Tonner Doll Company, Inc.
| Private | |
| Industry | High End Fashion Doll Design, Production, Marketing and Distribution |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Robert Tonner |
| Headquarters | Kingston, New York, U.S.A |
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Area served
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World Wide |
| Website | Official Website |
Tonner Doll Company, Inc. is a collectible doll design and distribution company located in Kingston, New York. Founded by Robert Tonner in 1991, Tonner Doll designs and markets original doll lines as well as a number of licensed dolls for movies such as Harry Potter, Spider-Man 3, and Twilight. Its original products include the Tyler Wentworth, Kitty Collier and Antoinette series.
Tonner Doll Company, Inc. was founded in 1991 by Robert Tonner under the original name Robert Tonner Doll Designs (RTDD). Originally the company had only three employees: Tonner, his partner Harris Safier, and a part-time seamstress. In February 1991, RTDD made its public debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. Multi-jointed porcelain fashion dolls and jointed porcelain child dolls were displayed at the fair in limited editions ranging in price from $650 to $1500.
Through the marketing of Safier, newly hired publicist Rebecca Plasker, along with Robert Tonner's quality of designs, RTDD saw exponential growth in its first year. By the end of 1992 RTDD was well on its way to becoming a prosperous enterprise. However, the massive demand would be overwhelming for the very small RTDD and only a fraction of the original orders would be filled.
In 1995, Tonner Doll gained licensing rights for the recreation of the 1950s paper doll Betsy McCall, for reintroduction to the collectors market. To keep the cost down, Tonner decided to produce the doll in China. Made from vinyl, the Betsy McCall license was one of the initial mainstream commercial successes of the company.
Over the coming years, RTDD began to grow the size of its staff to accommodate the rising demand. This growth would lead the company to be renamed the Tonner Doll Company; a move that Tonner felt reflected the growth of an independent artist driven company to what was becoming a professional business. By the year 2000, Tonner Doll employed 24 people including designers, marketers, and various sales and administrative staff.
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