Last week, a young girl (about 11 years old) walked into my doll shop.  She looked at my dolls, very carefully, for a very long time.  Finally, she picked up "Freckles," a Lee Middleton baby doll sculpted by Reva Schick.   She picked up the doll, looked very content, and started to cradle the doll like a real baby.   I walked over, expecting to gently let the little girl know that the doll retailed for $198, and, if that proved too daunting, to steer the girl towards some of my lower-priced baby dolls.  I struck up a conversation, and found out that the little girl had JUST sold a lamb at the county fair for a considerable amount of money--it was HER money, and she was going to get what SHE wanted--and what she wanted was this very baby doll that she fell in love with.

Another story: one of my customers walked into my store about 3 months ago--NOT a doll collector, she came in to browse my gift section.  She saw and fell in love with "American Beauty," a Lee Middleton doll by Reva Schick, who reminded her of her teenage daughter as a baby.  She took American Beauty home with her that day.  And...several of my other Lee Middleton baby dolls have followed her home as well in the past few months.  She is now the proud owner of 6 Lee Middleton babies!  As she likes to tell her husband:  "Well, its a lot cheaper than having another, real baby, and lots less work, too!"

A final story:  My daughter, 7 years old, received a "Love Makes The World Go Round" baby sculpted by Reva Schick for her birthday.  The doll comes dressed in a party dress with a stiff slip.  My daughter happened to be in my store when I received my first shipment of Lee Middleton baby clothes.  My daughter saw a soft, pink sleeper and insisted that her baby was "itchy" in her party dress, and HAD to have the sleeper.  I informed my daughter that her baby would have to wait for Christmas!  Well, my daughter was so upset by this information that she called her father and asked if she could take the money out of her savings account for the pink sleeper for her baby.  Daddy said yes, and daughter and my Lee Middleton "granddaughter" slept happily that night side-by-side in their pink pajamas.

I shared these stories with you (and I have many others--these are just the proverbial tip of the iceberg!!) to try to convey the devotion and, well, joy, that Lee Middleton babies inspire.  The dolls are made in Belpre, Ohio, generally in limited editions of 1000-2000 dolls,  They are finely sculpted in high-quality vinyl (a porcelain baby wouldn't work--how could you play with it?) and their clothing is made with fine fabrics.  Many of the dolls come with an accessory or two, and all the dolls come with a small "Baby's Bible."  The dolls are not inexpensive--the dolls in the Artist Studio Collection (the subjects of my stories above) generally retail for $198 and up.   And, the most wonderful thing about these dolls--when you hold them in your arms, they feel like a real baby! 

Some History

Lee Middleton Original Dolls, Inc. was founded by the late artist Lee Middleton.  She began making dolls in 1978, and eventually her cottage industry of dollmaking gave birth to the current 34,000 square foot doll production facility in Belpre, Ohio.  Her company grew and grew for the 20 years that Lee Middleton was at the helm.  Sadly, she died unexpectedly on January 30, 1997.  The company has gone on in the spirit of Lee--many of her original designs are still in production, and the artists that now sculpt the new designs--Reva Schick, Linda Henry, Eva Helland and Mavis Snyder--sculpt life-like baby dolls which are truly "the babies that love you back."  The company is the largest producer of baby dolls in the United States.

Styles of Dolls

The company produces several styles of baby dolls.  Their signature dolls are The Artist Studio Collection which appeal to collectors of all ages.  The My Own Baby line of dolls are play dolls aimed at children, although the babies retain some of the characteristics of collector babies. Finally, Wonder Play Babies, which include the Small Wonder, Newborn Wonder and Playtime Wonder dolls are traditional play baby dolls.  Finally, debuting this fall are the Classic Miniatures from the Artist Studio Collection.  These dolls are miniature 8" or  9" tall editions of some of the most popular dolls from the Artist Studio Collection.  Just like the larger baby dolls, these have jointed bodies, wigs, inserted eyelashes and very detailed outfits.  The debut collection of these dolls includes the American Beauty, Summer Angel, Precious in  His Sight, China, India, and several others.  

Nursery Adoption Centers

Another innovative idea that Lee Middleton Original Dolls has brought to its retailers are the Newborn Nursery Adoption Centers.  The Newborn Nursery Adoption Centers are in 40 US stores.  At the Centers, the visitor can 'adopt" a baby.  A "Nurse" draws up adoption papers with the baby's name, specifying skin, eye and hair color.  The baby is delivered to the expectant parent, and a photo is taken to commemorate the adoption.

If you've never seen one of the "Babies that Love You Back" in person, you're really missing out!  You can see the dolls at authorized retail dealers, and at shows like IDEX, in January of 2003 in San Francisco.  And, if you do go to see the dolls, make sure you hold one in your arms...if you do, you'll understand why many Lee Middleton collectors think they are bundles of pure joy!

Links for More Information:

Dolls and Doll Artistry Trends in the 1980s

Lee Middleton Collectable Baby Dolls-Bears & Accessories

Official Lee Middleton Original Dolls Site

Lee Middleton 2002

Doll Articles

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