Beyond Barbie: Meet doll collectors in Shreveport ahead of the annual show

Robin Grubbs has been a doll collector for many years and a member of the North Louisiana Antique Doll and Toy club for close to fifteen years.

“I love being with other collectors to share what we know, the knowledge and the history," he said.

Barbies are some of his favorites, especially the early ones from the 60s to the mid-70s. His collection includes more than 100 dolls, “It’s the fashion, it’s all about the clothes” he says.

Member Anita Berg also has a large collection filled with dolls that bring back memories from her childhood.

Both her mother and grandmother loved dolls and even before she can remember, as a Christmas photo from when she was just 2-years-old proves, she was surrounded by dolls. She got her first Japanese wooden Kokeshi doll as a young child from a pen-pal friend who lived in Japan, and now she has dozens more displayed at her home.

Her favorite dolls are the 1950s lady dolls with the Madame Alexander Cissy Doll, dressed in a red dress with a full circle skirt, being one of the most prized in her collection. “The clothing, the hairstyles, makes me think of my mother and all the ladies in my childhood that I looked up to and wanted to become," she explained.

Berg loves the comradery of the group but notes that doll collectors are all different. There are those, like her, who have always loved dolls, while some think of it more as an art form. It turns out there are as many reasons to collect as there are dolls.

The club will have a luncheon and doll show Saturday, October 17, at First Baptist Church in Shreveport. The show is open to the public at no cost from 1-3:30 pm and will have a few sale tables where people can purchase dolls.

The luncheon promises to be a fun event with Italian cuisine, early show admission, door prizes, and a skit put on by the members called ‘Grandma’s Attic’. Grubbs will have a rag doll, like the Raggedy Ann dolls, and will talk about its history and meaning. Other members will have other dolls, making the show an informative and interesting way to show off what this group loves. The luncheon is $45 and opens at 10 am.

For more information about the North Louisiana Antique Doll and Toy club luncheon contact weebeetoys@bellsouth.net or call 318-780-8864. The club meets once a month and includes a doll magazine four times a year with the annual dues.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Meet Shreveport doll collectors in Shreveport