In care homes and at home
Sometimes it is a relative who brings an Original doll along on a visit, or a family looking after someone with dementia at home who chooses one. Rubens Barn designs the series partly with doll therapy in elderly care in mind, including work with people living with dementia.
Who is offered a doll is up to the care team. One resident might straighten its clothes after breakfast, another might keep it on their lap while someone reads aloud. At lunch, it can even have a chair of its own.
What the weight does
Anyone who picks up an Original doll after a doll from one of the lighter series notices the difference at once. The weighted bottom settles into the crook of the arm, and it gives the doll a steady seat on a lap or in an armchair. The body is made of soft polyester fleece and filled with polyester fibre.
For collectors: faces first
For adults who love dolls, the choice of an Original starts with its face. Each one is made by hand, with a detailed face and a gentle, friendly expression. The series includes, for example, Anna, Ida, Maria and Meiya, as well as Emil and Harry.
Unlike the Rubens Babies, the Original dolls are not anatomically girls or boys. A name and a choice of clothes decide whether one becomes a girl or a boy, and each doll comes with a name that is only a suggestion.
Clothes from the baby department
Because real baby clothes fit these dolls, dressing one is a reason to look through a drawer of baby things. Suitable pieces can come from a children’s shop or be passed down within the family.
Ordering for a care home or institution
Care homes, day centres and other institutions can pay by invoice; this option is activated once we have checked and approved the account. Not sure which doll would suit a particular resident? Get in touch by phone or through the contact form, and we will gladly advise. It helps to know who will hold the doll, and whether it will be shared within a group or belong to one person.