#Handmade #Heirlooms #Simpich #Character #Dolls #WorthPoint
Every holiday, my mom decorates her fireplace mantel with a collection of dolls that she calls her “carolers.” Only recently, however, I discovered that these figurines are called Simpich Dolls. Handmade from start to finish, they’re increasingly rare, with an unmatched artistic quality that makes them irresistible collectibles.
Dolls Born of Necessity
As the Christmas holiday approached in 1952, married artists Bob and Jan Simpich realized they could not afford gifts. So, the couple decided to create dolls in their Colorado Springs home instead, using sculpting clay and paint to make the faces and sewing doll clothing with fabric scraps. Before long, their dolls became so popular they formed Simpich Character Dolls, Ltd., and offered their creations to the buying public from their nearby manufacturing studio, a two-story, 11,000-square-foot building in the Old Colorado City historic district.
pieces that Jan Simpich made. It sold for $425 in 2022.
Literary and Biblical Characters
“If you grew up in Colorado Springs, anytime between 1952 and 2007, Simpich Dolls are likely part of your story,” said Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum curator Leah Davis-Witherow in a 2021 interview.
While many Simpich dolls are not holiday-themed, the most famous creations are the twelve-inch tall English carolers, made to resemble characters in A Christmas Carol. The dolls’ endearing features include cheerful eyes and mouths wide open in song. A typical Simpich Santa Claus figurine sports a richly sewn coat trimmed in fur and a kind face accented with rosy cheeks.
The artists also relied on literature and religion to create other figurines, including angels, animals, and Santa Claus, along with characters like Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, The Wizard of Oz, and Alice In Wonderland.
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Although the founding couple’s sons, David and Ragan Simpich, and a selection of hired artists helped keep up with demand, the Simpich family continually resisted offers to sell the business or ship production overseas. “They weren’t ever even tempted because that was not what they ever envisioned this to be,” David Simpich said. “It was a very unusual kind of European-style enterprise of creating art.”
By the early 2000s, doll pricing ranged from $115 to $185, according to a 2004 story in TDMonthly, as the studio enjoyed a robust local tourism base amplified by catalog and online sales.
Although the couple retired and closed the studio in 2007, their announcement sparked a mad rush of orders, and they spent the next two years filling them.
In 2007, son David Simpich turned the studio into a doll museum and the Simpich Marionette Theatre, where he performed puppet shows with a collection of handmade Simpich marionettes. By 2019, a declining tourism base and the COVID-19 pandemic forced David Simpich to close. Jan Simpich died in 2014, and Bob in 2020, and with their passing went their creative brilliance.
signed by makers Bob and Jan Simpich. It sold for $141.50 in 2023.
Collecting Simpich Dolls
Today, Simpich dolls are popular niche collectibles in the secondary market, although the hunt for them is becoming increasingly difficult because only a finite number remains. I searched the online marketplace and found listings ranging from $40 for doll accessories to about $6,000 for complete sets like an eleven-piece Nativity scene. While some platforms had no listings, others had close to 100, although many were doll adornments.
Other Simpich collectibles include porcelain ornaments and figurines, as well as specific doll lines, including “Cloud Babies,” historical figures, and elves.
Jenna Mattioli of Colorado Springs grew up with Simpich dolls and now sells vintage pieces in her Etsy shop, HeirloomsbyOlive. “My father chose a doll every year as a Christmas gift for my mom,” Mattioli said. “My sister and I would accompany and assist him with his selection.”
Among her favorites, Mattioli said, is Ebenezer Scrooge and a ruggedly dressed Woodland Santa Claus holding a small Christmas tree and a lantern. It’s entitled “I Am Seeking…”—a model sold in 2023 for $650.00.
A Specific Doll Niche
“Because these dolls could only be found in Colorado Springs, that meant people who would visit the shop in Old Colorado City would purchase a doll and take it home, but we know one was never enough,” Davis-Withrow said. “They wanted to have a Simpich Doll family, or maybe they wanted to have a Christmas vignette. …”
Mattioli said many collectors today are reluctant to sell their dolls, making the resale market a challenge. “I think these dolls are hard to find due to their high quality,” she said. “I don’t think people are willing to part with the pieces they’ve purchased themselves or inherited.”
However, Mattioli said she continues finding and selling Simpich dolls, noting that the rarer pieces are Santas, and Scrooge is the most popular seller.
“It’s important to preserve these collectible dolls,” Mattioli said, “because they represent a special time in the history of Colorado Springs.”
I agree with Mattioli that preserving art in every form allows us not only to cherish but also to protect elements of our culture.
Meanwhile, doll pricing still can fluctuate as David Simpich recently began offering doll restoration services, increasing the value of vintage pieces. And you can always view hundreds of donated dolls that are on display at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, including three life-sized carolers—the only ones known to exist.
Armed with this new knowledge about the talent and care that went into making each Simpich doll, I’m sure my mom’s Christmas mantel display this year will take on new meaning and a touch of added joy.
Between excursions to hunt for antiques and vintage décor, Lynda Houston is busy restoring her 1950s cottage in Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her partner Dave Beck operate TheRustInPeaceShop on Etsy.
WorthPoint—Discover. Value. Preserve.
