Friday, May 29, 2020

Black Artists, Designers, and Makers of Black Dolls

Dolls by African American artists/manufacturer: Lorna Miller Sands, Lorna Paris, Gloria Young Rone, Floyd Bell, Goldie Wilson, Shindana Toys

This is not an all-inclusive list of current and past Black artists, designers, and makers of black dolls, so if you know of other Black artists who make black dolls, please leave their names or company names in a comment.  The names are in alpha order. Additional names provided by Karen Oyekanmi have been added with the doll artist's email address only.

CURRENT BLACK ARTISTS/DOLL MAKERS

ABBDA 

Afrikashyne
Medium: Vinyl
Website: https://afrikashyne.com/product-category/dolls/ini-dolls/

Angel Hugs 4 All (Angela Huggins)
Medium: Cloth

Beautiful Blessings
Medium: Vinyl (full-figured 12-inch fashion dolls)
Website: https://www.iamabeautifulblessing.com/

Beed, Dr. Linda - author, children’s minister and dollmaker - lindaonassignment@yahoo.com

Bell, Floyd
Media: Wood, resin

Bell, Makeda, MakeDaArt
- Makedaart@gmail.com

Beloved Reborns (Tiarra Shante Venter)
Media: Vinyl and silicone reborns and reroots

Biankha and Friends Dolls (Based in the UK)
Medium: Vinyl (13.4-inch fashion doll)
Website: https://www.biankhaandfriends.com/

Black, Lillian - lblackdolls@gmail.com

Bloodworth, Marilyn
Media: Cloth, Liquache

Bourgeois, Anna - annabourgeois42@gmail.com

Bradley, Vickie - vickiebradley1@verizon.net

Brains and Beauty Dolls
Media: Vinyl and cloth 18-inch talking dolls for children

Brooklyn Dollworks (Valerie Gladstone)
Media: Mixed media art dolls

Bryant, Shawn and Simpson, Phyllis
- sjawnb017554@gmail.com

Buckley, Cheryl - cheryl-buckley@att.net
Carr, Daisy
Medium: Cloth art dolls

Coleman-Cobb, Patricia
Media: Cloth and resin art dolls

Colette, Vivian
Medium: Cloth art dolls

Creations by Ba'ucham (Ra’chel Ba’ucham)           
Media: Yarn (crochet), porcelain, cloth  
Facebook: 

Cuddle Me Soft (Fay O’Neal)
Media: Vinyl and silicone reborns

Dean, Tiffani
Medium: Cloth art dolls

Deborah Grayson Studios
Media: Mixed media art dolls

Dolls by MonTQ (Tanya Montegut)
Medium: Cloth art dolls

Dolls Just 4 U (Scharynne Holmes)
Medium: Cloth

Ekkens, Pamela
- pamekkens@gmail.com

Ellis, Mabel - truedevotions@yahoo.com

Expressions of Color (Jean Henderson)
Media: Mixed media art dolls

FableDollHouse
Medium: Natural Fiber Art Dolls with a Whimsical Flair

Fomby, Tosh
Medium: Cloth art dolls

Fort, Patricia - patriciasdolls@hotmail.com
Fresh Dolls and Positively Perfect Dolls
Media: Vinyl and vinyl and cloth
Website: https://thefreshdolls.com/

Fusion Dolls
Medium: Vinyl
Website: https://www.fusiondolls.com/

Gant, VonZetta - dollsandfashion@gmail.com

Godfrey, Sahara - slgvibinge@earthlink.net
Green, Marie
Media: Cloth dolls, jewelry, and clothing
Handmade Dolls by Twissi
Medium: Cloth art dolls
Email: twissidolls55@gmail.com
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Twissi

Harris, Patricia - dhpal2626@gmail.com

Harris, Sherelle - sdjharris63@yahoo.com

Healthy Roots Dolls
Medium: Vinyl 18-inch doll with natural hair
Website: https://healthyrootsdolls.com/

Herstory Dolls (Canada)
Medium: Vinyl (articulated 17-inch dolls)
Website: http://www.herstorydoll.com/

Hillian, Vanessa - hillianvanessa@gmail.com

Holoford, Lillian - lilhol@sbcglobal.net

Hubbard, Pamela
Medium: Cloth art dolls

IamU Dolls (Stacey McBride-Irby)
Medium: Mass-produced 12-inch vinyl fashion dolls

