable baby monkeys are each dressed in a beautiful outfit. The perfect gift for a monkey lover, these delightful dolls are also covered with mohair which has been applied by hand.

Another wonderful doll in this collection is the Dancing For The Cure Breast Cancer Support Baby Doll Collection. Dressed in a lovely custom-designed outfit, these very lifelike 5″ ballerina dolls also proudly wear the pink ribbon.

For a touch of magic, you should take a look at the Heavenly Handfuls Wizard of Oz Vinyl Baby Doll Collection. These hand-painted and finely crafted dolls are only 4 1/2″ tall. Their superbly crocheted costumes and fabric “blankies” are specially decorated with characters such as Toto on Dorothy’s blanket.

If you love these dolls as much as I do, you’ll want to take a look at: Heavenly Handfuls.

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