Doll collector fills apartment with antiques

To Janet Doud from Prairie Wind, dolls are more than a childhood toy. Her collection of more than 200 dolls have become like family and fill her apartment with smiles, history, and character. In an interview, Janet was able to share more about her unique collection. 

The dolls decorating her apartment are mostly German dolls or French dolls, but each has their own name and story. The main way to tell the French and German dolls apart is by their eyebrows. Along with the dolls, Janet has two doll houses, one German and one French. The French doll house is built like a 3-D house and opens up if pulled on its walls or ceiling. The German doll house is built as an open grid of rooms so that you can observe all the rooms at once. 

Three of her dolls stand out from the rest. One is a China head doll dating back to 1850, making it the oldest in her collection. Although it’s old, Janet has kept it in amazing condition by keeping it clean and dust free. Another special doll is named “Black Joe,” and this is Janet’s favorite doll.  She hopes he will end up in a museum one day. Her third unique doll is an original Barbie doll which she found at an estate sale. Janet managed to snatch it up before people recognized what it was. This doll is worth some thousands of dollars; however, Janet is not into collecting dolls because of the money. 

When asked why she enjoys collecting dolls, Janet exclaimed, “I bought them because they need a mother!” Along with purchasing the dolls at auctions and estate sales, some came from donations and others have been around for so long she can’t remember where she got them. 

Janet and her husband, Jim, worked in Cedar Falls from 1970 to 1994, moved to Florida to work at the University of Gainesville, and then moved to Prairie Wind when it opened in 2017. The move from Florida back to Cedar Falls required a semi-truck to hold their items and allow for each doll to be individually wrapped. A few of the new neighbors at Prairie Wind doubted that the couple would be able to fit everything in their new apartment;  however, Jim and Janet neatly integrated the collection into the rest of their space. Only two pieces of furniture were unable to make the cut. 

Now fully settled back into Cedar Falls, Janet refers to Western Home as “pre-heaven.”