The Great Lakes Doll Club
Where Fashion Dolls Play!
The 70 or so members of the Great Lakes Doll Club (GLDC) are a diverse Group of adult woman AND men, ranging from Teens to Great-Great-Grandparents, Who share a love for fashion dolls of all kinds!
The GLDC began in 1982 and is geared toward the adult collector, but that does not mean We do not play with our dolls. In fact, play is encouraged!
Most of our members collect Barbie© Dolls, but there are also a lot who collect other fashion dolls as well, such as Cissy, Tonner, Madame Alexander, and Fashion Royalty. A few of the members are fashion doll makeover artists; many are doll fashion designers and some members are doll dealers and appraisers. One of our members has created and manufactured her own dolls which are now available for collectors worldwide!
At monthly GLDC meetings, we have a show and tell, and members delight in bringing dolls to display matching a theme, which is different each month. Meetings include a presentation by one or more of our club members or an invited guest. This can be a how-to project or an informative one, on any particular fashion doll or era. Sometimes too, a member will just want to share their own favorite dolls and talk about collecting them.
Long lasting friendships have been formed thru the years. And new friends are made every month! Our 30th Annual grant-A-Wish (GAW) is quickly approaching as will attract doll collectors, dealers and doll experts from all over the world. We have special guest speakers, charity auction, competition and raffle. This is just one of the events hosted by the GLDC throughout the year to benefit local children with special needs.
After the GAW, our favorite event is the transforming of played with dolls, which are cleaned, with new hair styles and clothes to be distributed to children in need. In 2020 we donated over 500 dolls! Through all these special events hosted by the GLDC we have, over the past 30 years, donated more than $560,000.00 to various local charities!
Each July we have a picnic hosted by a club member at their home so that we can visit whole rooms devoted to their collections. In December, of-course we have a Holiday party with prizes and gifts for all!
Our club newsletter “The GLDC Chronicles” is published monthly and delivered to all club members around the 1st of each month. The GLDC Chronicles covers a variety of topics from un-announced special edition dolls to what someone recently spotted in a store!
In addition to monthly meetings, we also have a private FaceBook page. Many satellite groups specializing in a particular craft or doll have developed, which add to the fun of collecting and playing.
The GLDC and GAW are registered 501C-3 collector groups. For further information on the GLDC and GAW, contact Lisa Lackie at iambarbie58@cs.com or 586-918-0440.
Have a Great Dolly Day!
Updated May 24, 2023
