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Very Uncanny; Nutcracker Maker Files Bankruptcy Truly, frost was on the pumpkin this week. We covered our plants Friday night, including a pumpkin vine I grew from seed. Leaves are falling, and I've pressed one red leaf in my copy of James Patterson's "Kill Alex Cross." Falling leaves mean the West Central Illinois Doll Club's annual field trip to Gigi's Dolls and Sherry's Teddy Bear. Sadly, Steinbach recently announced that after 200 years, they would file bankruptcy.  We will truly miss the beloved maker who made the figures that inspired Hoffman, and later Freud.  This year, Lestat by Crees and Coe came home with me. Last week's trip through the Spoon River Scenic drive yielded even more treasures. Theriault's Matter of Circumstance Auction takes place Monday. If there were ever a better time to be a doll collector, please let me know!! Ellen Tsagaris Doll Collecting Expert

Very Uncanny   Dolls that are too realistic often attract attention from the scientific, medical, and psychological communities. READ NOW

A Renowned Scholar Publishes Postive Doll Book   Review of an early doll book by G. Stanley Hall, student of William James and first person to receive a PhD in psychology in America. READ NOW

Dolls and Disobedience   Dolls in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" and Puritan Culture. Children in 17th century American lived lives dictated by discipline and restraint, not whimsy and imagination. READ NOW

Patti Playpal; still Playing Patticake after all these Years!   We are taking another look at a beloved doll of the late 50s and early 60s.  Thanks to our reader Terri Lee for recommending this post. READ NOW

Dolls in Sitcoms: Bebes in TV Land   Read about how dolls infiltrate their way into your favorite past and current sitcoms. READ