GADCO Press Coverage Featuring the famous third of a page article in the New York Times Styles Section!! |
From their delicate tights, to their soft warm up socks, to their satin and leather ballerina shoes, to their dainty ballerina outfits, they are perfectly color-coordinated. To match the stars in their beautiful glass eyes, tiny stars twinkle from their throats and arms in the form of tiny Austrian crystal necklaces and bracelets. Rotraut has paid special attention to the mouths, to give Jasmine just the right smile and Trixie that unmistakable little pout. With these particular hair styles, the ears are visible and even the tiny folds and wrinkles of the ears look so real that you are sure the dolls can hear you when you speak to them. The eyes are glass molded and hand set, using real hair eyelashes. The eyes sparkle and show the anticipation that the dolls feel as they wait for the ballet to start. Their rosy cheeks are flushed pink with excitement and the heat of the stage lights. Their flawless creamy complexions hold all newness of their youth. The hair is soft to the touch, and Jasmine's long pig tails testify to the laborious task of her mother, to get the braids exactly right for her daughter's first ballet recital. Trixie's soft strawberry colored hair falls in wisps around her face. Being baby fine, it won't stay in the cute little crown of hair her mother has worked hours to put on top of her head, but wants to go its own way in the carefree abandonment of youth. Both hair styles are offset by sparkling ribbons and flowers, giving them the truly elegant appearance mothers strive so hard for when their children are to perform. Recently, when Rotraut Schrott was touring America, she was signing dolls at FOA Schwartz in New York when a lady approached her and remarked about the fact that Trixie and Jasmine look like real children. Freddie Lam, President of GADCO, was delighted that she had recognized the costumes that Rotraut had so carefully researched. Freddie and Rotraut both commented, "They were the most beautiful costumes we have ever seen. We loved all the large bows and petite flowers. They had to be the costumes of Trixie and Jasmine". The first impression that one has of these dolls is that they are fragile and like all children must be handled with extreme care and much love. The master mold makers that are assembling Trixie and Jasmine, are veterans to the business and the family has been in the business for over seventy years. They are amazed by the legs. "At last," they remarked, "These look just like children's legs. They haven't lost the beauty of the original. So many of the dolls' legs look like sausages hung up over the factory. Not these....they look real." Tiny wrinkles grace the arms, legs and feet. The heads and arms are poseable. Each comes with its own study stand to allow the doll to be posed exactly as you wish. Rotraut is the first doll sculptor who makes each arm and leg different with each doll. This is one of the most time consuming tasks in sculpting. She must make the limb proportions accurate to fit the size and shape of the head. But, Rotraut also makes the limbs express what the child is feeling. Jasmine's arms are positioned as if floating with the music. Her leg curves into position as if she just can't wait to start her dance. Trixie reaches out and her feet curve inward as if to say, "Must we do this?"
Included with the dolls you will find prints of his painting of your particular doll that are matted and suitable for framing. Rotraut has been recognized for her great achievements in doll making by receiving many outstanding awards for her work. Art forms are a representation of artist's own inner feelings. The inner beauty of an artist such as Rotraut can be seen in her work. As with all fine art, these dolls will increase in value over the years, but unlike other fine art pieces, these dolls will be virtually impossible for the collector to part with. One collector remarked, "What .... sell Rotraut's children? Sell Trixie or Jasmine? Why I had just as soon sell my own real children!" They become part of the family and cannot be parted with. So if you are thinking of these dolls for investment, you had better purchase more than one set ... but then it would still be hard to part with Trixie or Jasmine, even if you have two. We have seen so much in the 90's. Such things as the miraculous end of the Berlin wall, the end of the Soviet Union, the end of many diseases and much suffering. Perhaps in this century we will see the end of hunger, homelessness and prejudice. Friendships such as Trixie and Jasmine's can help this happen. Trixie and Jasmine have such adorable personalities, just like most five and six year olds. They have their special mixture of mischievousness and charm. Jasmine and Trixie have their differences. Yet, they are the very best of friends. Trixie just isn't the ballet type. Her mother insists that she take lessons, because she thinks every little girl should know how to dance the ballet. Trixie would rather ride horses, race on her bike, chew gum and play baseball. This idea of getting all dressed up in a "tutu" and prancing around the stage is not her idea of fun. She tries to master the steps, but keeps falling over her own feet. She would love to run away and hide until the dance recital is over, but her best friend Jasmine won't let her.
At last the night of the real recital has arrived! Trixie and Jasmine are in the places on stage behind a closed curtain. They are as nervous as a mouse hiding from a big house cat. Jasmine keeps assuring Trixie that everything is going to be great and that Trixie is going to remember the steps and which way to exit the stage. Trixie keeps assuring Jasmine that she is going to die if her knees don't stop knocking together, but she keeps thinking about the big plate of chocolate chip cookies that her mother baked for her today. When this recital is over she is going to eat every one of them. Except the ones she saved for Jasmine, of course! The lights in the theater dim ... the spot-lights are on the stage ... the curtain is going up ... Jasmine and Trixie's mothers sit on the edge of their seats, they clasp hand, their hearts are in their throats. The curtain is up ... standing there is their "pride and joys". What mother has not felt this sense of pride, this joy that feels as if her heart will burst right out of her. She has to brush away a tear. She wishes she could hold on to this moment forever, that these children would always be this age and she would always feel the pride just as she feels it in this breath taking moment. Rotraut Schrott has captured this moment forever for mothers everywhere. The Schrott dolls are so realistic and they have caused such a fervor in the doll world, that it has inspired other artists to new heights trying to capture realism in their dolls. This has caused a great revolution in the doll industry, but there can be only one Rotraut Schrott. She is such a delight to know, and her dolls are of such high museum quality their design will never be duplicated or their quality matched. Michael and Freddie Lam are aware of the sensation they along with Rotraut have created. The Lams know the doll business and have mastered it in the same way that Rotraut has mastered her art. If you are as excited about Trixie and Jasmine as I am, you can't wait for them to arrive at your home and make you feel like dancing. The little stars of the children's ballet can best be summed up in this little poem by Freddie Lam:
Trixie and Jasmine are the very best of friends,
|
The Great American Doll
Company
36101 Bob Hope Drive, Suite E-5 #416
Rancho Mirage, California 92270
E-mail: avagen@aol.com
Copyright © 1997-2014
Avatar General Corp.