To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the Disneyland Resort has released a special collection of Precious Moments dolls. The Doll Maker, Linda Rick, was in residence in the China Closet on Main Street all weekend to sign the dolls and I got to spend some time with her! If you missed her, don’t worry! She will be back March 30-April 1 for Easter! For much of March and April, she will also be at Walt Disney World for Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival, so if you are on the East Coast, be sure to catch her!
I asked her how she got into doll making: “There’s not a beginning to it, in the sense that it’s always part of my life.” Linda told me that she has played with dolls for her entire life. Her mom taught her how to sew, knit, crochet, and sculpt.
There are different types of dolls, too! Many of them are porcelain, but the Disneyland collection are all made of vinyl. Chuckling, she says, “Everyone is always afraid to pick them up and look at them… but they have an element of play. They won’t break!” Feel free to pick them up and look at the incredible detail on each doll! My personal favorite was the material she used on the blue and white sparkling dresses!
Linda has worked for all the major design companies there are. She also makes some realistic looking ones for other companies. With Precious Moments, she began as a sculptor and clothing designer with the company, then worked her way up to designing the dolls themselves. Now, she designs the doll’s expression and face. She also creates the doll’s outfits and sews the template before sending the pattern off to the factory to be produced. “I love dolls, still.”
I asked about Valentine’s Day villains, because the red horned Maleficent was so striking. “Every holiday we do a series of all the princesses and characters…Halloween, Christmas, Fourth of July, Valentine’s…”
My last question for Linda was whether I could have a picture of her with her favorite doll. She didn’t even have to think before pulling a beautiful Cinderella with a shimmering dress off her top shelf. I asked her why Cinderella was her favorite and she said she liked the story. Linda continues, explaining that she loves how Cinderella grew up to be so kind and courageous despite her upbringing and terribly mean sisters.
Linda Rick’s beautiful dolls can be collected by visiting the China Closet on Main Street in the Disneyland Resort! She will also be making a trip to Walt Disney World for Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival on March 2-4, 6, 17-18, 23-25 and April 6-8, 13-15, so be sure to catch her there! If you missed her this weekend, she will be returning to Disneyland March 30th through April 1st for the Easter holiday! Please also visit her website for more information or to start your collection today!