 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
Lee Middleton's sculpts we will never forget!Lee Middleton sculpted her first dolls to look like her own two children, and soon, relatives and friends asked Lee to sculpt dolls that looked like their children. Word spread quickly about Lee's talent and she soon found herself in charge of an unexpected "cottage industry." Supply and demand forced Lee to continuously find larger locations for production. In 1989, Lee opened a manufacturing facility in Belpre, Ohio. The facility produced more baby dolls a year than any other manufacturer in America, and the Mayor of Belpre declared the city to be "The Baby Doll Capital of the World."In 1985, the doll community not only embraced Lee's creations, but also nominated her unique work for national awards. Doll Reader Magazine nominated Lee's first vinyl baby doll, "First Moments," for a "Doll of the Year" award. This honor helped establish vinyl as a collectible medium. Soon, sales expanded to new venues and Middleton Doll released new dolls that looked even more realistic, thus creating tales of mistaken identity. Concerned adults who saw "babies" trapped inside hot cars called rescue squads and shoppers would scold parents for leaving their "babies" on store counters. Lee died suddenly in 1997 still a young woman. The Doll Maker & Friends has an exclusive right to reproduce the original sculpts so we can have again the faces we will never forget. |
||
|
|
||
