DOLL SHOWCASE
DOLL SHOWCASE is a quarterly magazine that is published in March, June, September and December. It is produced in Britain by Susan Brewer, author of several books on the subject of doll history and collecting, together with her daughter Jenna. The A4 magazine was first published in September 2004. Each issue has 50 full-colour pages and covers all types of dolls, both old and new.
Please email info@britishdollshowcase.co.uk for details
(Subscription details are shown at the end of this post)
SOME BACK ISSUES
September 2015 ISSUE
DECEMBER 2015 ISSUE
JUNE 2015 ISSUE
MARCH 2015 ISSUE
DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE
In each issue of Doll Showcase we try to feature a wide variety of dolls; we are aware that doll collecting encompasses many different types, and we try to cater for all our readers. We include antique bisque, cloth, composition, hard plastic, celluloid, costume, play dolls, vinyl, modern bisque, designer dolls and many others. Although we don't guarantee that every kind of doll will be featured in each issue, we do aim for variety.
DOLL SHOWCASE BOOKS
Our latest book is called Delightful Dolls. It is a quick look at 80 or so favourite child and baby dolls that have been enjoyed by British children (and collectors) since the early 1950s. Illustrated with plenty of photos, it should help with identifying dolls found at car boot sales and flea markets. Some of the articles featured had appeared in Doll Showcase or on Kindle publications, but there are many more new entries. The book is available through Amazon, or, for subscribers, through Doll Showcase.
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| Cornish Shallowpool Dolls published 2014 |
The book features the small costume dolls made by three retired ladies and a few outworkers in Looe, Cornwall, during the 1960s -1980s. They were sold under the name of Shallowpool. There were three main categories of these beautifully detailed dolls with their hand-painted faces – Cornish Costume, Historical Costume and Nursery Rhyme. The Cornish Costume dolls in particular are fascinating, depicting characters such as tin miners, farmers, milk maids, pasty sellers, fishermen and smugglers. We had enormous fun setting up the dolls in a series of tableaux, creating plenty of props such as a dairy, a baker’s shop, a fish stall and a mining scene. Just before the book was due to go to print we were contacted by a cousin of one of the makers, who told us that he had just been given around 200 colour slides of Shallowpool dolls which had been created for private collectors. Many of these dolls had never been seen in public before. He scanned them in so that we could include a selection in the book – apparently some of the dolls were so intricate that they had taken several months to create.
Other Doll Showcase books include the classic Tiny Tears and First Love: A Celebration of Two Classic Baby Dolls. Written by Susan Brewer it looks at the dozens of different Tiny Tears dolls as well as the later First Love babies.
This is the story of two classic British baby dolls, Tiny Tears and
First Love. It investigates the design, development and manufacture of the
various types which have appeared over the years. Many of the earlier dolls are
now becoming collector's items. The book is colour-coded to help
identification. It is divided into two main sections, blue for Tiny Tears, pink
for First Love, and then further sub-divided by colour to indicate the
different manufacturers.
The various versions of the Tiny Tears and First Love dolls are fully
described and photographed, while separate chapters show body types, components,
eyes and identification marks, as well as outfits and accessories. Other items
of interest, such as instruction leaflets and logos, are also included. Family
members of Tiny Tears and First Love including Timmy, Katie, My First Baby,
Teeny Tears and Teeny Weeny Tears, are fully described, as are many of the
related dolls which appeared under the Tiny Tears or First Love brand names.
Doll Showcase has also published some A5 booklets, amongst them Doll Showcase Discovers Amanda Jane, Doll Showcase Discovers Hornby Flower Fairies and The History of the Christmas Fairy Doll.
History of the Christmas Fairy Doll
A look at the tradition of the placing of a fairy doll on top of the Christmas tree in Britain. Originally, the fairy was a pagan belief, and it was believed holly was where the fairies slept. Hundreds of years ago, holly was used to decorate homes for the winter festival, and of course, is still used today. The Christmas tree was popularised during the reign of Queen Victoria, but an angel normally topped the branches. This booklet looks at how the fairy tree-topper evolved, examining different types of fairy doll, such as wax, bisque and plastic. It also includes step by step instructions for dressing a fairy doll in traditional style.
Doll Showcase Discovers Amanda Jane
The Amanda Jane company was formed in 1952, originally to produce a wide range of dolls clothes, but later it began making dolls too, in particular the hard plastic Jinx and the Amanda Jane series of small dolls. This is the story of the company, the dolls and the outfits, and is written with the approval of Peggy Woollett, who has run the company for over 40 years, and Elsin Rawnsley, the founder.
Doll Showcase Discovers Hornby Flower Fairies
In the early 1980s Hornby Hobbies created a popular range of small vinyl dolls based on the Flower Fairies books and paintings by Cicely Mary Barker. This comprehensive booklet contains a colour-illustrated id guide to the Hornby fairy and pixie dolls, including the deluxe and doubles sets. Also included are accessories, costume descriptions, packaging, rarity guide, Star Fairies and a Hornby Flower Fairy checklist. Written with the approval of Simon Kohler, Group Marketing Manager – Railways, Hornby Hobbies Ltd. Over 150 colour illustrations.
We also have some publications on Kindle, amongst them Little Loves and Classic Plastic
Both books consist of a selection of
short articles, most of which originally appeared in the British magazine Doll
Showcase. The articles describe some of
the dolls that might be found at a boot sale, collectors’ fair or flea market
in Britain, and are intended as a guide to help identification.
Other Doll-Related books by Susan Brewer include:
All available from Amazon
DOLL SHOWCASE is a quarterly magazine that is published in March, June, September and December. It is produced in Britain by Susan Brewer, author of several books on the subject of doll history and collecting, together with her daughter Jenna. The A4 magazine was first published in September 2004. Each issue has 50 full-colour pages and covers all types of dolls, both old and new.
Subscription:
£21 including postage to subscribe in
the UK.
£27 including postage to subscribe in
Europe and Eire
£35 including postage (Airmail) to all other destinations
For payment details please contact
info@britishdollshowcase.co.uk