This year's ceremony had extra Academy Award flair. A cocktail party was held immediately preceding the awards, and there was Las Vegas style dance entertainment provided by doll artist and entertainer Gregg Ortiz and Terri Corcoran.
The event was also a fundraiser, with a silent auction of dolls and bears held to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Nevada. The foundation told the audience about Make-A-Wish and showed a short film clip about the charity prior to the award announcement.
Each award was announced by showing the audience the dolls nominated on a large screen. Winners of the People's Choice then accepted their awards, sometimes with a short speech (for some reason, the winners of the TOBY awards, the Teddy Bear awards held right after the DOTY's, had much more to say than the DOTY award winners).
The award winners were as follows:
1. Collectible Baby Doll: Laura Tuzio-Ross
2. Collectible Fashion Doll: Tonner Doll Company, Citrine Dream
3. Collectible Miniature Doll, 8" or Less: Laura Lee Wambach, Masterpiece Dolls, Eron
4. Collectible Manufacturer's Artist Doll, Less than $150: Monika Gerdes, Masterpiece Dolls, Jenny
5. Collectible Manufacturer's Artist Doll $150-$350: Monika Levenig, Masterpiece Dolls, Lisa Marie
6. Collectible Manufacturer's Artist Doll, Over $350: Heidi Pluscak Puppen-Design, Lili Gundi
7. Artist Doll Less Than $1,000: Kathy Smith-Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Originals, Alice
8. Artist Doll $1,000-$2,000: Dianna Effner, Dianna Effner Porcelain Dolls Inc, Little Lou
9. Artist Doll Over $2,000: Zofia & Henry Zawieruszynski Originals, Adrianna
10. One-of-a-Kind, Less Than $1,500: Beverly Stoehr Originals, Little Red Riding Hood
11. One-of-a-Kind, Over $1,500: Laura Tuzio-Ross, Terri
12. Best In Show: Laura Tuzio-Ross, Terri
The TOBY awards for best teddy bears of 2006, also public choice, followed the DOTYs. Over $4,000 plus a generous matching gift from GUND was raised for the Make A Wish Foundation of Southern Nevada. If you would like to help decide next year's DOTY People's Choice Awards, look for the nominations and voting instructions in Doll Reader magazine next spring.
