GOD BLESS OUR HEROS
Hello! This is Michele and I could write a book about why I haven't had the time to dedicate to ThisOldDoll. Just want to let you know that the site is terribley obsolete and I'm in the process of a major update. I'll put a note here when it's finished enough to take orders and can get back to answering emails and working on dolls. In the meantime, if you need a question answered, you can call me at 330-316-5259 which will probably go straight to voicemail but I'll call you bsck. Might regret putting my number on the web but I'm hoping the voicemail and call back idea will discourage robo calls. So that's what's going on and I hope to be hearing from you soom! Thanks for visiting ThisOldDoll!

Updated occasionally by Michele Otey ( michele@otey.com) Please do not reproduce these pages without written permission from Michele D. Otey

CURRENTLY UNDER MAJOR REVISIONS

F&B Tommy Tucker 1940 (Same doll as Sweetie Pie
              which had molded hair) I love the old dolls. At first it was just those from my own childhood from 1948 to 1956. Then I came to appreciate the dolls of my mother's time.

Dolls are much more than toys or pretty ornaments. They tell a story about what it was like to live in their time. Their clothes show us fashion, their composition tell us about the technology, the construction certainly tells us that there was a time when children were taught to be careful with their toys.

Today we see companies like Madame Alexander and Effanbee trying to recapture the charm of the old dolls using modern techniques. This really makes me appreciate the beautiful work of past generations and the importance of preserving and restoring these historic treasures.

BULLETIN BOARD Just click a Picture for more information!
What they're for and how to order it!
REPAIR PRODUCTS

SHOES Replicated in Leather and Oil Cloth; Hand Crafted for for Hard Plastic and Compo Dolls like Betsy McCall, Toni, Alexander, Shirley Temple, Cisette, and many others!
NEW OLD SHOES
Reset, Restore, Replace
WIG WORKS!
Composition: Milliput: Quick Compo
Bisque: Milliput
Hard Plastic: Plastic Paste, Milliput
Hard Vinyl: Plastic Paste
These four products will do it all! No longer sold on ThisOldDoll since they are now available on Amazon!
Don't order shoes by questionable sizes.
Here you can order for your doll by name:
like Toni P90 or 8" Betsy McCall.
Hand crafted replicas of the originals!
Renew an old wig or get a perfect replacement. Synthetic, Mohair, Human Hair, Chosen, Cut and Styled for your particular doll.

DEPARTMENTS
Just Click on the Picture, Please!
PHOTO GALLERY
Pictures of our dolls. These photos might help you identify or put a value on one of your dolls! A friend is confused and having problems telling her dolls apart. So I put up a quiz that might help her get some practice. If you'd like to try it, here's the link: QUIZ If you have a doll you'd like to share, please email a picture with your name and a note telling me what you know about it to michele@otey.com Subject: "gallery".



TOD'S BOUTIQUE Vintage fashions, Accessories and Notions

Custom made shoes to match your doll's outfits, hats, purses, dresses, undies, replacement buckles, wigs and lots of items to make your doll look as close as possible to the way she looks in the reference books! Most items that aren't vintage are hand-made replicas of items, listed by the dolls they belong to. So you won't need to know what size you need, just tell me what doll it's for and if I don't have it on hand, I'll make it!
and Yes, I happily accept Pay Pal so you can use your credit card as well as a money order.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Have a question? Ask and I'll try to find an answer! Mail that might interest or ammuse others is posted here. Just send email michele@otey.com to subject: "Question".



HOSPITAL
Above I added two new products. Plastic Paste is wonderful for outside repair of hard plastic and Plas-T-Pair is great for making or fixing plastic inner workings. Added to the hospital are demonstrations of how I use these two products on an 8" Betsy McCall. The eye lash replacement, compo split, Betsy knees, and other topics are still there but these are new. There's even a demo of stringing a doll.

UPCOMING SHOWS
There's a big show coming up this summer! Click on Carmen for info about The Golden Age of Dolls Convention in Orlando, Florida on June 2-5, 2005
Deatils, a flier and a form to print and mail are now on this page.
Here also are links to the schedules from the UFDC and McMaster's web sites.
Is there a doll show or auction coming up in your area? Email michele@otey.com with a subject of "Happening" and I'll post it here. Be sure to tell me what, where, and when.



TOOLS and HINTS
I'm often asked what I use when I work on dolls. In the past I asked others the same question and was told it's a "trade secret". I hate that.

One lady has been of immense help to me, Sandy at Toland's Dolls, in Ghent, Ohio. I don't always take her advice, but she's never failed to help when I asked her.

A long time ago I learned we like "because" but we love "in spite of". Many of our dolls have imperfections that endear them to us, but if we could fix some of their problems ourselves, we would. Here, then are my "secrets."



OTHER SITES
Here are some links to some great sites that I've found very helpful. If you have some you'd like to see added here, email michele@otey.com Subject: LINKS.






Over the years I've accumulated a virtual library of Doll books. The popularity of these dolls has resulted in many new books that picture these wonderful dolls. If you haven't been able to identify your doll or want to know its curent value, the best resources are books. Here's a link to Barnes and Noble that might help you find the books you need.