Friday, April 19, 2013

Disney's Engel Puppe Dolls

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On my top 10 list, there is an Alice in Wonderland doll from Disney World. In the Germany Pavilion at Epcot, there is a store called Der Teddybar that used to make and sell Engel Puppe dolls. You could purchase an Engel Puppe doll dressed as a Disney character, but the price was prohibitively high, somewhere close to $200. So of course, by the time I was an adult and able to purchase one, the doll making at Der Teddybar ceased to exist. I did find out the reason for this. Helmuth Engel, former owner of the Engel-Puppen company, actually worked there to make the dolls and sign them, and some years after he passed away, the dolls were discontinued at Epcot.

Since I discovered this, I have been searching for one of the Alice dolls. Well, last week, one appeared on eBay. Sadly, I FORGOT TO BID!!! How could this happen?!!! Life's not fair. Or is it? The Alice doll sold for $105. This is still less than her original purchase price, and she was MIB. I started searching around on eBay and happened to discover a Mulan Engel Puppe doll. She was not listed correctly, so I bid, and won! For a paltry $4.25!!!! I lost Alice, but got Mulan! I am way luckier than I deserve.
Here she is!

She is so pretty. Her outfit is very well made and has multiple layers. She was obviously played with, but I really don't mind, especially considering the price I paid for her.
Close up of her pretty face

She is even signed!

It almost makes me sad that she was signed to a Chloe, and Chloe no longer loves her. But she came to the right place. What I wouldn't give to have one signed to me...

The tag on her dress.

I also have the Engel Puppe Belle dress, but no doll. Over the next few years, I suspect I will try to collect a few more of these. Does anyone else remember the Engel doll making area at Der Teddybar? I would love to hear from you if you do!



24 comments:

  1. I'll sign it to you for you if you'd like. :) <3

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  2. Very nice post baby! I enjoyed reading it, even though I knew the whole story already :)

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  3. I have seven Engel Puppen dolls - Alice, Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella, Minnie Mouse and Pocahontas. Most of them are signed.

    When I got my first doll, in 2000, my mother started talking to the doll maker, Helmet Engel about a doll she had growing up as a little girl in Sweden. The doll's arms and legs had been very damaged and she had them repaired but was unhappy with the results. Helmet suggested she mail the doll to him when we returned home. He said he was going to Germany to visit in a few weeks, and he would bring the doll with him and repair it at his factory. A month or so later, he mailed the doll back to my mother, repaired and wearing a brand new dress. She was thrilled.

    The following year, I returned to WDW, this time with a friend and decided to have another doll made. I mentioned to Mr. Engel what he had done for my mother. That night, he looked up her email address in his records and wrote her, telling her about my visit to the shop and the doll I had made.

    Over the next few years, the Engel Puppen dolls became my special souvenirs. We would always stop and chat with Mr. Engel. Then one visit, he was not there. The girl working in the shop said he was ill, and was in the hospital in Germany. Sadly the doll I got that trip is not signed by him.

    We discovered from the Engel Puppen website that he had passed away and were dismayed to discover they had closed the shop on our next visit. Mr. Engel was a very special man!

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    1. Wow! What a wonderful story, thank you so much for sharing! What a kind act for him to repair your mom's doll and send it back. He must have been such a special person. I only wish I could have met him myself and talked to him too. I hope one day to visit the factory store in Germany, as I've read that's a fun visit. Thanks again for visiting my blog and the great story!

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  4. Yes! I certainly do remember Engel Puppen dolls at Der Teddybar in Epcot! I bought one for my daughter, who was only 2.5yrs at the time, but I thought they were so beautiful, and we don't make it to WDW every year now that we have kids. So I bought one with long pin curls, brown hair, blue eyes and we changed her outfit to a German dirndle dress with white petticoat and pantaloons, she has sweet little white socks and green shoes to match her dress. The girls were discussing American Girl dolls today and I pointed out the doll she's had in her room for the last 5 years, she immediately went and got her down (didn't realize she was allowed to touch her). I wanted to look in to getting another, but learned just today that the dolls are gone from Epcot. How sad. I'd rather buy a Engel Puppen doll than an AG doll! A girl working on a 6 month student visa from Germany changed her clothes and boxed her up for us as fireworks went off. Sadly the FL heat was too much for the box and the window melted loosely over the shape of the doll while she waited in our rental car. So we lost the box. But I still have her certificate. I'm not interested in buying a used doll. So sorry my second daughter can't experience going to pick out a doll too. -Nicole

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  5. My daughter was fortunate to have two dolls and signed. She had her picture made with the older Mr. Engel. I understand that it is back at Epcot and plan to take our granddaughter to that place with such special memories.