Ikuzi Dolls
Media: Vinyl, cloth (18-inch dolls)
Website: https://www.ikuzidolls.com/

Imagination Dolls (Debbie Hilson)
Media: Mixed media art dolls

Iwyatt Imagist (Wyatt Hicks)
Medium: Polymer clay

January, Kor
Medium: Wood

Joffee Diva Dolls (Joy Griffis)
Media: Polymer clay and cloth

Kappia, Rita (lives in England)
Medium: Cloth art dolls

Kissing Kousins Dolls (Karen Oyekanmi)
Media: Felt, porcelain

LaGras, Stacy - stacy.legras@gmail.com

Lee, Gail and Tate, Candace
- gall2000.gl@gmail.com

Lively Folks by Tracy Perry 
Medium: Cloth
Instagram: SeamsLikeTracy
Email: Contact the artist through the Etsy shop contact link

Malaville Toys (South Africa)
Medium: Vinyl (fashion dolls)
Website: https://www.malavilletoys.com/

Massa's Servants Collectibles (Gloria Y. Rone)
Media: Polymer clay, cloth

MayOla’s Kidz - dhpal2626@gmail.com

McMurray, Crystal
Media: Nylon

Melandolly
Medium: Polymer clay
Website: https://melandolly.com/portfolio-2/

Melanites
Medium: Vinyl (17-inch boy doll)
Website: https://www.brownboyhood.com/products/jaylen-action-pal

Montsh, Abenaa Rukiya
Media: Polymer clay

M'simbi Dolls (Zambia, Africa)
Medium: Vinyl (18-inch dolls)
Website: https://www.msimbidolls.com/

Neal, Mary - mary@tnealcps.com

Neal, Mary K. - dollsdesignerlady@gmail.com

Original Dolls by Goldie Wilson
Media: One-of-a-kind porcelain and cloth


Osborne, Anita - aloe2ya@gmail.com

Our Brown Boy Joy (talking plush doll to empower brown boys)
Medium: Plush


Paddlefoot Dolls (Debra Pounds)
Medium: Cloth

Paris, Lorna
Media: Leather, cloth

Pretty Brown Girl
Media: Vinyl, cloth
Website: https://prettybrowngirlshop.com/

Reed, Gwendolyn - almeta1512@sbcglobal.net

ROGERSs Originals
labizlady@aol.com

Ruiter, Bing - Frekels Doll Company- frekels@ymail.com

Sands, Lorna Miller
Media: Silicone lifelike dolls

Sankofa Doll Artistry                                                    
Media: Mixed textiles

Sharon Pittman Art Dolls
Medium: Polymer clay

Sharon E. Tucker Original Designs
Media: Mixed media art dolls and clothes

Sibahle Collection (South Africa)
Medium: Vinyl
Website: https://sibahlecollection.com/

Small, Sylvia
Medium: Cloth

Sonadolls (Frantz Brent-Harris)
Media: Resin, silicone

Stacelina Monique Dolls and Miniature Accessories
Medium: Customized Barbie/fashion doll repaints, miniature accessories for playscale dolls

Starkey’s Daughter Cloth Dolls (Rachel McCullough Sherrod)
Media: Felt, cloth

Studio XOXO (Cleveland Wycoff aka Cj Starz)
Medium: Resin (16.75 and 12-inch fashion BJDs)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cj.starz.7
Website: https//www.studioxoxodolls.com/

Sumner, Stephen
Doll Artist/Designer formerly designed for Hasbro and Mattel

Swann, Alice
Medium: Wood, clay, cloth

Thimble & Doll (London, England)
Medium: Cloth
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thimbleanddoll/?tn-str=k*F

Trinity Designs, Inc.
Media: Vinyl (16-inch sorority-inspired dolls)

Urbidolls (France)
Medium: Vinyl
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/ie/shop/Urbidolls
Website: https://urbidolls.com/

Williams, Trish
Media: Mixed textiles (art dolls)

Wilson, Goldie (see Original Dolls by Goldie Wilson above)


