The Story Behind "The Doll Maker"

By Jill Jackson

Once upon a time—the perfect way to begin any fairytale—in a faraway place, lived a little girl who dreamed her dolls to life. The little girl was very shy and found it difficult to talk to other children her age. So she passed the days alone in her beautiful room that was dressed in the only the softest shades of pink. But the little girl was not truly alone. She shared her room with her many dolls, dolls she treasured.

It is difficult to tell Linda’s story without using the fairytale analogy, as her life and business are wonderfully permeated with allusions to  fables and legends. Her love for dolls came from an enchanted childhood, and when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would always reply, “a princess.”

Linda’s mother was an artist. She taught Linda how to sew, knit, and crochet at a young age. Linda learned to style hair in the most intricate and beautiful ways, to apply lip color, and to add ribbons, lace, and trims to already beautiful costumes, and she refined these skills on her dolls.
 
In time, Linda grew up and met her Prince Charming. True to her belief in fairytales, Linda and Tom Rick were married in l984, and their wedding announcements began with the words, “Once Upon a Time” and ended with the words, “They Lived Happily Ever After.” 

For the next few years, reality reigned. Linda’s two sons were born. It wasn’t long, however, before she began to yearn for the dolls she had left behind. “With two sons who were athletically inclined, I had no one to dress in the beautiful clothes I loved,” she says. Linda began making dolls for family and friends using commercial molds.

In 1990, Linda launched her own business, The Doll Maker. “I felt it wasn’t my name that was important,” she says of the business, “but what I did, and I was ‘The Doll Maker.’”
 
She began with American-made porcelain dolls in exquisite dresses reminiscent of the princesses, angels, and bride dolls that were her favorites as a child. These dolls, each with a label that read “Once Upon a Time, by The Doll Maker,” were marketed through the wholesale gift markets in Atlanta and Michigan. “My dream was to eventually be able to produce enough variety in dolls so that every collector could have a doll that was perfect for them, a doll they felt was created just for them.”

In 1998, Linda presented many of her creations at the International Toy Fair® in New York, a move that initiated a new direction for her business. She became ghost designer, a name often used for those who design clothing for other artists and companies. Her clothing adorned the dolls of many artists on television’s Home Shopping Network® and Home Shopping Europe®, though few realized their dolls wore dresses designed by Linda. It was not until she began appearing on behalf of her own dolls that collectors finally met the face behind The Doll Maker label.

Her growth in the industry pointed her to a seven-year business partnership with long-time mentor, Richard Hay, president of the Precious Moments Co.

Continuing the growth of her career, Linda introduced two new lines to The Doll Maker family in 2003: Key to My Heart and The Doll Maker and Friends.

According to Linda, the Key to My Heart series continued to embrace all of the romance and enchantment of the larger Doll Maker dolls, but in a smaller size and lower price. This line began with 18-inch full-vinyl dolls each with a key around one wrist symbolizing the “key to your heart.” The dolls have since been added in 22-, 12-, and 8-inch sizes.

The Doll Maker and Friends line was launched with works by well-known artists like Beverly Stoehr, Diane Bucki, Bonnie Chyle, Rosemarie Strydom, and Denise McMillan. Designed to bring collectors a range of choices, it offers 80 styles of dolls artists at a “collector friendly” price and in a variety of mediums, including vinyl, porcelain, resin, cloth, and silicone. Since its beginning, The Doll Maker and Friends line has gone on to include the works of more than a dozen artists of note, but Linda creates all the costuming for the dolls.

The most recent fantasy-turned-reality of this entrepreneurial artist was realized in 2006 with the introduction of Lee Middleton Moments. It was a collaborative effort between Linda Rick and Brynn Middleton Riordan, daughter of the late doll artist Lee Middleton. “This collection of dolls honors the original works of this beloved American artist,” says Linda, who had long dreamed of dressing Middleton’s original dolls. Until recently, the dolls for this line have been produced from Lee Middleton’s original molds. “Now we will begin introducing original works by Brynn Middleton Riordan, who is certainly blessed with her mother’s talents in sculpting.”

This year, all five companies share the same theme: “The Year of Fairytales.” With 160 different dolls in the Key to My Heart and The Doll Maker and Friends lines alone, one could say Linda seems to have achieved her dream of creating a large enough variety of dolls so every collector can have a doll just perfect for them. 
 
So, what does this modern-day princess have to say about her fairytale success? “Come play in our fairytale with The Doll Maker and Friends, and your dreams, too, will come true.”

Buy This Issue: March/April 2007