The Greater Toronto Doll Show - 2024
About Us
The Vintage Doll Club of Southern Ontario
and
The Greater Toronto Doll Show
We are one of the smallest clubs in the United Federation of Doll clubs. We are in Region 16....affectionately known as “the rest of the world ” meaning doll clubs outside of the USA. Region 16 also includes individual members who are unaffiliated with a club. These people are referred to as Members at Large or MALs.
Our club was started in 1997. Our members come from a wide area of Southern Ontario and sometimes travel over 150 kilometers to attend our monthly meetings.
The main purpose of our club is research and education. Most meetings are on specific topics. Our first meeting of each year chooses the topics, presenters and locations of each meeting. We also designate 2 members for each meeting to provide refreshments and 1 member to provide a raffle prize. Everybody participates so that the jobs are shared. We have had presentations on dolls of a certain era such as the 1950's, and of different manufacturers such as Simon and Halbig or types of dolls such as googlies or characters.
A recent meeting was on Japanese bisque dolls. A large variety of dolls were brought from one collection and other members brought dolls in the category to add to the discussion. In many cases program presenters provide written hand outs and photos or illustrations of markings.
We host an annual doll show in the Toronto area.. Antique and modern dolls are offered for sale as well as related clothing and accessories. We also provide UFDC information at the show to encourage the formation of new clubs or members at large. (MALs).
We support a number of charitable endeavors including the Red Cross, layettes for new babies, toiletries for mothers in shelters, and Christmas gifts for families in need. The money for these projects is raised through our Doll Shows
and our monthly raffles. We have received
an award for our financial support of
UFDC projects such as the museum
in Kansas City, Missouri.
UFDC is a non-profit charity with the goal of being the foremost in research, education, conservation, collecting, and appreciation of dolls.
Our vision is: to provide education, service and conservation; to encourage collecting, research, creative doll making, cooperation, respect, integrity, innovation, voluntarism, and personal growth; and to sustain friendship, communication, interaction, compassion, and enjoyment. With the dedication of our volunteers working together, we preserve yesterday and today for tomorrow.
The home of our organization is our headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. UFDC’s doll museum and archival collections reside at the Kansas City facility and are available to our members and the public for viewing enjoyment and in-depth study. Visitors to our museum are able to view antique, vintage, and modern, play and artist dolls on display. In addition to dolls, our holdings include our permanent archival collections of catalogs, research materials, patent papers, patterns and other ephemera relating to dolls and our doll reference library.
DOLL NEWS, UFDC’s official publication, is well respected world-wide. This magazine is published quarterly and is filled with original research and informative articles about all areas of dolls and doll collecting.
UFDC reflects the interests of doll collectors of all ages. Our Junior Collector program builds an interest in doll collecting and provides children under eighteen special collecting information and projects designed to allow them enjoy, grow, share, and be an active part of the world of doll collecting.
UFDC and its member clubs provide numerous opportunities each year to get together with other doll collectors for fun and education. These events include regional conferences, special exhibits, doll shows, luncheons, and study programs. UFDC also hosts an Annual Convention.