Our extensive FAQ section will answer most of your questions.

 

Dolls

1. Can you mend a hard plastic doll who has a crack in her body?
2. How do I wrap a doll for shipping?
3. What do you charge for returning a doll to me?
4. Approximately how much will a repair cost?
5. How long do I have to wait to get my doll back after repair?
6. Can you replace eye lashes?
7. Can you value my old doll?
8. Will you sell my doll for me?
9. My doll is old and has sentimental value. Can you repair it?
10. I don't know what my doll is made from. Can you help?
11. Can you clean my doll?
12. Can you clean my antique doll's clothes?
13. Can you replace my antique doll's clothes?
14. Is there anything you can't repair?
15. My child's doll has broken and she is devastated. She can't sleep without it. Can you mend it quickly?

 

Teddy Bears & other animals:

1. Can you mend tears and worn fabric?
2. Can you replace pads on limbs?
3. What can you do about broken joints?
4. Can you replace eyes?
5. What sort of animal should I give a young child?
6. Can you restuff my animal or teddy bear?
7. Tell me about foam stuffing a teddy bear.
8. How much will you charge for returning my animal or teddy bear to me?
9. How should I wrap my animal or teddy bear?
10. How long will I have to wait for my animal or teddy bear to be mended and returned?
11. Can you clean my animal or teddy bear?
12. Can you re-stitch my animal's / teddy bears nose?
13. My animal/ teddy bear is old and has sentimental value. Can you repair it?
14. I don't know what my animal / teddy bear is made from. Can you help?
15. Is there anything you can't repair?
16. Can you value my animal / teddy bear for me?
17. Will you sell my animal / teddy bear for me or buy it from me?
18. I think my animal / teddy bear has a moth infestation. What should I do?
19. My child's favourite toy has broken and she is devastated. She can't sleep without it. Can you mend it quickly?

 

Answers

Doll Restoration and Repair

 

1. Can you mend a hard plastic doll who has a crack in her body?

Cracks can be very difficult to fix, especially in plastic dolls. Any part of the plastic that is under pressure (e.g. around joints) is impossible to glue and would require some sort of bridge. This is not always possible. Please telephone to discuss this problem.
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2. How do I wrap a doll for shipping?

Please follow the advice at this link... click here
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3. What do you charge for returning a doll to me?

We normally charge £8.60 to UK addresses for returning items whether or not we can repair them. Overseas visitors should contact us by email for shipping costs.
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4. Approximately how much will a repair cost?

It is usually very difficult for us to estimate more complicated repairs without seeing the doll. A photograph of the doll sent with the estimate form helps us enormously. For some examples of simple repairs please see this link... click here.
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5. How long do I have to wait to get my doll back after repair?

We always have a bit of a backlog so don't be in a rush. If you need the doll back quickly because your child is upset then please get in touch before you send it. Sometimes our backlog takes us up to 3 months to clear.
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6. Can you replace eye lashes?

No, we can't replace just the eye lash. We would have to replace the whole eye and this means both eyes even if one is OK. We can't match eye colour so replacing only one eye is not an option.
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7. Can you value my old doll?

No. We can usually tell if the doll is worth getting valued but we are not prepared to value a doll. Please get in touch with an auction house for a formal valuation.
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8. Will you sell my doll for me?

No. We cannot do that because we neither have the retail space nor the ability to get involved in the sale of goods act regarding your property.
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9. My doll is old and has sentimental value. Can you repair it?

That depends on the composition of your doll and what is wrong with it. Most of our repairs are carried out on antique and old dolls and we will only repair them if we think we can do a perfect job. Sometimes the doll is made from irrepairable material and cannot be glued. More often than not we can't replace a broken limb because we can't source it. Shattered limbs on hard bodied dolls are difficult to replace as spares are not available. Some doll makers have a repair service (e.g. Zapf).
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10. I don't know what my doll is made from. Can you help?

We can certainly try to find out what it is made from if you telephone us. The age of the doll or the maker can usually narrow it down. We can then tell you if the doll can be mended.
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11. Can you clean my doll?

Not always. For hard plastic dolls you can do it yourself using liquid yellow Flash. (A small amount on a cloth). Porcelain we don't clean as the eyes will likely fall out. Any doll with stuffing should not be cleaned unless you can stop moisture from getting in the stuffing. We can do the same job as you but it will cost a lot!
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12. Can you clean my antique doll's clothes?

Not really. Antique doll's clothes were not made to be cleaned and would probably disintegrate if we did. We can usually match original clothing if you want but this is expensive and doesn't add any value to the doll.
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13. Can you replace my antique doll's clothes?

Yes, we can make bespoke clothing in the period of your doll. However it is expensive because each doll is different and we have to prepare templates of the clothing by dismantling the existing articles. Re-making an antique doll's clothes does not add value but will make her/him look super!
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14. Is there anything you can't repair?

Plenty! We can't repair shattered limbs in any material. Cracks in plastic dolls are difficult especially around stress points such as the joints. We can't transplant hair - only replace thin hair with a wig. We can't repaint porcelain as it needs to be refired. We don't repaint any other material either.
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15. My child's doll has broken and she is devastated. She can't sleep without it. Can you mend it quickly?

