Mother's Day Madness Continues @ The Millennium Museum

(As featured in Dolls, January 2000)

When last we left the Museum, we ended Part One of "Vision Quest," in which eight doll retailers shared their thoughts about trends in the New Millennium. Now, in Part Two, we continue with the final nine.

Florida native Celia Neadel, owner of Celia's and Susan's Dolls and Collectibles, believed that fashion dolls would define the beginning of the next century. As well as artists such as R. John Wright and Jan McLean, Ms. Neadel held that doll manufacturers such as Effanbee and Ashton Drake will continue to prosper in the coming years because their dolls are so well-known for being of extremely high quality.

But for Ms. Neadel, the future for dealers might be a little dimmer thanks to online shopping and the Home Shopping Network. For her, the worst result of this is "more, but weaker, dealers" in the market. "Weaker" in the sense of "less knowledgeable": in all areas of life, your best bet is to talk to an extremely knowledgeable specialist when you need quality information. At any rate, "Only the dealers who are smart enough to diversify their business will survive."

Ann Rozell, who owns The Doll House in Oklahoma, went only so far as to say that vinyl dolls will be a hot trend, and that artists such as Robert Tonner and Virginia Turner will continue to see high sales. I think it's a shame that she didn't have more to say on the matter: so many of the other dealers in the article have expressed more detailed thoughts.

Danny and Barrie Shapiro, who manage The Toy Shoppe in Richmond, VA, said that there would be two big names to watch out for in the Third Millennium: Lynne and Michael Roche from England; R. John Wright from America; and Regina Sandreuter from Germany, citing the creativity, craftsmanship, and beatuy of their dolls.

Arthur Weston of New Jersey maintained that fashion dolls such as Tyler Wentworth will be the top sells in the 2000s. But he also foreshadowed the mid-2000's nostalgia boom by proclaiming that Tonner's Betsy McCall and Ann Estelle would be big sellers. He was right: there was a nostalgia boom, exemplified (in somewhat more disposable manner) by the success of the recent "Transformers" movies.

Rosalie Whyel, manager of the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art in Washington State, predicted that the doll market would see a return to the past. Genuine antique dolls would sell very well, especially those made of bisque, china, and wood. In newer trends, though, she stated that cloth dolls would also be a good trend to follow. "Buy your neighbor's dolls while you can still find them," she said. "One day you may have to compete for them with the rest of the world."

Chicago's own Gigi Williams, owner of Gigi's Dolls and Sherry's Teddy Bears, was also in the fashion dolls camp. Her reasoning came not from the quality of the artists, but from the idea that even mature collectors can find the appeal in changing a doll's clothes every once in a while. She also expressed some frustration at the tendency of "one-of-a-kind" artists to price themselves out of business with their one-of-a-kind dolls. She also wished that "we could get the manufacturers not to manufacture so much, because this just frustrates the collectors...You can still have their variety, just don't have so much as the same thing."

California retailer Pey Yuan didn't offer much in the way of specifics in his answer. Instead, he somewhat cryptically alluded to "a lot of up-and-coming new artists" who detail not only faces, but unexpected things such as hands and feet. For this dealer, the personality of a doll is key. "I think in the future, collectors will be looking more closely at the artist's real work, not just his or her name."

Finally, New Jersey retailer Isobel Weill offered her perspective. Besides the usual citation of Gene and Tyler Wentworth, she added, "We also note a trend toward licensed dolls," offering Disney and Warner Bros. as potential licensors.

ANALYSIS

Ah, the optimism of the New Millennium Era shines through. Looking back, of course, these seventeen doll-dealers were absolutely positive that collectors would have plenty of money to spend on dolls. Of course, everyone had nothing but confidence that everything was looking up. Then, of course, Enron was the first blow in just 2001. Every year thereafter until 2013, this "Vision Quest" became steadily more bleak. People stopped spending money on big-ticket luxury items such as dolls and things....in fact, people stopped spending money on just about everything. In that light, this article perfectly demonstrates why I set up the Millennium Museum: to preserve even the faintest glimmer of long-lost optimism. I've heard things are picking up again, but I know for a fact that it won't be quite the same way again.

"In the morning, in the evening, ain't we got fun..."

May 12, 1999: Saul Steinberg, renowned for more than 50 years of cartooning at The New Yorker, dies at age 84.

May 12, 2000: Elian [Gonzalez] Case Opens on Far-Reaching Details