September 13, 2026, Meeting

The meeting focused mainly on the upcoming United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC) Region 3 Conference, "Lariats and Lace." The convention will run from April 29-May 2, 2027, and will be held at the Hilton Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas.  The club has agreed to sponsor a luncheon at the conference based on the famous (or infamous) "Chicken Ranch," a brothel that operated just outside of La Grange, Texas and was the inspiration for the musical and a subsequent movie, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." Members came up with a number of ideas for "Chicken Ranch" themed table favors and door prizes. The November meeting will be a crafting and assembly session for these special Texas souvenirs. 

There was also a swap meet and sale.

And, as always, there was show and tell. Elaine Jackson brought this little bisque beauty, a souvenir from luncheon at the 2001 UFDC convention. She told the club that the doll resembles her granddaughter.

Guest Emily Landis shared this endearing BJD with a furry tail.

Charlie Abramovsky-Defoor has her little porcelain mascot, who travels with her everywhere.

Sharon Weintraub shared her newest acquisition, an unusual antique Japanese doll with china head and multi-jointed wooden body. 

 

August 9, 2026, Meeting

The meeting focused on the recent United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC) convention in New Orleans. Members who attended the convention shared some of the treasures they brought home. 

Jenell Howell brought these two beauties. The doll in the box is from a luncheon event and is Starlisse by Robert Tonner. The cloth doll she found at the Original Doll Artists Council of America (ODACA) exhibit and was created by Deanna Hogan of Blue Heron Dolls.

This dainty damsel is an all original all-bisque doll made by the German firm of Simon and Halbig for the French market. Jenell won her at the Theriault's auction, held in conjunction with the convention.

The Doll Dreamers Market was another doll show held at a nearby hotel. There Jenell discovered these two early mohair kittens by the German company Steiff.

While there, she also purchased this early closed-mouth doll by the German Company J.D. Kestner. The mold number is 189.

This reproduction French type all-bisque was created by doll artist Darlene Lane and was the souvenir doll for the luncheon event "High Tea with Rosalie."

Another luncheon souvenir is Beltha by Ruby Red Galleria.

Both Jenell and Myrna Loesch brought home this delightful diminutive doll and trunk by artist Maggie Iacono.

Myrna won this elegant Gene doll at a doll bingo event. 

Both Jenell and Myrna shared their bargains from the UFDC boutique, which offered for sale hundreds of dolls donated to the UFDC for fundraising, with the prices being discounted throughout the week.  This lithe lady is Vita by Horsman.

An all original composition Princess Elizabeth by Madame Alexander.

Also by Alexander is this composition bride in her original bridal attire.

Jenell loves the character of Alice in Wonderland and she found two composition examples by Alexander. 

Three adorable eight-inch children; the seated sweetie in a romper is Quiz-kin by Alexander. There are buttons on the back that allow the doll or nod or shake its head.  

Sharon Weintraub shared her single purchase at the convention, this black Jumeau 1907 model, Size 1. Sharon noted that the style of her clothing precedes the doll by a couple of decades, but the frilly frock is beautifully sewn out of antique materials and perfectly suits the little doll.

Members who did not attend the convention shared some of their dolls. Kenneth Reeves brought this doll by artist Susan Wakeen. Her dress is original, although Kennth added the tights and hair bow.

This is his 15-inch Miss Revlon by Ideal Toy Corporation. She wears an outfit made by a friend of his.

David Craig shared this doll from Integrity Toys, which had traveled with him on a recent trip to Portugal. He noted that her dress closely matched those he saw being worn by Portuguese women. 

Nancy Countryman brought this Nancy Ann Storybook Doll in her original box. Nancy Ann Abbott began her company in 1936, but this doll with a vinyl head and rooted wig is probably the last of the famed Storybook line, made sometime in the late 1950s to the mid-1960s.

 

July 12, 2026, Meeting

The theme for the program was "Patriotic Dolls. It would be hard to find a more patriotic outfit than this sparkling red, white, and blue ensemble worn by this doll brought by David Craig. He told the club that the doll is by JAMIEshow USA and that she is wearing an outfit made earlier for the Gene doll line created Mel Odom.

Kathie Tovo shared several examples. This tiny trio of all-bisque dolls by the German firm of Hertwig and Company play vintage American flag party favors.

An antique bisque-headed doll with a composition body is decked out in red white and blue with her original matching box, but Kathie stated that the doll may be in fact be a representation of France.

However, there is no question that this paper cutout represents the all-American Miss Columbia.

Sharon Weintraub displayed this bisque Uncle Sam. He is actually a German naughty novelty known as a squirter; one time he had a rubber bulb on top of his top hat and when he was filled with water and the bulb squeezed, the water came out of the appropriate orifice.

This sweet boy in a sailor suit belongs to Sylvia McDonald. He is a reproduction of a character by Gebruder Heubach and was made by Jenell Howell. His outfit is based on an antique costume and was made by the Gabriella Doll Clothing Company.

She also shared this doll representing Betsy Ross by Madame Alexander.

Also natty in her nautical-themed outfit is this German bisque-headed doll on a ball-jointed body. She is Florodoro by Armand Marseille and belongs to Myrna Loesch.

Jenell shared this all-original doll made by Effanbee and designed by the American doll artist Dewees Cochran. 

