Make Your Own Baby Doll At The Adora Make Your Own Baby Events

This year, Adora Dolls will be holding their third annual Make Your Own Baby doll events at doll stores nationwide. At these events, collectors can pick the hair and eye color of the baby they want to make, and also the race of the baby, and then they get to make their own doll. They can wig the doll, stuff the body, and attach the head and limbs. After that, the doll can be dressed as the collector chooses.

A New Sculpt For This Year's Event

Each year, Adora picks a different baby face for the dolls so that collectors who attend each year can have different babies. Also this year, for the first time, the dolls may have long wigs which will lend themselves to a variety of hair styles. Also new this year are socks, pacifiers for Caucasian and Hispanic sculpts, and a blank birth certificate included with each dollmaking kit for participants. The kits come with full instructions, but most retailers teach a class which helps the participants assemble their dolls.

Retailers Run Creative Events

Events run from September to the beginning of December. To find an event, check with your local Adora Doll dealer. Some dealers will have more than one event. For example, my doll store holds one event for children and one event for adults. The events vary greatly by dealer--some dealers even make them like mini-conventions, with doll goodie bags, raffles, and more. Additionally, Adora runs a contest along with the event. "Adora retailers and doll lovers continue to outdo themselves" says David Linn Adora Inc's president. "Retailers have held extremely creative in-store events and doll collectors have designed some really exquisite dolls. I'm eager to see what the 2006 Make Your Own Baby Contest will bring.”

The Make Your Own Baby Contest

For the contest, at each event the retailer will select the best doll design, which is then entered into the national contest run by Adora. Adora judges the entries based on scrapbooks supplied by Adora Inc. and completed by the retailer, which describe "concept, craftsmanship, overall color and style." Adora Inc. announces the winner in late December. The creator of the winning doll will receive a three-day trip for two to the International Doll Expo (IDEX) in Orlando, Florida in January 2007. Last year's first-place winner was "Skating Butterfly, by Deborah Robberson, from Cranston, Rhode Island. Additional prizes are given for second and third place entries.

Retailers Also Have a Contest

There is also an award for participating retailers, based on the retailer scrapbooks which chronicle the event. Three winners are selected and each will receive Adora, Inc. merchandise credits for their store.

Noel: The Special Event Doll

Finally, there is a special Adora baby doll that is released only for sale at the event. This year, the special Adora baby is “Noel.” She is dressed in a cream dress and red coat with white fur cuffs. She has brown hair and a red hat. Her sculpt has never been previously sold, and she has a suggested retail of $90.