CARING FOR YOUR VINYL DOLL

Happily, the Horsman dolls in your collection will require little specialized care. Unlike antique bisque dolls, they are not fragile. Unlike collectible composition dolls, the surface does not crack or craze with changes in humidity and temperature. Vinyl plastic is a rather forgiving medium.

Entire books have been written on the care, and repair of plastic dolls. In addition, many websites offer useful tips and hints. Therefore, I won’t go into detail here, other than to point you to some of the many available resources.

CLEANING

Routine cleaning of most vinyl dolls is easy and safe. A solution of mild dishwashing detergent and water and a soft, clean cloth is all you need. Avoid getting water inside the doll. Dry her thoroughly.

Hard plastic dolls require a bit more care. Vinyl is porous and absorbs the dyes used to “paint” the facial features and cheek blush, but hard cellulose acetate heads are painted on the surface (under the paint, the plastic itself is usually black or dark green) and can be worn, scuffed, scrubbed or chipped away. Strong cleaning products can damage this paint, particularly the delicate black or blue eye shadow.

Stains and marks on vinyl and other plastic dolls are more difficult.

And of even greater concern, some earlier dolls have developed sticky surfaces caused by the plasticizer – the chemical ingredient that makes vinyl soft – “migrating” to the surface. Fortunately, Horsman’s technicians knew a thing or two about formulating vinyl, and rarely do you find a sticky Horsman doll.

To learn what to do about the stained, the sticky and the stinky – some plastic dolls do develop odors -- I recommend you read Nick Hill’s The Definitive Book on the Care and Preservation of Vinyl Dolls and Action Figures.

Hill, with 45 years experience as a formulating chemist, knows his subject well. In addition to handling the book, his firm, Twin Pines of Maine, Inc., manufactures and sells many specialized products you need to care for your vinyl or hard plastic doll. (Contact: Twin Pines of Maine, P.O. Box 1178, Scarborough ME 04070; Phone: (800) 770-3655; or check the website, www.twinpines.com)

There are many useful websites. One I would recommend is famed doll designer Robert Tonner’s www.tonnerdoll.com/dollcare.htm. There are tips on cleaning your vinyl doll and her clothes from the Doll Doctor at the Tonner Doll Hospital.

Or if you think a restoration/conservation project is something you are not ready to handle, the Tonner Doll Hospital can do it for you. (Contact: Tonner Doll Hospital, 459 Hurley Avenue, Hurley NY 12443; Phone (845) 339-9537; Email: dollhospital@tonnerdoll.com.

There also are many other doll repairers. A Google® on-line search for doll hospitals will provide many “hits.” Or check out the Doll Directory: A Guide to U.S. Doll Museums, Collections and Hospitals, by Kathryn Witt (Contact: Collector Books, P.O. Box 3009, Paducah KY 42002). Another listing is The Doll Hospital Directory by Marlene Alperin-Hochman (Contact: The Ultimate Collector, P.O. Box 022189, Brooklyn Heights NY 11202)

HAIR CARE

Washing and setting your doll’s synthetic rooted hair is well within the scope of things the average collector can handle. Wig shops sell shampoos specifically for Saran hair, or some collectors prefer to wash their doll’s hair with diluted Wool-lite®. Again, be careful not to get water inside the head.

For more doll shampooing tips, check the Tonner Doll Hospital website.

A more serious problem often encountered is cut hair. When dolls first got rooted synthetic fiber hair some 50 years ago, it was understandable that small children would assume it would grow like their own. So they got their scissors and trimmed dolly’s bangs.

Fortunately, cut hair can be corrected by rerooting new fibers. There are several sites on-line which can tell you how, and even sell you the necessary supplies, tools and a how-to-do-it CD. (Contact: www.restoredoll.com or www.dollyhair.com) Or you may want your favorite doll hospital to do it for you.

With a little tender loving care, your Horsman doll will look great and continue to do so for years to come!