Following are the answers to some of our most commonly asked questions. Please check this page often, as we will update it periodically.

Last updated: 8/1/05

How old is Mary Hoyer?

Mary Hoyer lived to be 101 years old. A tribute is available online celebrating her remarkable life. Her 100th birthday was on October 21, 2001.

Is this the same Mary Hoyer Doll Company from the 30's?

Yes. More than 20 years after having stopped production of her dolls, Mary Hoyer, with her granddaughter, Mary Lynne Saunders, introduced a new Mary Hoyer Doll: "The Doll With The Magic Wand." Following this collection, we introduced our play doll line where you could choose your doll's hair color and style and eye color. We continue to produce high quality play dolls and accessories as well as special edition dolls. For a more detailed background on The Mary Hoyer Doll Company, visit our history page.

 

Where can I buy a Mary Hoyer Doll?

We sell our dolls via mail order or online in our boutique, where you can view images of our products. You may also print our order form to mail or fax your order to us. Our dolls are not sold in stores.

 

Where are your dolls made?

All of our dolls are assembled, dressed, wigged, packaged, and shipped in our store.

 

What type of material is used to make your dolls?

Our dolls are composed of a very hard vinyl made exclusively for our company.

How tall are your dolls?

Our dolls are 13 inches tall.

Are your dolls poseable?

Yes! Our dolls are fully poseable and completely strung making them very easy to dress and pose.

How do I find out if my doll is a Mary Hoyer Doll?

All the new Mary Hoyer Dolls have a stamp on the back of the neck with the company's name: "MARY HOYER DOLL CO." However, some older Mary Hoyer Dolls do not have the company's name on the back. There are two reasons for this. The first Mary Hoyer dolls were made from molds into which wood pulp was poured. These first dolls did not have a stamp on the back of the neck. After about 1,000 dolls were produced, William Hoyer decided to place a stamp on the doll to identify it. When the technology became more sophisticated, The Mary Hoyer Doll Company began producing the dolls using a hard plastic instead of wood pulp. Since the hard plastic was not as plyable, it made it difficult to stamp the doll after the molding process, so it had to be done when the molds were created. To do this, a plate was placed inside the mold. This plate could be removed from the molds, and some of the Mary Hoyer dolls were reproduced without permission that did not include the company's name stamped on the back. Many of these reproductions were not made with the highest quality of materials, so they can be identified. For example, some were produced with a red plastic that was painted over with a flesh color. The paint is chalky and can flake off of the substandard plastic.

How much is my old Mary Hoyer Doll worth?

Your doll's value depends on several things. In particular, condition of the doll, wig style and condition, composition or hard plastic, and if the doll is marked or unmarked on the back with the Mary Hoyer logo. Dolls in mint condition with a box and tagged clothes sell for $500.00 and up. They are often up for auction on eBay, and you can get a feeling for prices there.

Will the new Mary Hoyer clothes fit my older Mary Hoyer Dolls?

Many of the new Mary Hoyer clothes will fit your older Mary Hoyer Dolls. If you specify in your order that you are buying clothes for an older Mary Hoyer Doll, we can guide your choices and direct you to those items which fit best. We will always try the outfits on an older doll prior to shipping them to you.

 

Will the original Mary Hoyer Doll patterns fit the new Mary Hoyer Dolls?

The new Mary Hoyer Dolls are 6% smaller than the originals. The patterns will fit the new dolls if you shrink the pattern by 6% using a copy machine, or if you cut along the stitching line/seam line and take a new 1/4" seam.

 

My Mary Hoyer Doll needs some repair, Do you restore and restring dolls?

We currently do not offer restoration services for Mary Hoyer Dolls. We recommend that you contact Janet Eck to restore or restring your Mary Hoyer Doll:

Janet Eck
299 Nices Hollow Road
Jersey Shore, PA 17740-7907
Phone: 570-398-1131
Email: janeck83@comcast.net

 

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