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
April 7 is International Dollhouse Day! At our museum, we have a huge selection of miniatures and dollhouses to celebrate this artform and some of the legacies behind it.
Thanks to the support of donors far and wide, our collection ranges from magnificent townhomes to sprawling family dwellings to upscale contemporary hideaways, magically detailed Southwestern escapes, medieval scenes, and more!
Whether you have no experience with dollhouses or a lifelong love for this art, you will leave the museum with deep appreciation for these marvels! We've found over the years that the artistry of dollhouses truly captivates all ages.
Stop by and see for yourself! We're open this week as usual Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.
And a special thanks to photographer Jim Ryser.
#dollhouse #internationaldollhouseday #miniature #dollhousemuseum #miniaturemuseum
16 hours ago (edited) | [YT] | 9
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Thank you @MunecasPoupeesDolls for the chance to unbox two museum donations on video together at the museum! You can check out Emily & Allison's real-time reactions to these works of art in the latest video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkpLX...
1 day ago | [YT] | 0
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Did you know that April 5 is also National Peeps Day? Hope you are enjoying a sweet treat or two today - like these Barbies are!
We have lovely temporary Barbie exhibits at the museum thanks to the work of our staff and volunteers. This one had a cute Sweet Treats theme!
2 days ago | [YT] | 7
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Hoppy Easter, everyone!
2 days ago | [YT] | 9
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
“Hei, which is hello in Norwegian! This is your friend Sir Spencer Harris again. In February, I flew to Norway with my adoptive parents Terri and Bob.
Seeing the snowy mountains from the plane was beautiful. The first few days were spent in the capital city of Oslo.
We saw the very modern Opera House with its sloping roof. When the weather is good, you can walk on it. We saw the Munch Museum where Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's "The Scream" is housed. 😱
At the marina, they had sauna huts. You sit in the saunas and then jump into the 36-degree water. Not for this bear!!
Out of the 36 fellow travelers we met, there were 9 people from NC!
We took a walking tour and saw the royal palace and the city hall, where the Nobel Peace prize ceremonies are held every year.
We saw the Fram, the ship that traveled to the north and south poles between 1896 and 1909.
Then I got to see the Kon Tiki, the Ra, and a model of the Tigris. All ships built by Thor Heyerdahl, which he sailed across the Pacific between 1947 and 1978. In 2012, Heyerdahl produced a movie about the Kon Tiki that he won an Oscar for.
Then we traveled to Flam, a little village with a train and museum and fjord cruises. We went to a goat farm and got to try sausage and goat cheese.
Then we drove to Bergen, a quaint port town. We rode the funicular to the top of a mountain. The view out to the port was amazing.
While we were in Bergen, Terri found a tin solider shop. When we walked into the shop, Carolina beach music was playing on the radio! The man in the shop was very interesting to talk to. He showed us the soldiers that he hand-paints!
We flew to Tromso to see the Northern Lights. That was what this whole trip was for! Tromso is 190 miles inside the Arctic Circle.
The night we rode the bus to see the lights, it was cold, 32 degrees, but the wind was very strong, 25 mph sustained with 38-40 mile gusts. It was hard to even stand up. I was afraid I would blow away!
We went to a reindeer farm and then on another fjord cruise.
There was a young man speaking to the people behind us and he said he grew up in Charlotte. Terri told him we were from China Grove. He was studying abroad and hadn't heard another southern accent in months! What a small world.
Before we left Tromso. I got to meet a giant Troll and eat at the northernmost McDonalds and the northernmost Hard Rock Cafe. Burger King was about a block farther north. We had reindeer stew, a reindeer and beef hotdog, and we even tried dried moose and whale.
After leaving Tromso, we flew to Helsinki, Finland, then to London, and then back to Charlotte.
Visiting a total of 4 different airports for the whole trip, our total road and air mileage was 11,988 for 35 hours and 48 minutes.
Much love to you!
Sir Spencer Harris”
3 days ago | [YT] | 6
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Reminder of your April to June 2026 Museum Events:
April 9: Afternoon Tea at the Museum
April 11: Miniature Workshop Teddy Bear Tea Party (spots still available! Register ASAP!)
April 11: Super Saturday Sales at First Community Center of Spencer NC
April 18: Miniature Workshop at the Museum - Pie Safe & Chair Sold out!
April 21: Rowan Doll Society Doll Club Monthly Meeting
April 25: Volunteer Brunch
May 9: Super Saturday Sales at First Community Center of Spencer NC
May 14: Afternoon Tea at the Museum
May 16: Blue Star Museums annual season begins with free admission for active duty military families until September 1.
May 19: Rowan Doll Society Doll Club Monthly Meeting
May 30: Using Black GI Joes to Teach American History - free with museum admission!
June 13: Annual Fill-a-Bag Doll Sale & World Doll Day Celebrations
Free museum admission and a free doll for every guest. Bag Sale within walking distance of the museum with HUGE selection of dolls and accessories!
June 16: Rowan Doll Society Doll Club Monthly Meeting
June 20: Smart Doll Meetup at the Museum - free with museum admission! All dolls (and people) welcome.
See our full event calendar at: ncmdtm.org/events/
3 days ago | [YT] | 2
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
"Reflecting on the event, she shared how much she appreciates the doll society and how this is a caring group of individuals who come from different walks of life.
She noted that the group’s main interest that they have in common is dolls, toys and dollhouses and they love to learn from each other."
Thank you for the great Rowan Doll Society anniversary event coverage, Salisbury Post! Read the full article at: www.salisburypost.com/2026/04/01/rowan-doll-societ…
5 days ago | [YT] | 7
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
It's an amazing thing about our museum that whether you stop by once, twice, or fifty times, you can still learn something new on the next visit. Even our staff & volunteers do!
We had shared photos of this Madame Alexander doll before, but our Board Vice-Chair Kathy just observed this week: "We have had this doll for a while, but I did not know that she is the representation of Lady Churchill. 18-inch hard plastic, 1953."
5 days ago | [YT] | 6
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
Gift shop is looking beautiful for April 2026! Stop by and indulge or pick out a gift. You can shop our gift shop even without paying museum admission. Browse & enjoy! It's a great way to support the museum!
5 days ago | [YT] | 4
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NC Museum of Dolls, Toys & Miniatures
"I knew that Black Barbie was different. I never realized the magnitude."
March 30 is celebrated as Kitty Black Perkins Day in Spartanburg!
Kitty grew up in Spartanburg before relocating to LA. She worked for 6 years in the fashion industry before applying for a job with Mattel.
Her first attempt to impress Mattel through a practical Barbie design challenge failed—but her persistence triumphed. She produced 6 original Barbie outfits for her second interview.
All 6 were produced as real Barbie outfits. Kitty became the first Black designer at Mattel.
She worked for Mattel for nearly 3 decades and became the Chief Designer of Fashions and Doll Concepts. In 1980, she designed Black Barbie.
Black Barbie had fuller lips, a wider nose, and short, natural hair. 21 years after the first Barbie was released, Black Barbie changed the game. She wasn’t a white doll with dark skin. And she wasn’t just a “friend” either:
"I wanted her to reflect the total look of a Black woman. I wanted her to be the complete opposite of Barbie AND the complete opposite of Christie."
For more on Kitty’s history and impact, check out this local news article (also where the photo is from): www.spartanburg7.org/o/spartanburghigh/article/251…
And don’t miss the excellent Blackbarbiefilm Black Barbie documentary to experience how the development of Black dolls at Mattel unfolded from the 1960s through to today.
#blackdolls #blackbarbie #barbie #barbiehistory #kittyblackperkins
1 week ago | [YT] | 13
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