If your planning a trip to New York you should definitely add a visit to The Alexander Doll Company. It is one of New York’s hidden treasures. Regular guided tours include the Heritage Gallery, and the showroom. They depart every 45 minutes, Monday – Friday starting at 9:30 AM, with the last tour leaving at 4:15 PM
Weekend/Holiday tours are available by appointment only. The tours are free of charge. Weekday tours do not require prior appointments. To make a weekend/holiday tour appointment please call (212) 283-5900 x 7299.
I recently was invited to attend a special media event at Alexander Doll and I was thrilled by the magic of Madame Alexander.
Personally I had wanted a Madame Alexander doll all my life, but I had no idea what it actually takes to make a line of fine quality dolls. The history behind Madame Alexander is fascinating. In brief, born Beatrice Alexander, she was raised over her father’s doll hospital (the first in America) and often played with the dolls while they were awaiting repair. She started her own doll company at 28 year old. In a few years her business took off from her kitchen table, then to downtown New York City and later moving to the present day headquarters in the Mahattanville section of Harlem.
Yes, those are the Desperate Housewives-How could I not add them to my post! Madame Alexander was the first to introduce a line of dolls based on licensed characters from literature and movies. If you visit the showroom today you can enjoy viewing their 2010 line. Some of the original character dolls are still being recreated for new generations – Alice in Wonderland and Gone with the Wind etc.
While The Alexander doll company has tours daily, to go ‘Behind the Scenes’, ( like I did) is by appointment only, and includes the Regular tour plus visits to Design, Sewing and Production, and the Doll Hospital. These tours are $8.00 for adults, $4.00 for children and $5.00 for senior citizens. Well worth it and completely reasonable in cost.
The Alexander Doll Company is actually located in the old Studebaker factory.There is a lot of history at this place. An interesting fact I learned while on the tour was that Madame Alexander was the first to introduce dolls with “sleep” eyes that open and close in the 1940’s.
On the “Behind the Scenes”tour you get to see how they actually design the dolls from start to finish. They have fashion, costume and toy designers that work on these projects. Here is all the heads they use for the dolls. They can change the makeup, hair and etc for different characters.
These old machines are still used to create the fashion the dolls are wearing. Notice the tiny ironing board on the left had side, it’s pink? Another amazing fact is that a large majority of the people working here have been with the company for over 20 years. That really says something about a company that retains it’s people. we got to meet Greta over at the Doll Hospital. How long has Greta been here? 54 years!
I don’t know if you can see her there behind the desk. The doll hospital does everything from refreshing make up, rooting hair, and repairing eyes and limbs. You name it. They have worked on dolls from the late 40’s and 50’s there. Repairs can cost $100 or more, but the price is worth it to a collector or to preserve a family heirloom which is what these dolls have become.
The Heritage Gallery hosts many retired dolls and some were even lent to the gallery by their collectors.
As you can see these dolls aren’t only for kids! I would love this Psycho doll. Talk about a conversation piece.
We also got to create our own doll and view the party room , but I’ll save that for another post. I had a wonderful day that brought back the magic of childhood that we soon forget. A time when a child’s imagination was all they needed to create their own playtime fantasies.
The Alexander Doll Company is located at:
615 West 131st Street, 6Th Floor
New York, NY 10027
(212) 283-5900
Check them out online at: www.madamealexander.com