A celebration of love: Adopt a new friend on World Doll Day June 10

Hood County children — and adults too — can adopt a new friend from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Historic Granbury Doll House Museum at 421 E. Bridge St. on Saturday, June 10, in celebration of World Doll Day.

WORLD DOLL DAY

World Doll Day was created on June 14, 1986, by Mildred Seeley, who wanted to mark a special day devoted to dolls with a mission to spread love and happiness to others, according to the United Federation of Doll Clubs.

“Mildred Seeley was a great doll collector and she made molds, so that people could make restorations,” said Karen Allen, member of the Granbury Doll Club. “She decided that we needed a little more love and friendship in the world, so she urged all the doll clubs to have an event where individual people just give a doll to an adult, a child, anybody on World Doll Day.”

World Doll Day is held every year on the second Saturday in June and is a way for others to celebrate the universal message of friendship and love by adopting a doll or bear.

GRANBURY DOLL CLUB

The first World Doll Day in Granbury will be sponsored by the Granbury Doll House Museum and the Granbury Doll Club — a club that was formed last fall to support the museum.

“The United Federation of Doll Clubs is an international organization that wants to preserve, protect, conserve, and educate doll collectors throughout the doll collecting community,” Allen said. “I'm a member and the museum is a member, but we didn't have a doll club here in town. We decided to start one to help support the museum and expand our hobby."

To participate in World Doll Day, the two organizations decided to partner and host a free Porch Party event for the museum.

“Since we got the club started, we decided that we would have a Porch Party and let children come that aren't familiar with the museum and don't know that we're a club to adopt a doll for World Doll Day,” Allen said.

Once a child adopts a doll, they will be presented with a Friendship Certificate, where they will promise to “always care for their doll/bear with kindness and love.”

“We're excited to have these dolls loved,” said Jane Sharp, owner of the Granbury Doll House Museum. “We want somebody to come adopt them that will love them and give them a good home.”

Dwayne Stobaugh, “The Popcorn Man” from Southern Reflections Kettle Corn, will also be donating popcorn during the event.

“This is the first (World Doll Day) that we're (celebrating as a club) and we're very excited about it and hoping to get lots of folks," Allen said.

The Granbury Doll Club currently has 12 members and one junior member — but the club is always seeking new members who are interested in dolls, history, or sewing.

“This event is the end of the year for our club meetings, but we'll begin meeting again in September at the Hood County Library. We meet the first Tuesday of the month at two o'clock,” Allen said. “If you are interested in sewing, quilting, or research of any kind — many of the dolls are historical — then this is the club for you because that’s what we do.”

She said when the club meets, they have a short business meeting, and then members take turns giving a program on a specific doll.

“Mostly, we have fun,” Allen said.

She said the club also has an online option, like Zoom, available for members who are homebound or live far and can’t travel.

If anyone is interested in joining the Granbury Doll Club, email Allen at kb51allen@gmail.com, or message the Granbury Doll Club Facebook page.

“We're really excited about (World Doll Day),” Allen added. “There’s lots of fun things to celebrate with dolls.”