We can try! We get a great many repairs to do and a lot of them are children's favourites. Whilst we try to get them back to you as soon as we can, we can't guarantee a quick turnaround. Please phone us.
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Teddy Bears & other animals restoration and repair

 

1. Can you mend tears and worn fabric?

Everything about tears and fur-less fabric depends on the surrounding fabric's state of repair and how much you want to spend. If the surrounding fabric is weak (from age and loving usually) then the panel with the tear would have to be replaced (provided the next panels are sound enough to attach the new one to). Replacement panels will never match the old ones exactly so your animal / teddy bear will look slightly odd at first! We can't mend worn fur - only replace the panels with the same proviso as above.
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2. Can you replace pads on limbs?

Yes, usually but look at the answer to question 1. The same rules apply. Pads cost from £30 each depending on the size of your animal / teddy bear.
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3. What can you do about broken joints?

Joints in most teddy bears are made of cardboard or strong plastic and can be replaced (not repaired). To do this we have to be able to get access to the area around the joint on the body and the limb/head. This means that replacing joints is quite expensive (around £30 per joint) because of the work involved.
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4. Can you replace eyes?

Usually we can but we can't source single eyes to match originals. We therefore replace eyes with glass or plastic whichever is required usually at a cost of about £17.50.
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5. What sort of animal should I give a young child?

You have to make sure that the toy is compatible with the age of the child and this can be determined by looking at the label or asking the shop assistant's advice. We often get mums on the phone panicking because their youngster has broken or damaged their animal and they can't sleep without it! We thoroughly recommend that you spend a reasonable amount on your child's first animal. Some of the cheap toys don't last and disintigrate with the love your youngster bestowes on it. Try to find mohair or strong plush animals that cost at least £30. We are asked by adults to repair cheap animals and it always costs more than they cost in the first place! Most younsters keep their animals well into adulthood and a well made one lasts!
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6. Can you restuff my animal / teddy bear?

Usually we can. Please see question 7 for foam stuffing. Restuffing costs from £35 and involves taking the animal / teddy bear apart at the seams and re-sewing it. Sometimes it is impossible to get the shape of the animal right on restuffing and the animal can look strange. This can upset children.
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7. Tell me about foam stuffing.

Foam stuffing was used in animals around 30 - 40 years ago and can be recognised by it being lumpy granules that can be green or dark red. They are toxic if they burn and give off cyanide gas. It is not a good idea to have a foam filled animal in the house. We can replace the stuffing but are not allowed to handle the foam. Please unpick any seams that are required to empty the animal and then thoroughly vacuum all the foam out. You can then send it to us for restuffing. IMPORTANT! Please take lots of photos of your animal before de-stuffing so that we can see what it looked like before you started!
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8. How much will you charge for returning my animal / teddy bear to me?

We charge £8.60 for our courier service to UK addresses whether or not we repair the animal / teddy bear.
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9. How should I wrap my animal / teddy bear?

Please refer to the page at... click here
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10. How long will I have to wait for my animal / teddy bear to be mended and returned?

We always have a bit of a backlog so don't be in a rush. If you need the doll back quickly because your child is upset then please get in touch before you send it. Sometimes our backlog takes us up to 3 months to clear.
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11. Can you clean my animal / teddy bear?

Yes, usually but it costs a lot! We can usually clean an animal but we have to remove the stuffing and joints beforehand. This means we have to replace all the joints and restuff and re-sew him so the cost can be upwards of £200. If you can "surface clean" your animal / teddy bear then do so. Most animals will have guidelines on how to clean on the label. Young children's toys are usually washable in the machine.
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12. Can you re-stitch my animal's / teddy bear's nose?

More than likely. We can replace plastic noses and re-stitch stitched noses. Puppies have a knack of removing both! Unless we have a picture to go by we can't guarantee that the nose will look the same as it did and so some children may notice!
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13. My animal / teddy bear is old and has sentimental value. Can you repair it?

Sometimes a well loved teddy bear or other animal is best just left alone with the memories! We have been asked to make a totally new bear in the image of an old one and have done this with pleasure. It costs a fortune though! We have even been asked to put a new bear around the old one as a sort of "living casket"! We've done that as well. Sometimes you just have to accept that your bruin is irrepairable and just to wrap him well and keep him safe. Only you can make that decision!
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14. I don't know what my animal / teddy bear is made from. Can you help?

Yes - please call us with as much information as you can find about your friend. We CANNOT work on animals made from real animal skin.
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15. Is there anything you can't repair?

Yes. Anything made with animal skin or stuffed with foam. See answers above.
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16. Can you value my animal / teddy bear for me?

No. We can usually tell if the animal / teddy bear is worth getting valued but we are not prepared to value it. Please get in touch with an auction house for a formal valuation.
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17. Will you sell my animal for me or buy it from me?

No. We cannot sell your animal because we have neither the retail space nor the ability to get involved in the sale of goods act regarding your property.We don't buy antique bears or animals
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18. I think my animal / teddy bear has a moth infestation. What should I do?

DON'T SEND IT TO US! You can tell if your animal / teddy bear has a moth infestation by looking for small black "rice like" pellets in the fur. Put the animal in a sealed bag and put it in your freezer for at least 6 months. Then vacuum it thoroughly before sending it to us for repair.
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19. My child's favourite toy has broken and she is devastated. She can't sleep without it. Can you mend it quickly?

We can try! We get a great many repairs to do and a lot of them are children's favourites. Whilst we try to get them back to you as soon as we can, we can't guarantee a quick turnaround. Please phone us.
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