Tree Change Dolls

I have Tree Change Dolls as a favorite shop on Etsy and have long loved browsing the beautiful dolls that Sonia Singh creates. They usually sell in seconds so I doubt I will ever get my hands on one. I would also much rather they went to a little girl or boy who will love playing with them and treasure them for the rest of their lives.

Sonia finds unwanted and unloved dolls in charity shops and gives them a ‘make under’ plus ‘plastic surgery’ if they need new feet. See a video of the process here

Sonia Singh says: My sisters and I grew up playing with second-hand dolls and home-made toys in the beautiful Tasmanian natural environment. I love the satisfaction of repairing and reusing discarded items to give them a new lease on life.

My Tree Change Dolls have been rescued and rehabilitated from op-shops and tip shops around Tasmania. These little fashion dolls have opted for a “tree change”, swapping high-maintenance glamour for down-to-earth style.

I hand repaint the dolls faces, mold new shoes, and my Mum sews and knits their clothing.

Many of these dolls were originally Bratz Dolls (below) which have been heavily criticized in some quarters for being heavily made up and dressed in sexualised clothing such as fishnet stockings and leather miniskirts. Many feel that such objective adult sexuality is inappropriate for dolls aimed at girls aged from 4 to 8 years old.

So, back to Tree Change Dolls:

Once Sonia removes the makeup on a doll she repaints more natural features. Each doll has their face repainted and eyes and lips sealed with polyurethane varnish. While the paint is waterproof, it may not be as durable as factory paint. The back of each doll’s head is signed and numbered by Sonia Singh. Each one is, of course, one of a kind.

Each doll comes with:

Clothing designed and made by Sonia’s lovely Mum
If the doll did not have feet, it will have removable boots, shoes or sandal feet made by Sonia.
Handmade hair ties.
A printed photograph showing the doll’s ‘before and after’ makeunder.
A ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ signed and dated by artist Sonia Singh

As you can see from previous sales (photos below), there are toys of both genders and several ethnicities. The dolls go really quickly every time they are put up in the Etsy shop and are restocked in small batches. The next restock is April 18 (tomorrow!!!) so get your wallets ready!

These two dolls are my absolute favourites.