Voicebox repair for
Vintage Mattel® 1967 Mrs. Beasley
and her soft-body pull-string talking friends
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
About Me and Mrs. Beasley...
You might not be able to tell from the photo but Mrs. Beasley and I are the same age. I used to have a Mattel® Mrs. Beasley Doll (famous from the TV show Family Affair) when I was a little girl. She and Mattel's Drowsy were two favorite dolls from my childhood. If anyone remembers the old vinyl records and record players, these dolls operate with that type of mechanical technology, using a spring coil instead of batteries to turn the record inside.
When the Dunham family of South Troy, NY was burned out of their home in the 1970's, my mother gave some of my dolls away to the family's children. This included my beloved Mrs. Beasley. Boy did I miss her but after years had gone by, I had pretty much forgotten her. One day I spotted a Mrs. Beasley doll in an antique shop. She still had her original collar, apron and even her original plastic glasses (which by the way, are very difficult to find!). I pulled her string but it quickly retracted inside and she said nothing. Mute or not, I knew that I had to have a piece of my childhood restored so I purchased her for $35 and brought her home.
I searched the internet for a doll hospital that I once heard about, but learned that it had been closed for several years. My inquisitive mechanically-inclined nature, which began with me as a child disassembling a tape recorder to see how it worked, got me started on a hobby that I enjoy. I began repairing my very own Mrs. Beasley doll and now I repair them for others.
The news gets even better! I can also repair most any of the vintage 1950-1970 Mattel pull-string talkers. Besides Mrs. Beasley, I have repaired Herman Munster, Tatters, Drowsy, Mr. Ed, Captain Kangaroo, Bozo the Clown, The Monkees, and Bugs Bunny. I know that there are many more vintage Mattel talkers out there so if you have one that was made between 1950 to 1970 chances are possible that I can get them to speak again.
Not just for doll collectors and sellers...Doll voice repair makes a great gift too!
The most memorable repair job that I did was for a friend who found her [grown] sister's Tatters doll in her attic. I think the repair was an "experiment" for my friend but when I returned the doll repaired to her she was thrilled. She decided to wrap Tatters and give the repaired doll to her sister for Christmas. What precious memories the sister had when she opened the box! My friend was kind enough to share the "big reveal" video with me and told me all about the tears of joy. I was so glad to be part of that happy reunion so if you know someone with a mute doll, consider voice repair as a gift.
How do I arrange for doll voice repair?
First, contact me. I will ask you some questions about your doll to determine if she is an original Mrs. Beasley or the battery-operated reproduction doll. I do not repair battery-operated dolls, so save your money and check the batteries first. Decide if you would like to arrange for repair directly or if you would like your repair to be listed as an ebay auction (My ebay ID is: dolly.doctor). Remove all of the doll's accessories (i.e. collar, apron/skirt, glasses, etc.) and keep them at home. Send your doll to me via any method of your choice (delivery confirmation and insurance are highly recommended) with a personal check or money order for $29.99 which includes return shipping. If you are local to the Capital District area of Upstate NY and can drop off/pick up your doll, the cost will be $19.99 for repair. You may also pay by Mastercard/Visa through PayPal. When she arrives I will notify you. I will notify you again when I examine her to let you know if she requires any special parts that I do not have on hand or if she is not repairable. There is no charge for dolls that cannot be repaired, however $10.00 will be deducted from your payment to ship her back home. When your doll is repaired (usually 3-5 days if I have the parts in stock) I will notify you that she is on her way back home and will email a delivery confirmation number so that you can track her during shipment. If your doll needs a part that I do not have on hand she is welcome to stay a little longer until an organ donor is found. I'll leave that decision up to her family, however there may be an additional charge depending on how difficult it is to find the replacement part.
How much does voice repair cost?
I charge a standard $29.99 base fee for voice repair, which includes return shipping with delivery confirmation AND insurance! If you are local and do not require shipping, the cost for repair is only $19.99. If the doll is not repairable, there is no charge. If the doll needs mechanical parts that are no longer manufactured and I do not have them on hand, there will be an additional nominal charge (I will notify you of the charge ahead of time so that you can decide if you want her repaired or not). If your doll smells musty from being stored in a basement or has cigarette smoke odor, I do offer thorough cleaning (including the stuffing) for an additional $10.00. You will need to mention this with your voice repair.
Do you have any samples of your work?
Yes! I have a few sample YouTube videos posted:
Vintage Mattel® 1967 Mrs. Beasley
and her soft-body pull-string talking friends
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
About Me and Mrs. Beasley...
You might not be able to tell from the photo but Mrs. Beasley and I are the same age. I used to have a Mattel® Mrs. Beasley Doll (famous from the TV show Family Affair) when I was a little girl. She and Mattel's Drowsy were two favorite dolls from my childhood. If anyone remembers the old vinyl records and record players, these dolls operate with that type of mechanical technology, using a spring coil instead of batteries to turn the record inside.
