Driven by the Forces of Style, Personality and Talent, John and Susan Wright have Blazed a Stellar Trail in the World of Doll Art

From the very first doll they created in 1976 in a small corner of their modest apartment to the modern masterpieces in felt they produce today in a multi-building production facility, the distinctive works of John and Susan Wright have earned this talented couple a prominent place in the pantheon of doll artists. Their range of work—dolls, bears and animals— make R. John Wright Dolls one of the few companies to effectively bridge the gap between these various fields. And they do it with distinctive style and that hallmark “R. John Wright” look, which discriminating collectors have come to cherish and covet over the years.

Ginny, Jill, Ginette and the rest of the Vogue doll family show their solidarity—and style sense—by dressing alike. They represent a match made in fashion doll Heaven!

Children in the 1950s loved dressing their eight-inch Ginny in her many outfits.  Riding on the crest of the hard plastic doll wave in the United States, the first Ginny appeared in 1948, and went through several changes in the 1950s. Whether she was a painted eye strung doll, a sleep eye strung doll, a walker, or a bent knee walker, the little sweetie was always marked “VOGUE” on her head and “VOGUE DOLL” on her body (a patent number also appeared on the walking dolls). Even more versatile than her incarnations, were Ginny’s darling outfits. Each year little girls could look forward to Vogue Doll Company’s offerings of Ginny outfits.

Wave good-bye to flying solo! Berdine Creedy and Terri Lee stamp collectors’ wanderlust with brand-new travel dolls that are collectible copilots.

When Clint Eastwood strolled on the Red Carpet, on Oscar Night, 2005, his beautiful wife, TV reporter Dina Ruiz Eastwood, held onto his arm and sparkled in her well-tailored gown and tasteful jewelry. Hidden in Eastwood’s other hand, and visible to the discerning eye, was a colorful, comical paper doll. That’s right—Dirty Harry, the Man with No Name, the fellow who has made millions as a macho, silent desperado, carried a paper doll to the Academy Awards ceremony. The cutout figure is Flat Stanley Lambchop and he is part of a national literacy campaign. The two-di­mensional figure has been sent all over the world for the past decade, stacking up frequent flyer miles and encouraging his sponsoring school classes to write essays on his memorable adventures. Eastwood’s second-grade daughter was the “travel agent” who arranged for Stanley’s Hollywood debut— incidentally, Stanley has also visited the Oval Office, ridden on the space shuttle, and has climbed Mount Rainier. Here is one doll that doesn’t like to be boxed in. Not content to sit on a shelf, Flat Stanley is seeing the world, and the world is seeing him.

…Especially If It’s With Barbie. As the Army of the Advertising Doll Versions Out There Will Attest, This Blonde Bombshell Has Definite Sales Appeal

Barbie, America’s best-selling doll, is also the nation’s best-selling adver­tising doll as well, selling and promoting everything from Avon to Wal-Mart.

Meant to Represent the Crème de la Crème of Feminine Ideals, these Lovely Dolls are all Winners

In my 25 years of doll collecting, I continue to be inspired and fascinated by the way other collectors focus on different areas and sub areas when building their doll collections. Take, for instance, the Barbie collector whose interest is only Skipper or Midge, or the Shirley Temple lover who will only collect the exceedingly rare compo versions of the dolls. As I delved into my research for our Miss America doll, I was delighted to discover a new (for me) collection, full of nuance and the “thrill of the chase”–the Miss America doll.

With her latest dolls, Annette Himstedt’s imagination travels far and wide.

The 2003 Himstedt line bears a resemblance to past offerings, but it is a fuller, richer, more personal gathering of porcelain and vinyl charmers. Doll artist Annette Himstedt was determined to shepherd her company into a new arena, anxious to have her creations priced af­fordably and to have more designs for her dedicated collectors and followers to choose from.

With her new eight-inch doll, Helen Kish is discovering that huge success sometimes comes in tiny packages!

Anyone who thinks bigger is better obviously is not familiar with the work of Helen Kish. The doll artist, owner of Kish & Company, is well known for her richly detailed one-of-a-kind pieces, limited editions, and dolls she’s designed for com­panies like Dakin and Pleasant Company. Lately, though, she’s been reaping enormous re­wards from downsizing, both in art and life.