Collecting Marie Osmond Dolls: A Family Affair

I recently attended my first Marie Osmond Doll signing, at the IDEX Doll & Bear show in Orlando, Florida. One of the things that immediately struck me about the doll signing is how many families were in attendance together. In many instances, husbands accompanied their wives, and daughters came with mothers. This is very different than with many other modern dolls, where the vast majority of collectors are women who collect alone.

The Costuming and The Sculpting!

I spoke with several of the collectors in line, to find out why they were at the signing and also why they collected Marie Osmond Dolls. Brenda Dick had come all the way from Oxford, Michigan with her husband to attend the Becoming Butterflies brunch and doll signing after. Brenda has over 200 Marie Osmond dolls, and she says she has been to every collector event that Marie has had! She says she collects Marie’s dolls because she “loves the costuming and sculpts.” Her favorite artists are Beverly Stoeher and Karen Scott. She was waiting in line to have Baby Abby (in pink) and Crystal (held by her husband) signed. Brenda has collected Marie Osmond dolls for over 13 years.

Robbin Spegel and Mr. Bob Collect Together

Also coming from Michigan for the event and signing were Robbin Spegel and her husband Bob (he says that collectors will know him as “Mr. Bob.”) Robbin has 300 of Marie’s dolls, and has been collecting for over 11 years. She says she has been to many Marie doll signings. From Essexville, she especially likes Marie’s Toddlers. And, just like with Brenda, Robbin points out that she is drawn to Marie’s dolls for their sculpts and costuming. Her favorite sculptor is Karen Scott.

A Mom and Daughters Collecting Team

For Carla Colburn, collecting Marie Osmond Dolls is also a family affair, but instead of collecting with her husband, Carla has been collecting with her daughters. Her daughter Madelynn is 9 and has been to several events with Carla, including the big 2006 collectors’ bash in Utah. The IDEX event was the first event for 8 year old Emily. Together, Carla and her daughters have over 300 Marie Osmond dolls at their Daytona Beach Florida home. They especially have enjoyed Marie’s Rose series of dolls. Carla also likes to collect Marie dolls which remind her of Emily and Madelynn, including the Miracle Network dolls (one of their daughters was a “miracle baby at only 2 pounds, 11 ounces” at birth and dolls which remind them of family nicknames such as “pumpkin” and “sweet pea.” The girls especially love the Adora Belle dolls. Marie Osmond is their favorite sculptor.

The Theme of Family Collecting

I talked to other Marie collectors in IDEX as well, and I was struck by how the theme of family collecting ran through the group. 2007 will be the 16th year that Marie has made her dolls, and with the great exposure that her dolls get on television from QVC, it looks like Marie Osmond Dolls will continue to be favorites of collectors of all genders and ages.