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  6. I think I have one of the disney dolls. She might be cinderilla. She is also signed and has a date on her side. Has the name Enge-Puppe on her neck.

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  7. Hi! I have several of these dolls, would you be interested in purchasing more?

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  8. Hi Amy,

    I would love to buy some more of these dolls. You can send me a message at arpilgrim@gmail.com and let me know what you have.

    Thanks!

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  9. My mother collected dolls. I have 100 or so in unopened boxes. Some are Engel Puppen. Let me know if you are interested. They've been in closets for for decades waiting to have time to do something with them. dmcmillancasa@gmail.com

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  10. I couldn't wait to be able to afford one of these dolls growing up. I was lucky to be able to purchase Belle before the shop closed. I only wish it were still open so I could buy more!

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  11. i have a signed doll with long black hair, no clothes, H.Engel 7/99
    anyone interested in this doll, or if you have more info please email skeggysales@gmail.com

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  12. I have two dolls- Tinkerbell and dark-haired Aurora in their boxes. Tinkerbell was purchased at Disneyland in 2000 for my now 19 year old daughter and Aurora for my 16 year old daughter at the doll store near Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World. They want to sell them. It's killing me, but the basement is full and something has to go. Email me if interested: kcarlson@uwalumni.com

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  13. I have 3 of these dolls, I would like to sell them on eBay, but I don't what to sell them for. What price would you put on each of them? I have the certificate and they are signed and numbered.

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    1. Hi Betty,

      If you could email me photos or more details I can help you out, arpilgrim@gmail.com

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  14. Hi! We bought a beautiful doll today and upon some researching thinking it’s one of these dolls. Signed 2/98. Is that February 1998? She doesn’t have any clothes. She has black shoes with red socks. Brown hair, brown eyes with a big red bow on the back of her head.

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    1. Hi! If you want to shoot me an email to arpilgrim@gmail.com I can try to help you identify and value what you have.

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  15. I was searching through my closet tonight and found my doll. I bought it in Epcot on January 11 1999. Blond hair, blue eyes. I had done the college program a few years earlier and decided that the next time I came back to work my few shifts I would make one of these dolls. I think I remember it costing 100.00 which was a lot of money for a college student. I had heard that they stopped making them but didn't know why. I still have the pink box and certificate of authenticity. I'm having a bit of trouble reading the name that signed it. Looks like Jasmin something??? I'll probably keep it forever. My original plan was to give it to my first daughter but I'm still not married. Thanks for the post. It gave me a bit more info on the dolls. I don't remember them selling the character dolls too.

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  17. I have purchased two dolls that apparently were sold in Disneyland from engel puppe, a Snow white and Cinderella. However they are fully vinyl and look more mature and not so kid like. Do you know anything about these ones? Did they make any other princesses in this style?

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  18. I got my first doll in 1986 and I have been collecting them for awhile it my favorite dolls in the world engel puppe doll and engel buppe dolls does anyone have any 1986 dolls they don’t sale them anymore of the one I have my doll came with a blue sweater with red ribbon on it and then blue pants that was 1986 when they put them in pants and sweater

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  19. Does anyone have doll from 1986 to 1989 that they are willing to sale

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  20. Does anyone know if they still have the doll club anymore

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  21. Hi Allison, I doubt you check your blog anymore. But I was fortunate to meet Mr. Engel a couple of times at Der Teddybear. I bought a Mulan doll and 2 years later my daughter picked out Sleeping Beauty. He signed both of the dolls. We went back 2 years later and I believe that was 2007 and the store was there but he was not. I asked one of the young workers and he told me he had passed away. When we went back in 2011 the store was gone. I look on and off for any Engel Puppen dolls but I have not had any luck yet finding more. You got your Mulan doll for a steal!

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