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The Morgan Doll Museum is a doll museum in Altus, Oklahoma. It was established in 2005 and is made up of dolls collected by Mary Morgan over her lifetime. Morgan has amassed a collection totaling over 5,000 dolls. The house she lived in with her husband (until they purchased a new one) has been completely remodeled to house the doll collection.
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls go back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. They have been made as crude, rudimentary playthings as well as elaborate art. Modern doll manufacturing has its roots in Germany, from the 15th century. With industrialization and new materials such as porcelain and plastic, dolls were increasingly mass-produced. During the 20th century, dolls became increasingly popular as collectibles.
Altus is a city and the county seat in Jackson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,813 at the 2010 census, a loss of 7.7 percent compared to 21,454 at the 2000 census.
Many rows of shelves cover every wall, all filled to capacity with dolls from the 19th century to present. Many collections are specific. The collection contains over 50 Shirley Temple dolls, over a hundred Madame Alexander, Effenbe, and many other makers both foreign and domestic. Ethnic Dolls, celebrities, dolls used in Advertising, and many other themes hold specific rooms of the house. In addition, there are two major fully furnished dollhouses that take up whole rooms of their own: A complete replica of Tara, the mansion from the movie Gone With The Wind , as well as a New England Saltbox house complete with furnishings.
Shirley Temple Black was an American actress, singer, dancer, businesswoman, and diplomat who was Hollywood's number one box-office draw as a child actress from 1935 to 1938. As an adult, she was named United States ambassador to Ghana and to Czechoslovakia, and also served as Chief of Protocol of the United States.
Alexander Doll Company is an American manufacturer of collectible dolls. The business was founded in 1923 by Beatrice Alexander, a New York City woman who designed and sewed cloth dolls. Styling herself Madame Alexander, which also became the trade name for her dolls, Alexander went on to create dolls replicating famous personalities and characters in books, films, music, and art. Among her notable creations were dolls replicating the Dionne quintuplets, Scarlett O'Hara, and the royal family and attendees at the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The company produced its first fashion doll, "Cissy", four years before Barbie was released. Continually aiming to improve her product, Alexander began making hard plastic dolls after World War I and vinyl plastic dolls in the 1960s. By the 1960s the company was the leading American doll manufacturer. In the 1980s, it released one million dolls annually. Beatrice Alexander ran the company for 65 years and sold it in 1988. As of 2016, the company has produced 6,500 doll styles and characters.
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.
The Museum is registered as a museum with the Oklahoma Tourism Board, has free admission, and is handicapped accessible.
The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism. The Department is responsible for regulating Oklahoma's tourism industry and for promoting Oklahoma as a tourist destination. It is the Department which established regional designations for the various parts of the state which are in common use today: Red Carpet Country, Green Country (Northeast). Frontier Country (Central), Choctaw Country (Southeast), Chickasaw Country, and Great Plains Country (Southwest).
The museum is located at 909 East Broadway, Altus, Oklahoma.
