Barbie, Patsy, and G.I. Joe fans from across St. Albert will be in Edmonton this weekend looking for bargains at a massive annual doll and toy fair.
About 450 people will be at the Italian Cultural Centre (14230 133 Ave) Sept. 10 for the Doll Club of Edmonton’s 39th annual Fall Doll and Toy Sale. The show gives fans of antique and modern dolls (including teddy bears and G.I. Joe figures) a chance to meet, chat, and haggle over rare finds for their collections.
This year’s show will feature a special display of Disney-related dolls in recognition of the company’s 100th anniversary, said Doll Club of Edmonton board member Kathie Kinisky. About 80 vendors will be on hand offering everything from antique porcelain dolls to modern Barbies.
“One of our vendors sews sports jerseys for 11.5-inch fashion dolls,” Kinisky said, and will have a full stock of NHL hockey jerseys ready for sports fans in attendance.
St. Albert doll collector Laraine Pierson will have about five crates of dolls and doll accessories at the sale. Her eclectic collection, which fits in about five glass cabinets, consists mostly of classic cherub-faced dolls with the occasional Barbie, Beanie Baby, and hand-made bunny rabbit thrown in.
More than toys
Kinisky said doll collectors tend to be adults aged 40-plus who feel nostalgic about the playthings of their childhood. There is, however, a growing trend of young adults who are interested in dressing up ball-jointed dolls.
Pierson said she fell into collecting when her mother bought her a porcelain doll. Struck by its beauty, Pierson said she started a decades-long hobby of collecting Bisque, composite-material, and china-head dolls, and sewing custom outfits for them. She guesses she has a least a thousand dolls in her collection — enough to terrify one friend of her daughter to the point she refuses to come into Pierson's house.
“I look at them and they make me happy,” she said of the dolls.
Pierson said her favourite dolls are those made by the Effanbee company, which produced the iconic “Patsy” baby doll. A few of her dolls have “sleep eyes” that shut when you tilt them horizontal. Almost all are dressed in more frills and lace than a wedding catalogue.
Kinisky said she could never afford official Barbie outfits as a kid (she dressed her dolls in mom-made clothes instead) but was inspired by her brother as an adult to start collecting them. She has more than a thousand outfits now, many made with elaborate silks, zippers, and buttons.
“The fashions really are a replica of what was happening in the world,” she added, with Barbie’s closet reflecting the styles of Jackie Kennedy, disco, and other eras.
Kinisky said doll collecting can be expensive, with some dolls costing thousands of dollars. Some collectors will keep their dolls in special humidity-controlled rooms for preservation; most keep them in the open so they can dress them up.
Kinisky said it was the thrill of the hunt that kept many in doll collecting, with some club members visiting doll sales every weekend in search of treasures. It’s also a hobby for all ages — many of the club’s shows see grandparents walking the show floor with their kids and grandkids in tow.
The sale runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $7 or free for those 12 and under. Visit www.dollclubofedmonton.com for details.
