We are often asked, "What exactly is so special about a Käthe Kruse doll? What makes them different from all the other dolls?" To answer this in one sentence, it is the unique handcraft in every single production step that makes our dolls special and characteristic. In order to tell you a little more about these production steps, let us take a `tour around the workshop´.
In the Painting Department - The Magic in the Kruse Eyes
In the Stuffing Department - The Doll Body Comes to Life
At the Hairdresser - Making Wigs and Hairdos
In the Design Department - The Clothes Make the Dolls
In the Shipping Department - Into the Great Wide World
Every new doll fascinates you by one single and most important thing - it´s eyes. If the doll´s eyes and the doll´s face speak to us, we immediately develop a liking for that doll - sometimes it is love at first sight. All Käthe Kruse doll´s eyes are artistically hand painted in several steps. With a calm stroke of the brush, the brow comes into being, then the pupil, the iris in shades of blue, green, brown or gray, the white eye ball, the characteristic twinkle and, with some doll models, the eye lashes. In the painting department all doll heads first get their natural skin color, lightly rouged cheeks and lips. Some dolls even get freckles. We use water resistant oil colors so that the little faces can be wiped of with a moist cloth.
In our stuffing department we make our classic dolls stuffed with reindeer hair. Alternatively we produce dolls with a sculpted foam body or with high quality vinyl bodies - these, of course, are made differently than the classic bodies. For our classically stuffed bodies we start with the cutting of the fabric for the doll body. These pieces are then partially sewn together. We start stuffing with the feet. First, a wooden sole is placed inside the foot so that the doll later has a flat base to stand on. The foot is stuffed and the single toes are stiched down. Then the leg is stuffed up to the calf. Fabric is put into a form and stuffed further, all the while taking care that the leg becomes straight and with a nicely formed shinbone. The deer hair needs to be stuffed very thightly to avoid air holes and dents. When the first leg is finished, the second is made in the same way. Next, the body is stuffed and the legs are attached to it with flexible disks. Next, we start stuffing the arms. Frist the hands are stuffed and the fingers are stiched with a separate thumb, just like a human hand. The arms are stuffed up to just under the shoulders and then loosely sewn to the body in order to keep them flexible. Finally, the doll head is attached to the body with a splint and swen to the body. With this splint mechanism the head is able to move.
In our `salon´ each doll first gets its wig. All classic dolls are made with a human hair wig. These are made by carefully knotting strands of hair to a piece of gauze. Our wigs are not all made according to one single pattern but each doll is individually knotted to fit the hairstyle that comes later. Meaning, the wig is knotted with a side part, a center part or bangs. We make our dolls with blonde wigs, reg wigs and brown wigs. Why no black wigs? Simply, because they just aren´t asked for much. The wigs are then glued to the doll heads and fixed with a piece of cloth. They dry for several hours until the cloth is removed and the wig can be styled. At our hairdresser, everything resembles an old fashioned salon: pin curlers and even a grandmother style curling iron are used. We style wigs into pigtails, thick braids, small braids, buns and sometimes more complicated styles.
In our design department we make all the sketches and patterns for our doll clothing. Each year we present new designs in our catalogs and make a whole range of additional clothing for all our different doll models. Something for every taste and occasion - from elegant to sporty, fro hip to classic. For our designs, it is very important that the fabrics have small patterns. Since a doll dress isn´t very large, small patterns like little flowers, thin stripes and checked patterns work best. When choosing our fabrics, we only buy top quality and preferably natural materials such as cotton, linen, felt or silk. When making our clothes for our play dolls, we make sure that they are easy to handle and durable.
Here the dolls have to undergo a final quality control: is there any glue left from gluing on the wig? Does the hair look pretty? Are there any scratches on the doll´s face? If so, adjustments are made! Does the little girl look too pale - we´ll quickly spray on some more rouge. A final coat of varnish makes the eyes bright. After that, the dolls are carefully packed into their boxes and ready to go off into the great wide world.
