Written by Guest Author Jack Johnston, CEO Emeritus Professional Dollmakers Art Guild

Paradise Galleries just launched a special collection of five newborn dolls called BABY BUNDLES. This exciting new line of realistic collectible dolls are available now in limited quantities! The artists and product designers at Paradise Galleries have taken these babies to the next level of realism.  One of the differences with this limited edition babies is that they will not have first names. These special babies will receive their names by their new adoptive parents when they collect them. For now, they all go by their nicknames which match the sayings on their onesies: The Princess Has Arrived, Born to be Spoiled, All the Ladies Love Me, Reaching for the Stars, and I Love Naps. 

These life scale ultra realistic babies have adorable sweet faces, and weighted bodies for realism. Each come with a hospital bracelet, baby beanie cap, soft cotton onesie outfit and real newborn diaper. To enhance their realism, they feature hand-applied faux mohair, eyelashes, painted lips fingernails and toenails. Their realistic flexible arms and legs are made of the finest Silicone-like FlexTouch vinyl. These babies are incredibly real to the touch, their cloth bodies even weigh the same as a live infant. When the babies are selected and cuddled by their new parent, they immediately bond! Their new parent will receive a Birth Certificate and a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the original artist all inside the exquisite collector’s box it comes in.

Collecting one of these newly released Baby Bundles is more than collecting a lifelike doll…holding the babies is a multi sensory experience. Collectors who have held a Bundle Baby with the weighted FlexTouch vinyl limbs and soft cloth body explain the sensation as “the closest thing to holding a real baby”.

In an effort to help the readers know more about the creation of these new dolls, I’ve taken the opportunity to speak to the artists that created them. Three renown artists were chosen to contribute to this project. Two of the artists are from the USA and one is from the Netherlands. To help us better understand the love that went into making these babies, I took the opportunity to personally speak with each of the original artists.

JANNIE DE LANGE, sculptor of Born to be Spoiled, The Princess has Arrived and Reaching for the Stars

Three of the Baby Bundles were sculpted by world-renowned sculptor Jannie de Lange from the Netherlands. She lives in a scenic country home on the eastern side of Holland near Germany. Since 1994 she has dedicated her adult life to her craft as a professional baby doll artist.

As a mother and grandmother, she spends her day either sculpting babies or enjoying her own grandchildren. She has the advantage of spending hours nearly every day babysitting her grandbabies. While she is babysitting, she studies the babies’ anatomy and watches their movement carefully to assure that her sculptures are accurate. She feels like creating babies and being with her family of children is the best of all options. She really is enjoying her life.

Jannie has been an artist with Paradise Galleries since 2009. Her first doll for Paradise Galleries was an Asian girl doll by the name of Nischi. Nischi has been an ever-popular doll since her release.

Jannie’s three babies in the new collection are Born to be Spoiled, The Princess has Arrived and Reaching for the Stars. She feels like each creation she does is better than the last. Like all of the artists that I spoke with, she is very impressed with the texture that Paradise Galleries has accomplished using their FlexTouch technology. These dolls are indeed the next level of quality and detail from Paradise Galleries. You may learn more about Jannie and see scores of her creations by visiting her website at www.janniedelange.com.

LISA OLSON, sculptor of All the Ladies Love Me

Lisa Olson has been an artist at heart throughout most of her life. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Social Work degree from the University of Nebraska. Even though her formal education was in Social Work, she knew her true love was sculpting. Her first attempt at working with dolls was in 2004 when she bought a vinyl Berenguer doll. She stripped all of the paint and hair off of it and repainted it. She incorporated real glass eyes, mohair, eye lashes and a hand sewn outfit. She had no idea that what she was doing would one day be known a “reborning”.

Lisa took her first sculpting class as one of my students learning to make baby dolls in Salt Lake City in 2006. She joined the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild at that time and is a member to this day. As a professional doll maker, she has made every kind of doll from life scale One-of-a-Kind baby dolls, limited reproduction resin dolls, and fully articulated ball jointed dolls. In most cases she used baby pictures of her three sons, nieces and nephews as her inspiration.

She has won several “Dotty Awards” and the coveted “Dolls Industry Award of Excellence” in 2013 and 2015 from Dolls Magazine. In 2015, she also won the Gold Award from the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild at the International Doll and Teddy Bear Show in Asheville, NC.

Paradise Galleries recognized her talent as early as 2010. They purchased one of Lisa’s OOAK baby dolls at the EXPO Doll show in Orlando, Florida. Since then, they have produced four of her baby creations. When I saw she was one of the artists included in the Baby Bundle series, I was so very proud of her! You may read more about Lisa and see all of her creations at: www.hellodollydolls.com

ANGELA LEWIS, sculptor of I Love Naps

Angela Lewis began her career as a sculptor in 2005. She has spent her career dedicated to sculpting realistic babies. Like Lisa Olson she was also a member of the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild. In 2006 she studied the process of molding her One of a Kind creations and reproducing them in silicone. She has become well know, not just for sculpting her own baby doll creations, but also for molding other artist’s creations in silicone. Her husband John joined her sculpting and mold making business full time as her mold maker. He has perfected making molds and poring dolls in silicone. Her doll making and his skill in mold making work wonderfully well together. They both work full time in their doll making business.

She is very impressed to have her creation included with the other fine artists. She is honored to have her sleeping baby I Love Naps included in the new Paradise Galleries line. She hopes to continue her relationship with Paradise Galleries and become a regular contributor to their line of dolls. You may see more of Angela’s creations at www.angelaoriginals.com.

Conclusion… As a professional artist, myself I’m honored to present this new line of dolls from Paradise Galleries and to have the opportunity to interview the artists behind their precious sculpts. As the founder and CEO Emeritus of the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild, I have great pride in watching artists that I have known since they first started sculpting turn into famous artists. Once an artist reaches the status of having their work reproduced by a major manufacturer like Paradise Galleries, they have truly reached the pinnacle of their career.

If I can help you in your desire to become a professional doll maker feel free to contact me at jack@artdolls.com.

The Baby Bundles crew!