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The winners of the 2013 Industryâs Choice DOLLS Awards of Excellence (DAEs) were announced April 12 at the Debut of Dolls Banquet held at IDEX in Orlando, Fla. Each entry in this yearâs competition was evaluated by our panel of judges: Doll industry consultant Pat Burns, doll writer and historian Penny Herbst, Simon Farnworth of DollObservers.com, author and DOLLS contributor Stephanie Finnegan,
DOLLS editor-at-large Jill Jackson, and Modern Doll President Patsy Moyer. This yearâs Industryâs Choice winners go on to become the nominees for the Publicâs Choice awards voted on by DOLLS readers. Look for photos of all the nominees, ballot, and online voting instructions in the July 2013 issue of DOLLS.
Iola, Wis. â Jan. 9, 2013 â DOLLS magazine publisher and former editor Carie Ferg received a special VIP Award for Outstanding Achievement in the 2012 Colliii Awards. The Colliii Awards are the largest online dollmaking competition in the world.
âWe wanted to present the 2012 VIP Award to Carie Ferg as a recognition of the dynamism and innovation she has brought to the doll industry over the past few years,â said Colliii Awards Director James Carlsson. âThe VIP Award is presented every year to a person or organisation that has made a significant contribution to the doll world. It was Colliii.comâs pleasure to present this to Carie as a token of appreciation for her hard work.â
Past VIP Award winners include DOLLSâ Editor-at-Large Jill Jackson for her work with "Doll Reader," the Biemann family from SchildkrĂśt dolls in Germany, and such atists as Stephanie Sullivan.
Registration for the 2013 Colliii Awards will begin in July. For more information about the competition, go to www.colliii.com/en.The winners of the 2012 ProSculpt Annual Sculpting Contest have been chosen by collectors and artists from around the world. Winners this year are from England, Italy, Japan, South America, and the United States. Photos of all the winners can be viewed at the Johnston Original Art Dolls website. The winners are:
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Just in time for Valentineâs Day, Haute Doll introduces its new exclusive by Horsman Ltd., the modern-style âHeart Chairâ perfect for 16-inch fashion dolls. The design was inspired by Verner Pantonâs 1959 full-scale contemporary chair design.
The fourth Pullip and Dal Doll Lovers Event (PUDDLE) drew 60 doll lovers from 10 different states and Canada to the Elk Grove Village Holiday Inn in June. This yearâs theme, cranes, was inspired by the sandhill cranes at the group's charity organization, the Willowbrook Wildlife Center. Six custom dolls and other items donated by sponsors like The Sleeping Elf and Denise's Dolls were raffled off at the event, raising $500 for the center.
The weekend started Friday night with dinner at Mitsuwa Japanese Mall in Arlington Heights, followed by a tea party at the hotel. PUDDLE officially kicked off at 9 a.m. Saturday, starting with an organized buy-sell-trade opportunity, and dozens of fans milled around trading and buying doll wigs, eye chips, bodies, clothing, and more.
Every attendee received a door prize, thanks to generous donations from many sponsors. Distribution of the door prizes was followed by a secret gift swap and lunch break. Afterwards, an informal Q&A-format customizing workshop answered questions for many fans new to the hobby, followed by a display of fully customized and modified dolls entered in the customization contest. Winners of an online photo/art contest which was held and judged before the event were announced along with the customization contest winners. The photo and art entries can be seen at www.puddlestyle.com/photoart.html.
Many fans continued the fun over dinner in the hotel restaurant and in the hotel lobby until the wee hours. Krista Farmer, who traveled from Toronto for the event, said âIt was a crazy cool day.â Although the event officially ended Saturday night, 11 fans stayed for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Willowbrook Wildlife Center Sunday. â Jane Easterly
For information on PUDDLE 2012, visit www.puddlestyle.com.read moreAttendees at the third annual R. John Wright Convention enjoyed the festivities of several major holidays coupled with outstanding dolls,
all rolled into four fun-filled days! R. John and Susan Wright chose âCelebrations!â as the theme for their 2011 event held at the historic Desmond Hotel in Albany, N.Y., which was co-chaired by Loretta Nardone and Lillian Wright.
The convention opened with St. Patrickâs Day reception Wednesday evening, where everyone laid claim to being a wee bit Irish while enjoying a scrumptious dessert buffet. The sales room opened immediately after this kick-off event, with conventioneers hoping the âluck of the Irishâ would help them find that perfect doll or dolls.
Thursday began early with the Easter Morning Breakfast; those attending this ticketed event didnât have to search for large, beautifully decorated baskets serving as table centerpieces. They were filled with molded felt eggs in pastel colors. At the end of the breakfast, the eggs were distributed and the happy new owners opened them to find âPeep,â a 3-inch yellow mohair chick as their event souvenir. His companion, âPosey,â was available for sale. After breakfast the special and competitive exhibits opened, along with the helper room. This yearâs special exhibit, arranged by John and Susan Wrightâs daughter Emily, was titled âHappy Holidaysâ and showcased R. John Wright dolls and animal characters and the traditional holidays that inspired them.
That afternoon, attendees boarded buses for the short trip to Bennington, Vt., for a tour of the R. John Wright facility along with other local activities. The Wrights explained the development of their creations from concept through completion before everyone had the opportunity to visit with their employees as they made various doll parts and accessories and shopped in the R. John Wright store. The day culminated with a Fourth of July BBQ followed by fireworks at dusk.
Workshops by dollmaker Gail Wilson and a program by Alan Pate, a leading American expert on Japanese dolls, were offered on Friday, along with several roundtable discussions on various topics. Attendees dressed up for the frightfully fabulous costume parade leading into the Halloween Masquerade luncheon, with prizes awarded in five categories. After lunch, the newest piece from R. John Wrightâs Wizard of Oz collection, âWicked Witch of the West,â made her debut in front of an enthusiastic audience.
The ticketed Victorian Yuletide Dinner featured traditional table decorations and an enchanting program, âA Victorian Christmas,â presented by Nardone. The event souvenir was the 10-inch âMary Frances,â the latest addition to the Victorian Children Collection. Available for purchase was her 7-inch little sister, âBaby Grace.â
Saturday morningâs activities included another program by Pate and a workshop conducted by
Emily Wright. That afternoon, a Valentineâs Day High Tea charmed conventioneers with fine teas and delicacies. The newest addition to the Flower Fairies series, âRose Fairy,â was available for purchase. The eveningâs closing event was a New Yearâs Eve Gala Celebration. This elegant banquet featured another entertaining program produced and presented by Nardone. When the souvenir dolls were distributed, delighted attendees found the adorable 12½-inch âCelebration Scootlesâ would be going home with them. As an added bonus, her delightful twin brother was available for purchase.
