A Letter from Annette Himstedt To Our Toy Shoppe Collectors

The time is near for me to close my manufactory doors for good.

It's a testing time - first of all with the realization that it couldn't go on anymore, which came as a shock and was paired with feelings of panic and worries for the future. After the first dust had settled though, I have been able to view my situation much more calmly and was able to make plans for the remaining time in the manufactory, and I'm now very happy that I am able to conduct the closure in a very controlled way.

These last few months and the remaining weeks (it's mid February as I'm writing this) have been and will be crazy. I'm going through absolutely everything I've accumulated over the last 20 years since we moved in here - which, believe me, is loads and loads.

At the moment we're producing the last orders that came in during 2008, we're making all the Club Gift Minis and I'm dealing with the sale of the manufactory premises. There are also a few rather unpleasant things to deal with (which I don't want to bore you with here) and lots of other things too.

So you see on the one hand it's still business as usual but then there is so much else to deal with. This a very unusual situation for everybody here, because all members of staff have been given their notices, but a lot of them stay on to see production through to the end. As you can imagine I'm very sad to see all my long-standing members of staff go. And I'm sad that I have to let go of everything that I built up for myself. But on the other hand I'm starting to look forward to the future, which kind of comes naturally to me. So many times in the past I had to go through changes: to keep the dolls interesting, to become independent of producers and so forth. The collectors that have known my dolls for a long time will know what I'm talking about - they've gone through lots of the changes with me. With that in mind I feel contented when I'm thinking about the future and I know that it'll be exciting no matter what.

And what's been a consoling factor through this time is the feeling that I have been able to create something in the past 25 or so years that is lasting and will give myself and my collectors pleasure for a long time to come.

'that's the one!' (although to me he is...) People needed some time to appreciate him. I love dolls that have character. This is what makes them unique and beautiful in their very own way. I feel that Eddie is like that - I already felt about him that way when he was a raw porcelain head (as you may know I have modeled all my dolls even the ones for the vinyl collections in porcelain).

So what for the future? As I have previously said I will remain within the world of dolls. I don't know when I'll be able to start with it yet, because I don't know when my life will return to normal again. But I'm planning to make one-of-a-kind dolls yet again. My career will have come full circle, so watch this space...

I would like to thank all my collectors for their enthusiasm and loyalty over the years.

And I would like to thank Danny and Barrie for all the years that we've worked together- ever since the Barefoot Children - my very first vinyl collection from 1986. Thank you for all the years of a very involved, yet easygoing and very successful business relationship and a hopefully ongoing great friendship.

Lots of love,
Annette