When the Dunham family of South Troy, NY was burned out of their home in the 1970's, my mother gave some of my dolls away to the family's children. This included my beloved Mrs. Beasley. Boy did I miss her but after years had gone by, I had pretty much forgotten her. One day I spotted a Mrs. Beasley doll in an antique shop. She still had her original collar, apron and even her original plastic glasses (which by the way, are very difficult to find!). I pulled her string but it quickly retracted inside and she said nothing. Mute or not, I knew that I had to have a piece of my childhood restored so I purchased her for $35 and brought her home.
I searched the internet for a doll hospital that I once heard about, but learned that it had been closed for several years. My inquisitive mechanically-inclined nature, which began with me as a child disassembling a tape recorder to see how it worked, got me started on a hobby that I enjoy. I began repairing my very own Mrs. Beasley doll and now I repair them for others.
The news gets even better! I can also repair most any of the vintage 1950-1970 Mattel pull-string talkers. Besides Mrs. Beasley, I have repaired Herman Munster, Tatters, Drowsy, Mr. Ed, Captain Kangaroo, Bozo the Clown, The Monkees, and Bugs Bunny. I know that there are many more vintage Mattel talkers out there so if you have one that was made between 1950 to 1970 chances are possible that I can get them to speak again.
Not just for doll collectors and sellers...Doll voice repair makes a great gift too!
The most memorable repair job that I did was for a friend who found her [grown] sister's Tatters doll in her attic. I think the repair was an "experiment" for my friend but when I returned the doll repaired to her she was thrilled. She decided to wrap Tatters and give the repaired doll to her sister for Christmas. What precious memories the sister had when she opened the box! My friend was kind enough to share the "big reveal" video with me and told me all about the tears of joy. I was so glad to be part of that happy reunion so if you know someone with a mute doll, consider voice repair as a gift.
How do I arrange for doll voice repair?
First, contact me. I will ask you some questions about your doll to determine if she is an original Mrs. Beasley or the battery-operated reproduction doll. I do not repair battery-operated dolls, so save your money and check the batteries first. Decide if you would like to arrange for repair directly or if you would like your repair to be listed as an ebay auction (My ebay ID is: dolly.doctor). Remove all of the doll's accessories (i.e. collar, apron/skirt, glasses, etc.) and keep them at home. Send your doll to me via any method of your choice (delivery confirmation and insurance are highly recommended) with a personal check or money order for $29.99 which includes return shipping. If you are local to the Capital District area of Upstate NY and can drop off/pick up your doll, the cost will be $19.99 for repair. You may also pay by Mastercard/Visa through PayPal. When she arrives I will notify you. I will notify you again when I examine her to let you know if she requires any special parts that I do not have on hand or if she is not repairable. There is no charge for dolls that cannot be repaired, however $10.00 will be deducted from your payment to ship her back home. When your doll is repaired (usually 3-5 days if I have the parts in stock) I will notify you that she is on her way back home and will email a delivery confirmation number so that you can track her during shipment. If your doll needs a part that I do not have on hand she is welcome to stay a little longer until an organ donor is found. I'll leave that decision up to her family, however there may be an additional charge depending on how difficult it is to find the replacement part.
How much does voice repair cost?
I charge a standard $29.99 base fee for voice repair, which includes return shipping with delivery confirmation AND insurance! If you are local and do not require shipping, the cost for repair is only $19.99. If the doll is not repairable, there is no charge. If the doll needs mechanical parts that are no longer manufactured and I do not have them on hand, there will be an additional nominal charge (I will notify you of the charge ahead of time so that you can decide if you want her repaired or not). If your doll smells musty from being stored in a basement or has cigarette smoke odor, I do offer thorough cleaning (including the stuffing) for an additional $10.00. You will need to mention this with your voice repair.
Do you have any samples of your work?
Yes! I have a few sample YouTube videos posted:
Do you guarantee your repair work?
Yes! I guarantee repairs for two years. Though I cannot be responsible for rough handling or mishaps after she leaves my care, the dolls that I have repaired continue to work for many years after they've been repaired when handled gently. Please remember that these are old collectibles and would best be stored in a clean, dry place out of direct sunlight. They should not be put into a toybox as regular toys. Parts such as records, clutches and needles are no longer made so these collectible dolls should be handled by adults or with strict adult supervision. Yanking on the pullstring can cause plastic parts inside to break and will void the repair warranty so please pull firmly but gently after your repairs are made.
If you are interested in doll voice repair, please contact me by filling out the form below. Feel free to check out my feedback on ebay (ebay ID: dolly.doctor). If you would like to request doll repair through an ebay auction, please let me know. I accept Visa/Mastercard payments through PayPal.com.
