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Annette Himstedt

ANNETTE'S 2002 MESSAGE COURTESY OF ANNETTE HIMSTEDT - Click on Annettes Photo to return to the 2002 Collection of Annette Himstedt Dolls on our site or above!
elcome to the Himstedt Kinder. With this new collection I have embraced a whole variety of sizes, styles and characters and for the first time I’ve given each doll in my vinyl collection its own worldwide limitation.

As I began to model the new collection, I turned my attention back to my very early dolls and it was fun to be inspired again by their simplicity and charm. Their clothes in particular had a strong influence on the styles and materials I chose for this year. In fact, the new collection pays tribute to all the best things about those early dolls – their realism, their expression, their dresses – and it combines these with all the improvements that I have developed over the past two decades. You might be interested to know that I’ve used glass eyes for most of the Himstedt Kinder as this has been a popular request from many of you.

I found additional inspiration from the work of the Swedish painter and poet Carl Larsson and the painter Alfonso Mucha, who was born in South Moravia. Carl Larsson with his homely pictures of children, in the warm colours of old times and Alfonso Mucha with his sensual women, framed by beautiful ornamental art nouveau borders. These two artists made me remember the comfort and warmth I felt as a child when I was drawing and painting, creating wonderful homely landscape scenes.

All of this helped me shape the feel of this year’s collection.

As many of you know I have a real passion for small detail, so this year I decided to give each ‘Kinder’ its own ‘lucky charm’. Each of these clay pendants is unique – with a different clay colouring and glaze – and can be hung from loops on the doll’s dress but also looks good around the neck of the doll’s owner. The pendants are also available to buy as individual items. (Look out for the new Club gifts – I’ve even made miniature pendants for them too). And if these pendants prove popular, they may become a regular feature in forthcoming collections.
Seven and thirteen, my lucky numbers, mark this year’s double anniversary. To celebrate the 13th year since my team and I moved into the Puppenmanufaktur, I will be releasing two anniversary dolls in July 2002, the month we moved in back in 1990. The second anniversary is the seventh year of the Annette Himstedt Club. To celebrate this, I will be offering my Club members two Club dolls to choose from: Siri and Miri. Members will also be able to choose their Club gift. And if they do happen to fall in love with both Kleine Siri and Kleine Miri, they have the opportunity to buy the other miniature doll!

Looking back I must say that the creation of this collection was a challenge but it did allow me a great range of possibilities and freedom of expression. I really had great fun modelling all these dolls with their different postures and expressions, trying out new hairstyles, clothes and shoes – shaping the personality of each of them.

I strongly believe this year’s collection has a real warmth to it and I invite you to discover the simple charm and the loving detail that exists in every one of the Himstedt Kinder.

Yours faithfully,
Annette Himstedt