With the news that Annette Himstedt will be closing shop I had to update my website. Please take a peek if you get the chance. Unfortunately, not all my dolls are pictured quite yet, but eventually I will get there.

The link to the site is in my siggie if you are interested in taking a look.

Love your Doll Diary, Shawnah, such beautiful pictures and thought provoking text. Ashienne looks so different in each photo, she is wonderful. Thanks for sharing xxxxxxxxxx

Thanks so much, Maryjo!

This almost made me cry Not the pics, they are STUNNING Shawna, and your collection is beautiful but the way you expressed yourself and how much and why these dolls mean so much to you personally, never once did i see the 'artistry' in A.H dolls, they were just dolls, play things, but i look at your pics of your dolls in their original outfits and can truly see it along with the uniqeness and the beauty, wish i felt the same for mine as you do for yours, but i guess we have learned over the years we all 'love' and collect in differnt ways and for different reasons, the main thing is that we enjoy them and they make us happy, i have bookmarked your site so i can visit again and again, its the best one with the most meaning i have ever seen

Well, I really enjoyed your doll diary Shawna!

I agree dolls can be pieces of art

I've always said I prefer mine to expensive ornements!

Love how you described your 'babies' as a captured moment in time!

Beautiful photography

Linda
xx

Thank you so much, Cindy and Linda! I can't believe you read all my dribble and "got it"! I can't tell you how happy that makes me feel. I always tried to make a website to showcase my collection, but "doll diary" was the only way I could stick with one that resonated with me.

Lovely Shawnah! i have visited here before, and I like your addition about the Himstedt factory closing down and the bit about change - I wholeheartedly agree. looking forward to seeing Aruana with the rest of your girls, naturally!!!
Hugs
Becky xxx

Thanks, Becky! I hope to get some new pics of Aruana in the coming months.

Your doll diary is fantastic Sahwna, I love your wording and the photos. I think the Himmie page is a great tribute to Annette Himstedt.

I have to say I am also very sad to hear of her closing. I always love looking at these dolls weather they have been kept in their originals or changed, there is something very beautiful about her dolls and seeing the new ones each year always brought me excitement to see if there were any that would push me over to the dark side XD

I can't say I loved every doll because I think sometimes the dolls just weren't right looking for my personal taste but it was always interesting to see what she would come out with from the faces to the names, Annette always seem to have a lot of imagination and I think the doll world will be lessened for loosing her as she was probably the best 'toddler' doll maker out there.

With out Himsteds there will be a big portion of the doll world that will just be hollow. Although we can all keep looking back at the old dolls it's such a shame to know that we are never going to see any new ones coming up. I hope that someone will start making dolls like himsteds soon so that the ladies who love collecting dolls of this age group can still get those type of dolls with the beautiful artistry that Annette had rather then having to compromise and go for the cheaper alternative or just not collect this age group at all

Thanks, H!

As for Annette Himstedt, I think she will be back. Or, at least I hope she will with a new business model that will see fewer dolls plagued with repair issues. I think she had to close down because of the economy but moreso because she couldn't trust her employees to create a quality product after the green-dot scandal. And those repairs would have cost her a lot of money. So, I do feel bad for many employees are losing their jobs, but I think in some ways they did it to themselves. Unfortunately, good employees will be lost as well and it's unfortunate that the "rotton apples" ruined it for everyone.

But at the end of the day "artist dolls" that are modelled after children are a dying brand. Without younger collectors like you, H, there really is a limited market for the dolls that tend to be much larger than BJDs which are easier to carry around, etc. The European aesthetic is also more common with Himstedts whereas many younger collectors are fascinated with Asia. Personally, I love both, but I do feel that artist dolls on the whole will become a much smaller market over time especially with the current economy the way it is. Without younger collectors to sustain it there really isn't a market for it. And, in my experience, quite a few older collectors aren't particularly welcoming of newer collectors of younger ages who think differently. I recall many times on Himstedt Heaven for being blasted for my opinions because they were "different" and I wasn't the only one. I noticed a few younger collectors disappear. How many younger collectors were scared away? I think in some ways the older collectors also contributed to a shrinking market for selfishly believing that only their views and their money mattered. In addition, a lot of collectors relied on "new dolls" to keep the hobby alive. In other words, buying dolls was more important than actually enjoying them which was a shame. In order to buy the la-*test*-('") and grea-*test*-('") they sold off their dolls for peanuts and this affected how people perceived the "value" of Himstedts. Then, people became scared of buying them because they lost so much value in a matter of months. I think this "break" will help define those who truly love the dolls and those who truly just love having the newest and la-*test*-('") pretty thing in their home. So, I don't think it was only the economy and only repair issues, but there were other factors that influenced declining sales.

It is the end of an era, but the writing was on the wall many years ago, I think, especially when porcelain production was shut down. I am sad, but I believe this isn't the last we have seen of Annette Himstedt. I hope whatever she comes up next proves to be even better for everyone.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful web page Sahwna. I just love looking at your dolls.

Thanks so much, Juju!

Shawna, I had been thinking about the Himstedt situation and have been discussing it with mom and we both came to the same conclusions as you about the problems with the dolls etc not just the economy.

I hadn't thought about ounger collectors befor but it is very true, now that I think about it I don't know of people even my own age that collect a lot of the dolls we see on this forum. Most of the people I know of my age are much more interested in BJD's then realistic dolls. I think that, that could be the reason, not just being shuned for being younger but just not having the interest in them.

I love looking at all the dolls here but there are very few I have ever considered collectng myself, becuase I am young I don't want a baby doll unless it's a warning of what could happen if I'm not careful (XD) and I don't want a toddler either because, in honesty if I wanted one I could just have one but a real one.

I think I would be more interested in collecting these types of dolls if I decided not to have children and maybe this is the opinion of a lot of other young people aswell. I think BJD's are like an adult version of playing barbies when you were a child. You can play out those scenarios that you dream up with them just in a much more adult and mature way but still keeping that childish edge. Whereas babies and toddlers alike take a much more mature mind, to know how to deal with them. I always make a complete farse when I'm trying to dress one of moms himmies or babies but mom, who is a lot more mature then myself (sometimes lol) deals with it much better.

I would still really like to get Lenka Himstedt but that would only be after I feel my BJD collection is at some sort of complition level, which will be when I get 2 more dolls, and when I feel the wardrobes of each doll is somewhere near completed then I would buy her and it might make me want to buy other dolls aswell.

Also there is the room factor (sorry I know I'm babbling ^^;) BJD's can and often look stunning is they are display the same as all other dolls but they take up half the room especially when they are standing up. With the room I have I could probably manage 6 himmies and 1 baby with BJD's I think I'll still have room even if I were to get 25 altogether.

I agree with you in many respects, H. "Realistic" dolls are more difficult for many younger collectors to relate to, I think. It took me a LONG time to warm up to reborns, to be honest, because the realism bothered me.

I also think that with BJDs it is much more common to see both genders buying them. When I go to Volks I generally see more men than women. That is a much wider market than only female collectors. What's really interesting is many of the male collectors I have observed dress them up in the frilliest beyond frilliest dresses which still surprises me. There are those who dress them up in more gothic outfits, but it is more common for me to see women with male dolls and men with female dolls. It seems gender rules are easier to break and are more flexible with BJDs than with other dolls. I like that.

So, what two dolls do you need for your collection? Inquiring minds want to know!

I've seen your Doll Diary a few times Shawnah.. I love it. . It's very insightful
thought provocative, and creative.. I wish I could do one. It certainly
helps one better appreciate and enjoy their existing doll collection. Great
job .. Hugs Maria