My Haul From The Maitland FL Doll Show

Yesterday I went to my first local doll show.  It was the Greater Orlando Doll Club Show and Sale.  If you haven't been to a local show in your area I highly recommend checking one out.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  I drove 40 minutes in the pouring rain to get there and had a terrible time finding a parking spot so my hopes weren't too high as the day started out.

But once inside I was pleasantly surprised.  The event was held in the Maitland Civic Center which is a small 2 room venue north of Orlando.  Admission was $4.  Right away I could tell attendance was good because the first room was crowded.  There were 3 aisles of dolls and I walked the whole floor twice before I actually put down any money.

It seemed like the majority of dolls were antiques, which aren't what I collect, but there were some fashion dolls and dollhouse miniatures sprinkled in here and there.  Almost immediately I spotted the white Goodreau Critter bear.  I knew I would be buying him so I noted the location of the booth so I could return.

I asked to take pictures at several of the booths and was told a resounding NO every time.  So I'm sorry I don't have any close ups to show.  Not sure why everyone wanted to keep their dolls a secret.  Maybe they thought people would come steal their stuff?  Or their ideas?  Anyway I did manage to take some general pictures of the room with my iPhone.  Nothing specific so hopefully nobody will be upset.

There were quite a few Tonner and some Integrity dolls for sale.  Although I wasn't in the market I liked being able to see them close up and personal.  I got a much better idea of the size and coloring than looking at a computer screen.  It seemed like the prices were retail plus on a lot of them.  I'm not sure if they were retired dolls and that's why the high prices.  Or if that's just customary at shows.

The 2nd room had a bigger selection of toys and play dolls.  If I hadn't spent most of my cash on the Goodreau bear I could have done some major damage in here.

And in between rooms I managed to get a quick shot of a "doll doctor" busy restringing antique dolls for collectors.  She was quick and really knew what she was doing.

So here's a run down on what came home with me.

These are tiny little treasures that I got for a couple of bucks.  The little plastic Belle and pipe cleaner bear are about 1" tall and came together in a bag for $1.  And the little box house is porcelain.  It looked like a little teeny dollhouse and I couldn't resist for another dollar.

This Only Hearts Club accessory set was $4.  I don't have any of these dolls.  I think they look kind of bizarre.  But I know the shoes will fit Blythe so I grabbed the box.  They are cute short slide on boots with fur lining and a fur cuff around the top.  The purse is cute too.  I'm not sure who can wear the hat but it will fit one of my dolls.

Here's the Goodreau Critter I bought.  He's an 8" resin BJD bear from Paulette Goodreau.  The company is no longer making dolls for sale but ever since I bought my Kitty Cowardly Lion doll I've been searching out other Goodreau products.  I found some of the other Critters on eBay and am starting a collection.  I'll do a post about them soon.  Anyway this little guy was $85 but I offered $75 and the seller accepted.

She said this was her last one.  She had several other styles including the little pointy eared gnome that she sold at a previous show.  I would have love to had the chance to buy more - especially the gnome - but I'm happy I at least found this little guy.  I love his white eyelashes.  You can barely see them in the picture.  Probably would have helped if I used a darker background for the pictures.

Here he is from the back.  Cute little tail and boots with teeny zippers in the back.  I love these dolls.

And the last couple of dolls I picked up were 2 Ghoulia Yelps Monster High dolls.  They were 2 for $15 without stands, pets, glasses, etc.  But I didn't have either of these versions and I had exactly $15 left in my wallet so they came home with me too.  They happily share my new Slo Mo Monster High doll with the other Ghoulia girls.

One of the vendors was handing out flyers for another show coming up in 2 weeks.  This one is only a couple of miles from my house so I'm excited and I hope I can bring more money for shopping.  That depends on how much I sell on eBay in the next few weeks.  But even if I can't purchase much I'll still attend.  It was fun picking through all the goodies.  Even those I didn't buy.

Tags: Ghoulia Yelps, Goodreau, Maitland Doll Show

Category: Doll Shows