August 25th 2023.
Karen Hawkins-Trigg has a collection of 400 Sindy dolls and 300 other fashion dolls that mean much more to her than the money they're worth. It's more than just a hobby for the 56-year-old Lincolnshire Wolds resident - it's a way of life.
"It's nice because you're giving the doll a new home," Karen tells The Agency. "Rather than it being chucked on a rubbish heap, it's been recycled. It gives you a sense of satisfaction."
Karen's hobby started 34 years ago in 1989, when she was in her early 20s. She had bought her cousin a Sindy doll and wanted one for herself.
"I would play with Sindy dolls as a child, and I saw this doll and thought to myself: 'Actually, that's quite nice, I want one as well,'" Karen recalls.
The collector also credits the dolls with helping her deal with her rheumatoid arthritis and disability, which prevents her from doing some of the things she used to do.
"I can't do the things I could do years ago, but still having the collection means an awful lot to me," she explains.
Karen has a lot of fun sharing her collection with other collectors online - something she wouldn't have dreamed of doing when she first started collecting dolls in the 90s.
"When I first started all those years ago, it was a very 'in-the-closet' type of thing to do," Karen explains. "It was like 'I'm not going to tell anybody I collect, or they're going to think I'm a bit odd.' But as time has gone on, it's become something that hundreds of thousands of people do across the world, and they're really proud to share it. So it's really nice to see that progression from having to not tell people to being quite happy and free to talk about it."
Karen also loves restoring dolls in different outfits and acting out scenes with them. She stores them in cabinets outside of their original boxes, but since she has too many to display, the rest live in the attic. Although her arthritis can make it difficult to take photos of her dolls, she enjoys looking at other people's Sindy dolls on social media.
All in all, Karen's Sindy doll collection has brought her a lot of joy and satisfaction over the years. And despite her disability, she's been able to keep the hobby alive and share it with other like-minded collectors.
Karen Hawkins-Trigg's Sindy dolls mean a lot more to her than what they are worth. The 56-year-old has a whopping 400 Sindy dolls in her impressive collection, as well as roughly 300 other 'fashion dolls'.
When asked why she collects these dolls, the counsellor and therapist says: “It’s nice because you’re giving the doll a new home. Rather than it being chucked on a rubbish heap, it’s been recycled. It gives you a sense of satisfaction. Another really lovely part is seeing how fashion has changed as the times have gone by – especially with Sindy.”
Karen also credits the dolls with helping her deal with the pain of her rheumatoid arthritis. She says: “I’m disabled, and Sindy has helped me deal with the pain and the problems that I have with my disability. I can’t do the things I could do years ago, but still having the collection means an awful lot to me.”
Karen’s hobby began back in 1989 when she was 21 years old. She recalls: “I’d bought my cousin, who was quite a bit younger than me, a Sindy doll. I would play with Sindy dolls as a child, and I saw this doll and thought to myself: ‘Actually, that’s quite nice, I want one as well.’ And the rest, as they say, was history.”
When asked what it is about Sindy specifically that spoke to her back then, she tells us: “It brought back a lot of happy memories of my childhood. Because my sister and I had played with Sindys quite a lot as children, it felt nice to have a doll in my hands again. Since then, collecting dolls has become a massive thing, but I was doing it quite early on.”
Karen, who can’t work at the moment due to her disability, finds a lot of joy in sharing her collection and hearing about other collectors online. She adds: “When I first started all those years ago, it was a very ‘in-the-closet’ type of thing to do. It was like ‘I’m not going to tell anybody I collect, or they’re going to think I’m a bit odd.’ But as time has gone on, it’s become something that hundreds of thousands of people do across the world, and they’re really proud to share it. So it’s really nice to see that progression from having to not tell people to being quite happy and free to talk about it. Social media gets its critics, but if you use it how you want to, it can be really helpful and enjoyable. And that’s what it’s done for me.”
Karen stores a lot of her dolls in cabinets outside of their original boxes, but she has far too many to be able to display them all, so the rest live in the attic. She says: “I first started it was just collecting them because I could, and I enjoyed looking at them. Then, around 15 or 20 years ago, I started going down the restoration route. You get an old Sindy for a couple of pounds, and you renovate her. You can give them new hair, and a lot of people give them new makeup – you can really put your own stamp on a doll. Although, I can’t do it as much now because my hands are poorly.”
Taking photos of the dolls in different outfits and acting out scenes is also a popular way for collectors to have a bit of fun with their treasures. However, while Karen tries to take her own photos when she can, her arthritis makes that difficult too. She says: “But I enjoy looking at other people’s Sindy dolls on Facebook and Instagram pages. And others as well – I don’t just collect Sindys.”
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