Wilson, LaVera - luvwills2@yahoo.com

Witherspoon, Dr. LaVerne - v2k02@hotmail.com

World Girls
Medium: Vinyl
Website: https://www.teamworldgirls.com/collections/all

Young, Angela
Media: Cloth and reborns

PAST BLACK DOLL DESIGNERS MAKERS/MANUFACTURERS OF BLACK DOLLS


Berta Bell Dolls (I. Roberta Bell)

Big Beautiful Dolls, Inc. (Audrey Bell-Kearney and Georgette Taylor)

Candi and Candi Girls (Helena Hamilton)

Double Dutch Dolls by K. Charles



Grandy, Gloria (soft-sculptured artist of OOAK dolls)

Here Comes Niya and NiyaKids (Darla Davenport-Powell)


Lars, Byron (designed the Byron Lars Barbies for Mattel)

Lomel Enterprises (Baby Whitney)

McBurrows, Annuel (sculpted the Brown Eye Doll series for Remco)

Moss, Leo (late-1800s to early 1900s doll maker)

Olmec Toys (Yla Eason was the founder).

Perkins, Kitty Black (former fashion-doll designer for Mattel)





Again, if you are a Black (African or of African-descent) doll maker or know someone who is, please add the artist's name or the company's name and contact information in a comment to this post. Thank you in advance!

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

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Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Decorative Cotton Face Masks for Doll Lovers

Washable Face Mask with Doll Images (as seen below)

I used images of some of my dolls to add decorative cotton face masks to my Zazzle store. Images and links to the buy pages are included below:











All face masks can be ordered in black. See all my Zazzle products here.

dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here

Check out my eBay listings here.

Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.

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Monday, May 18, 2020

Needle-Sculpted Doll by Sandy Wright


I found this one-of-a-kind 18-inch needle-sculpted cloth doll on Ruby Lane during a recent sale.


This lovely doll has needle-sculpted and painted facial features. Her eyes are brown. Her wig was made of mohair which is still attached to the hide.

Her dress is shown from the back in this photo. A white ribbon is threaded through the blouson waist of the dress. The back closes with two hook and eye closures.
She wears a white antique-style blouson dress, white with black polka dot knit bloomers, and black leather handmade lace-up boots as illustrated in the next two photographs.

Knit bloomers

Handmade black leather lace-up boots
Wired arms and fingers
Her arms and fingers are wired for posing. The second and third fingers of both hands are fused together.

Unclothed, her all-cloth body is shown here.

She is signed on the back, "Sandy Wright 1998."
I have seen a couple of other Sandy Wright dolls, but I am not otherwise familiar with the artist. I found a Pinterest pin of a Frida Kahlo doll by Sandy Wright that included the artist's email address. I emailed and asked for additional information about my doll, but the email bounced back. I am not sure if Ms. Wright is still making dolls. If anyone has information about the artist, please share it in a comment. Thank you in advance!


dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Monday, May 11, 2020

Norah Wellings Doll Gift

A beautiful, circa 1940s Norah Wellings Doll

She arrived having been loved for over 40 years by her former owner who offered her to me as a gift. This 13-1/2-inch Norah Wellings doll is very similar to the two shown here. My initial email from her former owner, KL, is copied below for provenance purposes.



On Mon, Apr 27, 2020 at 4:36 PM -0500, "xxxxxx" wrote:

Hello Debbie,
First off, I hope this finds you well. I want to get to the point and then explain in hopes to limit wasted time on your part, I was wondering if my beloved Norah Wellings doll could find a good home with you? No charge, I would very much like to find a loving and caring home for her. I've enjoyed her company for far too many years to feel right selling her and I don't have anyone in my life who I feel would appreciate her as much as I have.

When I was much much younger my mom found her naked in a thrift store, she brought her home and put some clothes on her. I saw her and asked if I could have her. She was mine but placed out of reach with visitation rights. πŸ˜‰
Now, after having enjoyed her sweet smile and company for decades, as an adult I'm making changes and would like to send her on a new adventure. It really seems like she would be in good company with you and your collection. (I read a little about you online.) All I would ask of you is that you never sell her. (If you find a new home and give her away, that's totally fine!) If you have a better idea of a home for her I'd love to hear it. Please see attached photos for condition.

