Hi! We are the North Carolina Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures! We're a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation, education, conservation, collecting and appreciation of dolls, toys and miniatures.
Our story:
We were inspired to start our museum in 2012. Amy Dawn Morris was a passionate collector who loved dolls (especially Bob Mackie Barbies). She passed away just before her 22nd birthday. The museum was started as a tribute to her memory by her mother and sister.
Hours & location:
Our museum is open every week Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm at 440 South Salisbury Ave, Spencer, NC 28159.
We moved to this new, larger "forever home" in 2024. It's gorgeous!
Contact us:
We are so glad you stopped by and can connect with us here on YouTube! Get to know our museum and feel free to contact us anytime at info@ncmdtm.org or leave us a comment on any of our videos.
NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
77th annual UFDC (United Federation of Doll Clubs) souvenir doll: Josephine by wooden doll artists Charles & Alicia Carver.
The husband-and-wife team draws on centuries-old European techniques. This doll is inspired by Empress Josephine Bonaparte.
#ufdc #dolls #ufdc26nola
2 hours ago | [YT] | 2
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Join us on Saturday, August 8 in Spencer, NC to shop a huge selection of deeply discounted modern & antique dolls, trains, trucks, toys, plushies, miniatures, and so much more.
10 am to 2 pm at the First Community Center of Spencer at 215 5th St. Spencer, NC 28159. Elevator & air conditioning.
It’s a collector’s paradise, from vintage Barbie to OOAK miniatures to something fun for the kids. Pick up a few vintage troll dolls, hunt for Ideal and Madame Alexander, or find unique art dolls and international dolls you’ve never seen before.
New items are added every month! Stop back and see what’s new!
All purchases benefit our nonprofit museum, which is within walking distance.
#spencernc #salisburync #rowancounty #dollsale #toysale
3 hours ago | [YT] | 1
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
There are fewer than 500 of these dolls in existence!
This Maggie Bessie doll was created in Old Salem NC by Moravian sisters Margaret (aka "Maggie") & Caroline Elizabeth (aka "Bessie") Pfohl between 1900-1950.
The sisters came from a long line of Moravians. Their mother, Margaret Caroline Siewers Pfohl, made dolls for her children. In the early 1890s, Maggie and Bessie drafted a new pattern from their mother’s handiwork and created a more 3-dimensional doll of muslin fabric coated in layers of paint.
Maggie did most of the painting of faces, which were first primed with white housepaint then sanded before the features were added in oil paints.
Girls had blue eyes and middle hair parts and boys had brown eyes and side parts. The bodies were tightly stuffed and came in sizes from 13 inches to 22 inches.
They were then dressed in typical simple Moravian clothes of either pink or blue for the girls and earth colors for boys. The girls wear a “Haube” cap which is a simple prayer cap worn by all Moravian women to church. The cap ribbon told of a woman’s marital status: girls under the age of confirmation wore red ribbons, unmarried women wore pink, married women wore blue, and widows wore white ribbons.
Our museum is lucky to have one thanks to the generous donation of Billye Harris.
#moraviandolls #moravian #clothdolls #dollhistory #dollmuseum
20 hours ago | [YT] | 1
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Have you ever heard of Moravian dolls?
This Moravian cloth doll included a tiny bag with a note in beautiful writing indicating that she was made by the Bethel Circle of the King’s Daughter Moravian Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Her name is Benigna, named after the founder of the first Protestant boarding school for girls in America in 1742. At 16, Benigna had accompanied her father from Europe to Bethlehem, PA.
The dress is copied from those worn by Moravian women around 1872. The color on the cap signifies a woman’s status: white is a widow, blue means a married sister, pink signifies a single sister, and cherry signifies a little girl.
Our Benigna doll is 6 inches with hand-painted facial features, floss, hair, and original sewn costume with many layers. Her body is cloth-covered on a wire body.
In our neck of the woods, Old Salem NC was settled by Moravians who came down from Pennsylvania. Old Salem is approximately 45 minutes north of our museum here in Spencer.
#moravian #moraviandolls #america250 #dollhistory #clothdolls
20 hours ago | [YT] | 7
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Vince Nowell is a Louisiana doll costumer who grew his love for fashion dolls when he received his first Barbie at age 4. By age 12, he was learning to sew with his mom. His passion gravitated towards mid-century retro style, elegance, and structural precision.
He joined the Gene Marshall design team and designed the 1998 UFDC Gene doll convention outfit.
Vince designed for 16" Tonner dolls, and then joined the design team for the Virtual Doll Convention to continue producing Grace fashion designs.
His Facebook Group is "Vincent Nowell Designs".
#dollfashion #dolls #ufdc26nola #vincentnowell #genemarshall
21 hours ago | [YT] | 6
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
More from UFDC 2026 in New Orleans, including spotting a Schoenhut toy in the sales room and special exhibits. #ufdc26nola
21 hours ago | [YT] | 3
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
August to October 2026 Museum Events:
Now-Sept 1: Free admission for active duty military families - Blue Star Museums program
Now-Sept 1: Miles for Museums Summer Passport Program. Great opportunity for kids to explore local museums!
August 8: Super Saturday Sales at First Community Center of Spencer NC
August 18: Rowan Doll Society Doll Club Monthly Meeting (No meeting in July.)
September 12: Annual Doll Luncheon in NC at Trinity Oaks in Salisbury NC. Special guests Sandra Wright Justiss and Theresa Pierce. Register now!
September 15: Rowan Doll Society Doll Club Monthly Meeting
September 19: Carolina State Day for the miniature community. Save the date!
September 26: Mini Face Jug Pottery Workshop. Register now!
October 3: Madame Alexander Annual Friendship Luncheon. Save the date!
October 10: A Day at the Museum with Kitty Black Perkins. Register now!
October 20: Rowan Doll Society Doll Club Monthly Meeting
October 24: Repurposed Doll Workshop. Save the date!
1 day ago | [YT] | 6
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Thrilled to see work by Sandra Wright Justiss as part of the 77th UFDC convention this weekend. We hope you're planning to join us on September 12 for our Annual Doll Luncheon in NC with Sandra as one of our special guests!!
You can get your tickets now at ncmdtm.org/event/doll-luncheon-2026/
1 day ago | [YT] | 7
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Friendly faces at UFDC's 77th convention in New Orleans, including Region 8 & Marcia Friend of Facets Boutique.
#ufdc #ufdc26nola #dolls #dollevent #dollconvention
1 day ago | [YT] | 4
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Special exhibit at United Federation of Doll Clubs - UFDC convention in New Orleans.
#ufdc #ufdc26nola #dolls #dollevent #dollconvention
1 day ago | [YT] | 5
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