by Michael Canadas - Carmel Doll Shop

Although quitepopular, only a handfulof the Jolly Pigletswere assembled. Aspecial feature of thisoinker is his wired,corkscrew tail!Models One, Two and Three. The bodies of theJollies are unlike any other in the doll world -part art - part engineering. They have all heldup quite well over the last twenty-five years.Rabbits were very much loved byBarbara and became one of themost popular of the animals.This model featured a velvetbody with bisque paws and theeyes are fantastic paperweights.There are no two rabbits alike,as all of the work on the capswas done by hand- some weresimple and some quite ornate, butall enchanting.dolls to fill Horchow’s order. In one lasteffort to do so, Jim helped with the makingof the bodies, setting the eyes and thedesign of the clothing – really, handling alot of small details so that Barbara couldhave fun with the part she enjoyed most,but all was in vain – Horchow never gotthe dolls.The creation of the Jolly truly was a jointventure, although Jim today awards all ofthe credit to Barbara. Interestingly, theclients that bought Barbara’s dolls were notcollectors of modern dolls, the people thatcollected Jollies were antique doll collectors!Barbara was the kind of doll artist whosework acted as a bridge from the past to thepresent and she was able to make a uniquestatement through her art. Barbara workedfor her own pleasure and for delight ofcollectors, alike. In her own words shestated; “I will never be able to make apretty doll”. Collectors who managed toadd a Jolly to their doll ranks mightdisagree.Every Jolly was made by hand and lessthan three hundred were produced.Barbara poured the last head in 1984, butat that time she poured a large quantity ofthem, which allowed her to happily workon Jollies until her death.Today, Barbara’s beloved Jollies rarelyappear on the marketplace for sale. Thedolls remain in the collections of UFDCmembers and therefore, are sprinkled allover the world like the fairy dust that gavethem life in the first place.Barbara left this world in 1990 after along illness, without realizing all of hercreative ideas; not unlike most people whoare born incredibly gifted. After Barbara’spassing, through a club project initiated byJim and carried out by members of the 101Study Club, many of her unfinished dollswere assembled. Each member received aJolly for their efforts and after the event,Jim destroyed the molds.Now, almost thirty years after theircreation, collectors of the finest dolls arealways on the lookout for a Jolly. Surely,Barbara is quite pleased that her dollscontinue to spark joy in all those theymeet.6