Thank you so much for your time,

--=KL=--
Being the black-doll enthusiast and rescuer that I am, I gladly accepted KL's offer to provide a new, good home for her beloved Norah Wellings doll and promised to never sell her.  My two other Norah Wellings dolls became as excited about her arrival as I did.

My new girl sat for this photograph where a portion of her cloth foot tag can be seen.

After having been packed with extreme care for her trip to her new home, my new-to-me Norah Wellings doll arrived swiftly. I used my hands to smooth her black mohair wig and to tuck in some areas of the bun. I applied clear fingernail polish to the raw edges of the hem of her handmade skirt to prevent it from fraying. I took photos and documented her in my doll inventory workbook.

Standing photos from the front and back

My doll inventory Excel description entry reads as follows:

13-1/2-inch doll, made of velvet has mask face under velvet with side-glancing, painted brown eyes; a smiling mouth with six painted teeth; black mohair wig styled in an upswept bun; marked on the left foot: MADE IN ENGLAND/BY/NORAH WELLINGS. Has sewn-on cowrie shell and bead earrings and multicolored strung wooden beads that accent her bun (both earrings and hair beads probably added by her former owner), wears original gray marble-colored bangle bracelet and anklet on left arm and ankle. Bracelet and ankle indentations on the right arm and ankle indicate she probably wore bracelets and anklets there. Redressed by former owner's mother using yellow fabric and a multicolored scarf to create a sarong.  The former owner's mother purchased the doll secondhand during the 1970s. 


The cloth tag on her left foot reads:
MADE IN ENGLAND
BY
NORAH WELLINGS

My Norah Wellings gift doll is accompanied by my first and second circa 1930s dolls. The one on the far right is a Dudu model 119; the other is a souvenir of Nassau Bahamas.


After I fussed over her, she was next greeted by her two sisters. The three fell in love immediately. It was a joy to imagine how they would actually interact with one another. Because they are about the same height and wear coordinating colors, they will display well together in the cloth-doll section of my collection.

Their close-up illustrates their different eyes and complexions. The newest girl has a deeper complexion and painted eyes. The older two have glass eyes.
The newest doll is my first Wellings with painted eyes (the other two have brown glass eyes).  According to Gillian Trotter, the author of the Norah Wellings Journal blog, glass eyes were used between "1927 and mid-1930s and the later ones had painted eyes." In an email reply from Trotter about the new girl and dating of the eyes, she indicated, my new girl's original clothing was probably a grass skirt, "the earrings do not look original ... some had hoops like the ones on her arm and others had beads or none at all." She also confirmed the new girl's era as being the 1940s and she feels the Nassau doll was probably sold on a cruise ship that docked in Nassau, Bahamas. Trotter is also the author of Norah Wellings Cloth Dolls and Soft Toys.

Thank you again, KL, for your kind gift. I will cherish this beautiful doll forever.

Addendum - 11/02/2020
I found the following notecard that was still sealed in an envelope with my name "Debbie" written on the front of the envelope. It had been sent with the Norah Wellings doll gift from KL and fallen behind my washer (where I had placed the doll's shipping box to open it upon returning from the post office).




The notecard is part of the doll's provenance, which is why I am including it with this post. 

My washer had to be repaired recently, which is when I found the notecard. Initially, I did not know which doll I was being thanked for adopting. Thanks to my doll inventory spreadsheet, I was able to find the notation of a doll gift received in April 2020 and match it with the name of the benefactor that I had recorded. Records matter. :-) 

Related Links
First and Most Recent Norah Wellings Dolls
Norah Wellings Journal

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Felt Doll by Mary Vasquez

Brown felt doll by Mary Vazquez

This circa 1980s doll by Mary Vazquez manufactured by Lloyderson Dolls of Spain was recently offered on eBay during a time that I obviously needed low-cost retail therapy.


She is 20 inches tall, made of brown felt with a brown felt shoulder plate. Her hard molded, Tweety bird-shaped head is covered with brown felt.


Yarn was used for the baby's short black hair.  She has black side-glancing eyes and a cute pouty mouth.

The body and limbs are stuffed cloth. The limbs are brown felt; the body is white cloth.

She wears a brass-tone bracelet.
This baby wears her original pink and white striped romper, matching bonnet, and a brass-tone bracelet with a charm that reads Mary Vazquez. I'll add white booties to complete her look later.

