Ebay
In the summer of 2005 I started to explore Ebay as a hobby; I sold a small part of my collection because I needed space - but couldn't resist buying through Ebay as well! As of december 2006 I decided to take things more seriously and started to sell collectable national costume dolls on www.ebay.com on a regular basis, my ID is 'poppentopper'.
Shop
Aside from Ebay I opened my own Poppentopper shop in june 2008.
Website
This website is online since 1997, providing photo's and information about dolls in national costume from all over the world.
About me
My name is Josien, I am born in 1964 and I live in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I began collecting dolls in national costume in 1996 because of my professional interest in costume - I worked as a freelance tailor for theaterproductions at the time - and I've always liked dolls. The very first time I visited a fleemarket I got completely hooked! I still remember my first buy and it went on from there.
I don't know exactly how many dolls I have in my collection right now but estimated more than 2000. A lot of them are packed away in boxes, the most interesting dolls are on display in my house; in cabinets and on shelves everywhere. Books, postcards and dollcatalogues concerning national costume proved to be a great help in determining the origin of some dolls, so I began to collect those too.
The boyfriend I had at the time encouraged and helped me to start a website in order to show my fast growing collection to the rest of the world. This site now is an expanding resource of pictures and information and I plan to add more pictures and content with each update. I strive to do that every first day of the month, allthough I sometimes skip a month.
My website has brought me a lot of joy. It is a perfect way to get in contact with dollcollectors worldwide. My hobby has become a serious addiction and a job!
It's amazing to see the variety of traditional clothes that people used to wear in all kinds of different places. Of course some costumes are still being worn but disappearing rapidly. There is also a lot of variety in the way costume dolls are made and a big difference in quality. I choose them mainly on charm, not on value, age, maker or how rare they are. I strive to get matching couples, male and female dolls, but male dolls seem to be less popular and therefore harder to find.
Me holding a doll from Ecuador
Photo by MP 2008
National Costume Dolls in General
Folk dolls are made for different reasons. People make them to keep their own culture and traditions alive and in some countries folk dolls are used for educational or religious purposes. They can also be a remembrance of beloved heroes or historical events.
Souvenir dolls in national costume became known and populair in the 18th century when people started to travel more. They were brought home showing the ethnografical and historical characteristics of people and places. World exhibitions increased popularity too.
Around 1900 there was a great interest in folklore and exotism in Europe. Europeans started souvenir or folk-dollmaking businesses in countries without a doll tradition. Church missions also stimulated dollmaking in order to help the poor (In China for example). By the way, souvenir dolls are not always made in the country they represent.
Today, souvenir dolls are still popular. Although the designs and materials may have changed throughout the years, a lot of dolls still are made following old traditions.