News From the Director

"Dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to make sure that future generations will have access to the rich history of play." 

"The museum's wonderful volunteers make the museum so enjoyable." 

"If it wasn't for our volunteers, this could never have happened."

"The museum is a wonderland and the volunteers are so welcoming."

"Incredible collection and knowledgeable volunteers!"

These are just a few of the MANY compliments we've received over the past few years about the exceptional hard work, ingenuity, and commitment of our volunteers.

From the efforts of our Board of Directors to ensure our mission is always carried out thoughtfully to the helpers who make our events possible with their ingenuity and hard work, if not for our volunteers, this museum wouldn't exist today.

That's why I am delighted to introduce our First Annual Volunteer Celebration Brunch - our grateful recognition of what our volunteers have brought to life here at the museum. Join us on January 24!

Whether you have volunteered once or twice or become a core part of the museum's mission over the past decade, you deserve the praise and appreciation. We're so thankful for you - let us show it!

Beth M. Nance

Founder and Executive Director

May 15-16:

Join Us in Virginia!

We are excited to announce that we will be in Virginia for the National Antique Doll Dealers Association (NADDA) annual show and sale May 15-16 with a special presentation from Beth on May 16! Hope you can join us!

Holiday Joy:

December at the Museum

Here are some highlights from our annual festivities to celebrate the season.

...and the Return of

Mrs. Claus!

We held our annual Tea with Mrs. Claus holiday celebration at the museum this year.

Save the date, as Tea with Mrs. Claus will return to Spencer NC in December 2026!

A huge thank you to our stellar volunteers, to Mrs. Claus for visiting Spencer NC once again, and to our photographer Jim Ryser!

Miniature Magic

Back at Winterfest

Our annual Winter & Christmas Miniatures Exhibit brightened spirits and inspired creativity at Winterfest.

A special congratulations to our 2025 People's Choice - Holiday & Christmas Miniatures winners:

Terri Correll's Christmas Cabin

Beth Morris Nance's Enchanted Gingerbread Hideaway

Lynn Frank's Christmas Wonkie House

An Edible Fairytale:

Gingerbread House Day

Following her epic appearance on the finale of Gingerbread Land (catch the whole season on HBO Max), we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate Gingerbread House Day in December than featuring the exquisite work of our friend Ginger Gingerbread Lady.

If you had the chance to attend her Magical Snow Queen workshop here at the museum in 2024, you already know some of the hallmarks of her work: edible, magical, and impeccable yet full of freedom and flow. 

This 2025 National Gingerbread Competition entry is called "The Gift of Stories" and it infuses fairy tales and folklore into a fully edible three-dimensional gingerbread masterpiece. 

The work was inspired by RL Alexander's piece 17 Fairtytales with permission from the artist.

Recognizable figures and themes include Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, so many books, and small symbols: "These touches are meant to be discovered slowly, like noticing new things each time you reread a favorite story."

Astounding work from a gingerbread legend!

You can follow her on Instagram and on Facebook to see more of her work (and we promise, we're not just saying that because she says such nice things about the museum!)

Museum Moment:

Doll Artist Alice Swann

Some special visitors who stopped by the museum: meet Alice Swann and Walter Swann. They came to visit all the way from Michigan.

Alice is a talented dollmaker, carver, and dressmaker - you can find her on Etsy and Facebook.

She brought some of her beautiful works to show us! Walter is pictured behind his doll doppelgangers. Alice holds a doll made in the likeness of her mother.

Museum Moment:

Sir Spencer's Swiss Cousin?

Museum Society member Lynn Montgomery was kind enough to send us this photo all the way from Basel Switzerland: "I visited Sir Spencer’s cousin at the Spielzeug Welten Museum!"

Special Donation:

Military Tanks & More

A huge thanks to Jim Stewart and his wife Lydia for giving the gift of "military might" to the museum with these donations, including more than 500 military tanks - British, American, and German.

Collection Spotlight:

Schoenhut Toys

Thank you to Jim Sneed for the opportunity to showcase these American toy history treasures at the museum!

Schoenhut roly poly toys or "rolly dolly" toys. The toys are weighted to wobble and handpainted. From the 1910s to early 1930s, often inspired by comic strip personalities or nursery rhymes:

And the only known Bucking Bull Wind-Up Toy and Big Game Hunter sets:

A Wonderland in Indianapolis:

Doll Circle UFDC Luncheon

Enjoy a few scenes from our trip in September 2025 to enjoy The Wonder of Alice doll luncheon from the Doll Circle of Indianapolis - plus a few other sumptuous local delights!

Doll fans may recognize this special luncheon guest posing with Beth and Rebecca: we met Robert Tonner!

As the Red Queen tells us in Through the Looking Glass, we must run as fast as we can just to stay in one place. Over decades of exceptionally imaginative work in the doll world, Robert has managed to run twice as fast as that, propelling the doll world forward with fresh new ways to celebrate classic icons like Alice while casting an eye to the next waves of fashion and design.

Train Talk:

Take a GoPro Ride!

Hop on one of our model trains and get a new perspective on the museum's model train layout with this 3-minute GoPro capture from our train team:

From Sir Spencer and All of Us...

Happy New Year!

Museum Memberships

This membership list was last updated on January 7 2025.

Your annual membership provides critical funding for our maintenance, acquisitions, and programming. To see the different levels of membership we offer and sign up, click here.

You can pay your dues by mailing in a check, or you can pay online.

Thank You! 

Thanks to you, our mission continues to preserve history, enrich the community, and spread joy.

Reply to this email if you’d like to connect with a member of our staff, volunteer, share feedback, or make a suggestion. We love hearing from you!