|
In 1939, the old factory building in Crolly,
Co. Donegal, was taken over by a company later to become one
of the most famous doll producers in Europe.
They began by making small dolls with composite head, hands
and feet, a soft-filled body, and clothing made from local
fabrics and knitted garments, named after the village in which
they were made. Thus, Crolly Dolls were born.
They continued with these, and other soft toys, until the
early fifties, when they started experimenting with vinyl
paste. These experiments proved successful, and the moulding
and production of plastic play-dolls went into full swing.
Crolly Dolls became popular very quickly due to the excellent
quality of the dolls. At Christmas time long queues outside
stores across Ireland became the norm with restrictions to
one or two dolls per customer being the rule.
Crolly is situated on the North-West Atlantic coast of Ireland.
This is one of the last remaining Gaelic-speaking areas in
the country. The landscape is unspoilt, rugged and windswept.
The people are gentle, soft-spoken and friendly.
It is by living and working in this environment that our
award-winning team gets the inspirations for our creations.
As we draw on the wealth of Irish history, folk tales and
mythology, we will continue to produce fresh and exciting
new additions to your valued collection.
All our dolls are produced from original sculptures which
are beautifully hand-crafted by Mat, our in-house sculptor
and designer.
Mat blocks the original in plaster. When the production
moulds are made, we begin to create the separate pieces that
make up the finished doll.
The delicate hand-painting is done by Maria our in house artist.
Assembly and final dressing is carried out by our awardwinning
team of Anne, Bríd, Mary, Sarah-Anne and Leanne.
|
