The Guild of Sunshine Doll Makers

The Guild of Sunshine Doll Makers consists of people who regularly make dolls or give courses or workshops.

Sunshine Dolls are made for children to cuddle and play with. Guiding principle of the design of each Sunshine Doll is the healthy development of all children. The various stages of development and play serve as a guide when choosing which doll best best suits the child. Because of the high educational value dolls have, the Guild aims to ensure the quality of Sunshine Dolls in design, choice of materials, and the technical and aesthetic creation process.

The Guild's members are inspired by Anthroposophy. Anthropos means human and sophia means knowledge, so anthroposophy essentially focuses on gathering wisdom on the essence of being human.

Guild members seek contact with each other to share their experiences, thus contributing their own knowledge and skills and also learning from others.

The members of the Guild work together to maintain the quality of these dolls by exchanging experiences and deepening their pedagogical background.

Every Sunshine Doll maker guarantees the quality of his or her work and can be held accountable for it within a reasonable period of time.

Specific information about courses or the possibility of placing orders can be found on this website under 'Addresses'.

The Guild's History

In the early 1970s Waldorf School parents in The Hague formed a group that made dolls together and a group that designed and made wooden toys. Two members independently thought of the name Sunshine Dolls and shared it with their group. From that moment on the name Sunshine Dolls was born.

The doll makers worked dilligently on the development of the dolls: they improved on the doll-making techniques and began to study the developmental stages of children as well as the structure of the human body, inspired by anthroposophy.

This resulted in a series of dolls tailored to children's physical and mental development, resulting in a unique doll for each developmental stage, for babies as well as toddlers, kindergarten children and school children. 

The doll makers offered Sunshine Doll courses and during their courses explained the pedagogical backgrounds of the series of dolls to their course participants as well. The participants in turn started teaching courses, and slowly but surely the Sunshine Dolls became known throughout the country. The members of the doll-making group were delighted, as this allowed as many children as possible to benefit from their work.

Worksheets were developed for the courses and they were used everywhere.

One of the members of the original group, Edith Otger, moved to Alkmaar in 1984. A new group of dollmakers formed around her, wanting to explore not only the techniques but also the pedagogical backgrounds of the dolls. Study days were organised to deepen knowledge, first in Leiden, later in Bergen, North Holland. All doll makers known to the group were invited to these study days.

Gradually, a small group formed, dedicated to organising national meeting days and promoting the Sunshine Dolls. They called themselves the Core Group of the Guild of Sunshine Doll Makers.

A guild is traditionally a professional association where colleagues share their skills with each other, collaborating to develop the best expertise. The Guild maintains a list of addresses where people can find addresses for courses, the sale of materials, or the sale of dolls. They also published a brochure with information about the various dolls. Those interested in teaching courses can contact the Guild for advice and support.

Sharing and exchanging experiences and skills have always been an important aspect of the work around Sunshine Dolls. In April 1996, all doll makers were invited to join the Guild. The Guild's objectives were then described in a brochure.

Meanwhile, two members of the Guild's Core Group, Conny Dekker and Marjolein van Leeuwen-Zier, started writing the book "Sunshine Dolls", which not only includes the pedagogical background of each doll, but  detailed work descriptions, clear information on materials used, descriptions of the various steps and working methods, as well as patterns. Not just for the dolls themselves, but patterns for a collection of simple clothes, both sewn and knitted. The book was based on the much used worksheets, and both refined and expanded upon. Artist Janneke Rosenbrand created the beautiful illustrations.

At the end of 2010, the decision was made to establish  The Sunshine Doll Foundation, both to manage the brand and its heritage, as well as in support of the Guild. 

For more information please email  info@sunshine-dolls.com.