Dolls really can be the finishing touch to a miniature scene, infecting it with humour, emotion and interaction. They help to create the story and bring the house to life, much as we do when we inhabit a house ourselves.

Dolls can come in as many different forms as we can, with some hand made ones being truly unique and delightful to be hold. You can now find dolls to suit any era or any pocket, so you can add just that small touch more to your miniature display.

Some of our dolls’ are named after people we know, sometimes just because they happen to be in the room when we’re thinking what to call them, some are named after famous characters (Frank Butcher anyone?) and some are named after famous people, Mrs Pankhurst for example. Do you have a  special character in your dolls’ house? Do you name them after people you know?

There are many varied and valid ways to collect magical miniatures and furnish dolls’ houses. For example, there are some collectors who strive for exquisite precision of scale, so that if you were to see a photograph, one couldn’t claim it is a model. For others, it is vital that everything works correctly, even at the expense of perfect scale, reflected in things like oversized switches and taps to an otherwise correct and proportionate model. But for many collectors, it is not accessories or add-ons that matter so much. For them, a doll’s house is all about dolls, without any frills – in all their hues

Such houses as those at Sudbury Hall, the Bethnal Green Museum as well as Vivien Green’s former Rotunda collection were inhabited – often by a mixture of various types of dolls – wax, china, bisque and wooden.

A notable doll was called the ‘Old Pretender’. This 17th century wooden fashion doll is considered very rare. It is believed that the doll once belonged to King James II at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.  The original Old Pretender was the son of King James II, James Stuart. It is said to have been presented as a gift to a family of loyal servants by one of the members of the Stuart family.

Today of course we still use these traditional materials to make dolls and as time has gone on we have been able to create more lifelike dolls and to imbue them with more idiosyncrasies then ever before, many doll makers’ now only make one-of-a-kind specials. What a lovely way to spend your days.

Meet Penny Black, The Dolls House Emporium’s very own First Class Post Lady!

Penny is smartly dressed in her neat uniform and comes complete with a roomy post bag, perfect for all those Dolls House Emporium orders.

Penny Black is your fantastic free gift when you spend £30 or more at The Dolls House Emporium during May.

Don’t forget to order some parcels and letters for Penny, she likes to be kept busy!

View more of this months Special Offers »

It’s Wash Day Again!

April’s superb free character doll is Dolly, all ready for washday, beautifully dressed in her cosy skirt and shawl, finished off with a pretty straw hat!

Dolly comes complete with her wash tub, and you can find many more wash-day accessories on the Dolls House Emporium website.

Adorable Dolly is yours free, when you spend just Spend just £30 ($54 or €45) or more at The Dolls House Emporium during April.

• See more Special Offers »
• View the range of Dolls »
• Laundry and wash-day accessories »

Nora’s batty about spring cleaning!

Spend just £30 ($54 or €45) or over this month to add Nora to your collection of exclusive character dolls. Don’t miss out on this fantastic offer, Nora doesn’t hang around!

• See more of our Special Offers »
• View our range of Dolls »
• Save up to 40% on Carpets – view the range »

Nora is only available with your first order of the month over £30 (excluding postage and packing).