House of Dolls

As the year draws to its inevitable consumerism-crazed conclusion, gift givers seeking inspiration for youngsters and the young-at-heart would do well to visit the Susan Quinlan Doll and Teddy Bear Museum at 122 West Canon Perdido Street. A vast treasure trove of childhood curios containing between 3,000 and 4,000 plush toys, action figures, movie memorabilia, and artisan figurines, the museum is a hidden delight, with the real treat being Quinlan’s informative guided tours. We talked to Quinlan recently about her collection, doll-making trends, and why dolls and teddy bears continue to be a popular gift.

Why do you collect dolls and teddy bears? There are so many things I love. I’m into artist dolls and artist teddy bears; I like the art aspect, the creativity that the artists have in making them. They take simple materials and make the most incredible dolls or bears out of them. I also like the fact that they’re reflective of history and fashion. I have one gallery that’s all book-related dolls and bears, and since I used to be a librarian, I am drawn to those, as well. The other aspect that I really got interested in was California doll makers, artists, and so on, ’cause I thought that’s something that’s not usually covered in other museums.

What are the big trends in dolls? I would probably say the biggest trend right now is ball-jointed dolls. They have become very, very popular, probably the best sellers today, and are keeping a lot of the doll collectors going. They have so many joints and can be posed so nicely; you can take them apart, reassemble them, put a different color eye in, put a different kind of foot on, change the head so they have pixie ears … I think this has appealed to people, to be able to buy one doll and buy all kinds of different accessories to make different kinds of dolls out of them.