Elaine Jackson brought this cloth doll, Miss Columbia. She is modeled after the Columbian cloth dolls manufactured by Emma Adams from 1891 to 1910 and was created by doll artist Connie Tognoli as a souvenir doll for the United Federation of Doll Clubs annual convention in 2000. Her straw hat was purchased by Elaine at a Native American reservation.

Nancy Countryman brought this supersized Barbie doll by Mattel in patriotic apparel.

 

Glad to Help

This authentic antique baby doll will be traveling to the United Federation Of Doll Clubs (UFDC) 77th annual convention in New Orleans to be a "helper." This donation by our club will be used to raise funds for UFDC. At the convention, the helpers are put on display and attendees buy raffle tickets and place the tickets in a box in front of the items they hope to win. 

The doll is Marked "Century Doll Co. Kestner Germany." It was produced by the renown doll firm of J.D. Kestner for the Century Doll Company, founded in 1909 in New York by by Max Scheuer. The company continued in business until 1928, when it was merged with the Domec Toy Company. This adorable infant has the cutest character face with sleeping blue glass eyes and full coral lips. The head is of rosy smooth bisque, with pudgy composition hands and a cloth body. Dressed in vintage clothing, this darling doll is 16 inches long.

 

June 7, 2026, Meeting

Elaine Jackson explained that her program was about two dolls in our collections; one that we wonder why we still have it and the other we would keep even if we had to give all our other dolls away. Her two examples were this Peruvian llama herder (Elaine gave him his little llama) and the wooden cowboy. She said that the llama herder has a ceramic head and a cloth body. Another club member, Jenell Howell, had acquired him when she purchased a doll collection and despite his traveling to several doll shows with Jenell, no one purchased him. Elaine was helping Jenell pack up her booth after one such show and Jenell gifted him to Elaine. Somehow, he is still in her doll cabinet. 

This cowboy however is the one doll she would always keep. Carved by Austin artist Nancy Grobe, he is all wood, even to his cowboy boots. Her husband had ordered him from Nancy some 40 years ago as a Christmas gift to Elaine. He even commissioned Nancy to dress the doll.

Sharon Weintraub told the club that this fashion doll by Francois Gaultier was her first French doll when she was a beginning collector. The doll has a repaired shoulderplate and was dressed by Ann Campbell, who was an early member of the club. Sharon said that she had traded her childhood Chatty Cathy and Madame Alexander Wendy dolls for it (both dolls and their wardrobes were in excellent condition because Sharon did not care much for dolls as a child). However, as Sharon became a more knowledgable and advanced collector, the doll is no longer one of the highlights of her collection but, for some reason, she is still there.    

On the other hand, Sharon said that this French type all-bisque doll is one she would always keep. Sharon told the club that her mother had always wanted to do to a doll auction and in 2013, when Theriaults held one in Dallas, Sharon and her mother made plans to go. Sharon had reserved a hotel room in Dallas and she and her mother would drive there and stay the weekend. However, on her way to pick up Sharon, her mother had a car accident. Although she was unhurt, the car was totaled. Sharon rushed to the scene and told her mother she would cancel the hotel reservation. Instead her mother insisted they were going and would take Sharon's car. So they went and her mother had a wonderful time. When Sharon was reluctant to bid higher on this doll, she told the club that her mother grabbed the bidding paddle out of her hand and held it up, resulting in the winning bid. 

Jenell told the club that actually she really likes this all-original 10.5-inch Toni doll by American Character, but that the doll just does not fit with the rest of her collection and Jenell has never found the right place for her in the doll cabinets.

This all-original Number 1 Barbie by Mattel is however the one doll she can always find a space for. She purchased the doll from her original owner. The owner's father was in the military and had brought it to her from Japan when she was a little girl.

Bette Birdsong told the club that she had always wanted a bebe from the French firm of Schmitt et Fils. To purchase this dog, Bette said that she traveled two days and nights by train. She loves the doll's fat, funny cheeks.

On the other hand, she found this black ramp walker doll at a doll show, It is missing its arms and she bought it with the idea that her husband would carve her new ones, but that never happened. 

Myrna Loesch would always keep her childhood Cissy by Madame Alexander. The clothes were made by her mother. Myrna told the club that her mother would bribe Myrna to take a nap by offering to make her new outfits for her dolls while Myrna slept.

However, she is not as enamored with this French S.F.B.J. 60, which has a cracked face, an oddly-made  body, and painted footwear. 

Sylvia McDonald said that this Käthe Kruse represents all the dolls she loves. This example dates from 2004.

Sylvia told the club that this little infant doll with a hard plastic head is far less special, although it has a sweet face.

Nancy Countryman brought her two childhood dolls, which were hand-me-downs from older cousins. She made the dress for the smaller doll.

David Craig brought this lovely lady. He told the club that after Mel Odom, the creator of the Gene doll line, retired, the dolls were re-introduced by JAMIEshow in 2013 as resin ball-jointed fashion figures. This is Madra and she has a magnetic pate, allowing her wig to be easily changed. David said that he loves the JAMIEshow clothing and accessories, which recall his favorite fashion era of the 1950s-60s.

David was not even sure how he ended up with this doll, Gigi by Ashton-Drake Galleries. He says that the doll just doesn't "speak" to him.