I think she is adorable.

I have not found much information about the artist or the company for whom she made dolls (Lloyderson Dolls of Spain) but my research will continue and I will update this post accordingly.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Monday, May 4, 2020

Star Wars C-3PO X Barbie

Stock photo of C-3PO x Barbie

Preordering is now available for the C-3PO X Barbie. According to the Barbie Mattel site, the doll will be available to ship on June 15th.  Described as follows:


"This collectible Star Wars x Barbie® doll takes design inspiration from C-3PO’s legendary look to capture his golden armor in a runway-ready silhouette. Star Wars C-3PO x Barbie® doll shines in a head-to-toe liquid gold look with accents of sheer organza and golden sequins. Polished details include a golden collar, bangles, C-3PO-inspired glasses and a brilliant cincture echoing the droid’s primary power coupler outlet. Star Wars C-3PO x Barbie® doll makes the perfect addition to any collection and a great gift for Star Wars and Barbie® fans. Includes a Star Wars doll stand and Certificate of Authenticity. Doll cannot stand alone. Colors and decorations may vary.


"Label: Gold
Designer: Robert Best
Release Date: 5/4/2020
Included with doll: dress, boots w/ softgoods, hair piece, necklace,arm cuffs,hand covers, belt and chain, sunglasses, doll stand
Eyelashes: Painted
Fashion: Dress with sheer organza accents and golden sequins, glasses
Fashion Sewn On?: No
Body Type: ModelMuse
Doll Stand: Yes
Facial sculpt: Mbili
Package Dimensions (H/D/W): 17" x 5" x 10"Limit 2 per person."

The ensemble is gorgeous!
Stock photo of one of two available Star Wars Barbie gift sets.

See more pictures of C-3PO Barbie and preorder here (at Barbie.Mattel) or here on Amazon.

Order the entire collection as a gift set here.

Star Wars Barbie search results and links to individual buy pages can be accessed here.

May the doll-collecting force be with you!
:-)

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Please Continue to Stay Safe


Anastasia by Medline has a face mask that she removed
just to share the message of this post.
Anastasia by Medline is here to remind you to use all necessary precautions to protect yourself from COVID-19:

Wear a mask when out in public and wear it properly by covering your nose and mouth (if it's cloth, wash after wearing it*); wear gloves if possible but do not cross-contaminate, watch what you touch and don't touch your face; use hand sanitizer** when soap and water are not available; practice social distancing; if you do not have to go out, don't. Many government officials want the country to open for the sake of the economy thereby placing more value on money than on people's lives.  Use your common sense and protect yourself by any means necessary! People have died and are still dying as a result of COVID-19.

*Handwash cloth masks after each use with an antibacterial soap (I use Dial), but any soap will do, rinse and hang dry.  If the material will not fade, spray the mask with hydrogen peroxide after washing, and then hang dry.

**If you have access to hand sanitizer, use it after touching foreign objects in public but take care because hand sanitizer is flammable. The best way to clean your hands is with soap and water and lather your hands for 20 seconds or more, preferably more. Use a stylus, a pencil eraser, or another firm instrument to touch public keypads and apply hand sanitizer to the tip of the stylus or eraser.

In addition to all of the above safety measures, I have a routine that I practice upon returning home. I remove my shoes upon entering the house, turn them face down and I spray the soles with Lysol or another disinfectant aerosol spray. I was fortunate to find Family Dollar's brand a couple of weeks ago. I properly remove and discard my gloves in the trash can.  In the utility room at the back door after removing my shoes and gloves, I remove my clothes and place them in the washing machine.  I wash my face and/or shower again. I pray and thank God that what I have done has protected me and my family against this deadly pestilence.

Be safe for yourself and your loved ones.

"People in power are too comfortable with other people's deaths."–Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Friday, May 1, 2020

The Doll Blogs on Kindle


My third book, The Doll Blogs, When Dolls Speak I Listen, is now available as a Kindle eBook at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087V6PN37/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=debbie+garrett&qid=1588191816&sr=8-4

It has been available as an eBook in the Google Play Store for quite some time. I recently decided to publish it as a Kindle book, which can be read on Kindle devices or on other devices (including PCs) using the appropriate free Kindle app.

dbg


There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!