The Last Doll Show of 2026

   After trying to decide if I wanted to bother, Ken and I went to the last doll show of the season last weekend. It's a fair sized one. It's held at a sports center, and unfortunately carpeted with very thick astro turf, which is very difficult to push a wheelchair through. I have to say though, without having Ken's wheelchair to lean on I probably couldn't have made it around the show. My back has been getting increasingly bad lately, and I find I need something to lean on to spend any amount of time walking around most of the time. I recently had a back x-ray, and other than the arthritis I suspected, I was informed that I have a herniated disc. It's only a stage one though, so supposedly it can heal. It also explains the trouble I've been having with my hip and leg for the last million years. I am set to start  physical therapy. I don't see things improving though. I have to take care of Ken, which involves tugging him up from some seated positions, and up the stairs to get in  and out of the house, and also there is a lot of bending and lifting in my life. All are things people with herniated discs aren't supposed to do. I hope there is some solution though, because I have been telling Ken that I can't cope with this constant pain any more. I never even take anything for a headache, so if I'm ready to take something for this pain so I can function, you know it's bad. You might have noticed I don't do much doll photography any more, and most of what I do is not very arty. That's because I can't get down on the ground to doll level any more. Well, I might get down there, but getting back up is another story.

  In any case, here are some pictures from the show. It seems like a lot of pictures, but it would have been way more if my phone hadn't stopped taking pictures somewhere around halfway through. Ken wants everyone to know that he had solutions for me, that I wouldn't take because I'm paranoid something might get deleted off my phone. I also could have gone back to the car, which I had to park way at the other end of the parking lot because all the handicapped spots were full, and get my other phone, but my pain said no. So there are still plenty of pictures, but I usually feature Wendy L Creations and Bristol Park Studios. Both were there, and both had some really great stuff. Unfortunately my phone had stopped taking pictures before I came across either of them. If you're interested in seeing their marvelous creations, you can find WendyL Creations on Facebook and Instagram, and Bristol Park Studios on Etsy and Facebook, by clicking these links. 

  I always start at the side of the show where I enter the room. I realized that I usually buy most of the things I buy on the other side of the room. So I decided to start over there this time. The first thing I spotted that really drew my interest was on the first side though, so I made an exception. I headed straight for this girl.

She's Freckles by Uneeda. She was made in 1962, just like me! (Okay. If you want to get technical, I was made in 1961, but I was born in 1962!) I have been wanting one, and this one had bright orange hair! 

And teeth!

But she was a very big girl, and $30. The price was good for her, but she's so big. I've been trying not to buy anything very big these days. I think Freckles came in three sizes, the smallest being 12 inches and the biggest, which I think was this girl, was 32 inches tall. So she was gorgeous, just what I have been wanting, but I walked away!

 Well, not completely away. I did buy something from this dealer, but it was small! I'll show you everything I bought in an upcoming post.

  The same dealer also had this Old Cottage doll. He was beautiful, but more than I wanted to spend. Sorry the picture is blurry, but he was so cute I wanted to show him anyway.

  The dealer also had this wooden lady. She was very nice.

  And continuing with this dealer, this boudoir doll had a lot of personality. 

    I was very tempted by this guy.

He is the very model of a modern major general.

You know I love those little German dollhouse dolls. This little guy is dressed as a Russian.

  I might have shown this girl in a previous show post too. Hey. I like what I like. I'm consistent.

These felt dolls were cute.

This set of wooden peg dolls was nice, but expensive. I want the tiny one.

 

  Here are some pretty girls. The Mary Hartline on the right is a little scary looking!

The middle girl is very cute, but look at that Kewpie kid!

  This cute cloth doll was only $5. In previous times I would have been tempted beyond being able to refuse her.

  This piano baby had the crazy eyes!!

She looks like she just fell off a wagon and was saying, "Excuse me! You just dumped me here! Come back."

  This lady was very colourful.

  More cute kids.

  I must like this lady. I realized I photographed her at a previous show. Hey! Maybe Freckles will be at the show in the Spring...

  This little girl is quite realistic.

  These rod puppets by Loutky were cool, and they had their original box.

If you've ever read the Doll People books, maybe you will see Tiffany Funcraft in a couple of these puppets too.

  I loved these dolls. Such pretty, shiny faces. I think the one in the big hat is Deanna Durbin.

  I know I photographed the lid of this doll's box, but it didn't show up. The doll was about 6 inches tall. I thought the face was very familiar. I saw another doll at the show, a big, full sized doll, with this face. I was a Tonner, but this one wasn't.

  This dealer had several Kish dolls, including Creamsicle Lark! That's one of my unobtainable grail dolls! She was $150, which is why she's unobtainable. I didn't realize she was so big. and I had forgotten that she's jointed. The dealer wasn't taking very good advantage of that fact in displaying her.

 I loved these cute felt faced dolls.

  These Irish dolls were also very much my thing.

  Here's another Kewpie looking kid.

  The dealer with the dolls that had been donated to a museum was there again. She had these dolls.

   She also had this doll, made of cut paper.

