Antique Doll Display Reflects Years of Collecting for Island Resident
By Sean Ely

From left, Candy Smith, Alison Simmons, Jane Simmons, Linda Horn, and Vanessa Hardy pose for a photograph Friday, June 22, at Community Hall during the doll show. Ms. Smith holds a Ty Cobb doll while the rest hold dolls from the Shirley Temple collection.

People stepping inside Community Hall Friday, June 22, and Saturday, June 23, had more than 1,100 eyes staring at them.

A doll show was held in Community Hall to raise money for the Stella King Scholarship, as part of the annual Daisy Days fundraiser hosted by Candy Smith and Barb Fisher. The antique dolls were not for sale, but money for the scholarship fund was raised from donations, a $1 admission fee, 50-50 tickets, and other raffles to award a bicycle, rocking chair, and a set of little Madame Alexander dolls.

"Most of these dolls are from me and my sister's collection," Candy Smith said. "In the old days, dolls were a big thing, and girls played with them a lot more than they do today. You were happy to get one when you did, because people were poor when I was little. You treasured it, that's why some are so worn from use. We thought it would be great to show everyone our collection."

Candy Smith (left) shows Linda Horn and Alison Simmons an English Almar Doll of a Scottish bagpiper at the doll show in Community Hall June 22. The event raised money for the Stella King Scholarship.

Tables were filled with more than 550 dolls in a variety of themes, shapes, and sizes. One table displayed Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth dolls next to original Shirley Temple figures. A China-head doll, the oldest, dates to 1896. It has new clothing, purchased by owner Jane Simmons from an antique dealer, because the original dress disintegrated with age.

Mrs. Simmons, who has been collecting dolls since she was three years old, believes the timing was perfect to show the dolls.

"We talked about doing it for a good cause, for charity, for quite some time," Mrs. Simmons said. "We're getting older now, so I said, If I don't do it now, I'm going to start packing some of mine away. We wanted to do it last year, but my husband was sick and we couldn't. We just told ourselves we finally had to do it. We knew that if we could put all of our dolls together, it would make a good collection and a great show."

One feature in Candy Smith's large collection is the Dionne Quintuplets from 1934, who were the first quintuplets to survive infancy. They were born outside Callander, Ontario.

"I paid $300 for the quintuplets in their original box and tissue paper," Ms. Smith said. "They are more valuable that way if you keep them in the packaging."

Dolls were at the top of the list for these girls, while growing up on the Island, and they remember the hours they spent with each doll in the display.

"I even remember giving my dolls baths," Mrs. Simmons laughed.

Ms. Smith, on the other hand, was adamant about keeping her dolls in mint conditions.

"Candy was always our favorite aunt on the Island, because when we would go and visit her, she would give us treats and different candies," said Alison Simmons, Mrs. Simmons daughter, who is from Kincheloe. "That was always great, but she would never let us touch her dolls."

Ms. Smith laughed at that, saying, "I would even go out and buy them their own dolls before I let them touch mine."

The dolls in the collection have been passed down for six generations. Although this event was meant to be a onetime deal, Ms. Smith and Mrs. Simmons have discussed inviting others to bring their favorite dolls and figurines next year, creating an event with more foot traffic and even larger variety.

"I told my daughter before she had her daughter, 'Give these dolls to your daughters. If you don't, I'll keep them,' but she passed them down like I thought she would," Alison Simmons said.

Ms. Smith says that many of the dolls are valued anywhere from $35 to $125, but certain ones are quite a bit more valuable, such as the large $300 Shirley Temple doll.

"There is quite a lot of money sitting in this room right now," she said. "They are very valuable pieces of our history."

Some of the other wellknown doll themes included Princess Diana, the Little Rascals, Cabbage Patch, Wizard of Oz, Little Women dolls, Gone with the Wind, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, and Mary Poppins. Hand-built carriages were on display, as well, used to wheel around the dolls as if they were a real newborn.

Linda Horn, Vanessa Hardy, Dakota Mokanyk, and Donna Pietrantonio all helped out with the event as well, making it a successful occasion for the scholarship fund.