  She also had this canoe full of the Lewis and Clark expedition. (And Dilbert.) I went to school with a girl who though Sacajawea's name was Sackjaws. These dolls would have gone well in my collection of cloth dolls from Colonial Williamsburg and children's books. Remember that reference for an upcoming post.

  These were fairly large dolls, being about 12" and 14" tall.  

She had this beautiful set of wooden furniture for an 8 inch or so doll. I would have loved to have it, (Don't need it!) , but her prices were so high on the dolls that I didn't even bother to ask how much it was.

 

There were some bisque dolls.

  

  This tiny lady with a spun cotton head was a Christmas decoration.

  These cute wooden dolls were by Renault. They remind me a lot of Lotte Sievers Hahn dolls. 

  A couple of tall girls.

  More Deanna Durbins.

  There were quite a few dolls at the show like the two flanking the blonde Shirley Temple look alike. I can't remember the name of that doll.

 A couple of chunky kids. The one reminds me of a dark haired John Candy.

  I'm not sure if these two were meant to be twins, or if the dealer just happened to have two of the same doll.

 This girl has Princess Leia buns.

  This guy was vey sweet, and a bit Hummelish.

 

 The last thing I photographed before the phone pooped out was this doll.

  I have talked many times about the Susie Slicker I had as a kid. I loved my big eye dolls. I would have had this doll in a heartbeat if I had found her as a kid...or even now! If only she weren't more than I could spend! She's the Black version of Susie Sad Eyes, and her name is Soul Sister. I knew they existed, but I've never seen one in person before.

  Well, that's it for the last doll show of the year. Maybe my back will get fixed and I'll feel more like going to shows and taking more interesting photos again! In an upcoming post we'll see what I bought at this show.

What I Got at the Doll Show

   Okay. I'm finally getting around to showing you what I bought at the doll show the other week. I was really good. I spent little money, and bought little things. They were some of my favourite little things though. 

  Let's start with these mystery dolls.

  When I picked them up I assumed they were Baps dolls. And you know I love Baps dolls. Then I noticed that their feet were different from Baps dolls' feet. The dealer explained that they belonged to her friend, who collects Baps dolls, and that they were Baps knockoffs. Then the friend showed up and confirmed that she had about 100 Baps dolls, and that these weren't Baps, but Baps wanna be's. The dealer had already knocked their price down before I got there, and knocked it down again for me. I thought they looked so much like Baps dolls, and anyway, they would be interesting as Baps knock off dolls.  So I bought them. But after looking up Baps dolls after the show, I think the dealer and her friend may have been wrong. I think they are Baps. The unusual lags and feet are just like those on Baps puppet dolls. The difference seems to be that the puppet ones have a rod in their feet, so these guys, if they were Baps puppets, should at least have a hole in their feet where the rod was. There are no holes though. 

  The other thing that makes me think they are Baps, is that on the bottoms of their feet it says, 'Made in US zone Germany', just like Baps puppets of the same era.

  The closest characters I can find are for the kids. They look like they are probably Hansel and Gretel. The Hansel and Gretel I found online are very similar, including Hansel carrying a bag like this, and Gretel wearing a head scarf and her arm was bent just like this doll's, only there should be a felt purse/bag hanging from it. I can't find a doll,or puppet that matches the lady though.

  The first thing I bought were these Caco dolls.

  The mom is about 5 inches tall.

  She's going to need her leg rewrapped. I can do that.

  They both have the lead feet but she has plastic hands. The lead feet means they are older. Her plastic hands tell me she's not as old as the kid though. Even my Caco dolls Kay and Jeffrey have plastic hands and feet, so they are younger than both of these.

  The little guy looks to be a boy, even though he's dressed in pink with blue trim.

  He looks small next to the mom, but he is probably the same size as Kay, or maybe bigger. He's way bigger than Jeffrey.

  He's really cute, but the hooded snowsuit look will limit how he can be used in stories, and in the dollhouse.  

  I found this little suitcase. It has to have come with a Bob Hope or a Bing Crosby doll, because it's covered with 'Road' movie travel stickers. I can't find the doll it might have come wth anywhere online though.

  It was only $3, and it had some stuff in it.

  For 50 cents I got a nice silk hanky. It is very thin, and would make a great curtain for a dollhouse.

  The Caco dolls were cheap. The Baps dolls were pretty cheap. And the last cheap doll I got, which would normally have cost me more, was this Tiny Town doll.

    You might have seen my other Tiny Town dolls. I only have a couple, which I got by accidental cheap prices, (I think it was accidental at the doll show at least. My first one was an Ebay purchase, and they didn't know what it was.)

  This one is a Scots doll, with all the traditional accoutrements.

  The faces were hand painted on these dolls. They are known for being painted by the same lady who painted the Nancy Ann Storybook dols.

  She has lead feet.

  The dealer made me a good deal because she said these dolls don't sell for what they used to. They still seem to sell for a good price online though. 

  And that's all I bought! I'm so proud of me! There were some things I was tempted by, but they were big, and I didn't need to spend the money. Ken will okay anything because he says he, 'wants you to be happy'. So I had to rein myself in. Yay me! And I still got three of my favourite types of dolls.

  Next time we'll see some yard sale finds. See you then!