Dollhouse Deeds

[rackey]

I am in the process of clearing out some files and old papers, and I came across the deed that came with my 1979 Model Homes Country House dollhouse that I had remodeled last year.

The deed was written in very legal terms, and there was a designated spot for me to type the date of completion. It lists my father as the builder and me and my mother as the witnesses, and we all signed it. It makes me feel good every time I see it.

I also have a Garfield house, but that was pre-assembled, so the Country House was the only one I had as a kit. Now I am wondering if deeds usally come with new dollhouse kits, and how many other dollhouse entusiasts also have a deed of ownership.

If you have a deed, is it framed or on display? I used to have mine in a photo album with my old dollhouse pictures, but the album fell apart. I now put the deed in a plastic cover and placed it in a new suitcase box I bought at Michaels to store some of my miniatures.

[Selkie]

I don't have any deeds with any of the houses I have purchased new or gotten used. I don't think GL has ever issued them. No reason why you couldn't create one for your Garfield from an online template of some sort or from the one you have.

[morgansmith]

I just saw a kit for sale that has a deed and thought about that. All dollhouses do not come with deeds but they should. Creating one for each build would be fun. I journal my builds and take tons of photos. How exciting to have the one you do,Maureen. That makes me really happy for you.

[rackey]

Selkie and Morgan, it is funny you both should mention making a deed. I just got off the phone with my friend who recently built a Real Good Toys Vermont, Jr. Farmhouse, and I asked her about a deed. Her kit didn't come with one either, so I offered to make her one. I will base it on the deed I have if I can't find a template, and I will put her information in it. She seemed to like the idea.

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

I think HBS sells a deed form for reasonable cost also.

[GirlPiper]

Ah, the Patch Cabbage Ptch era! The Star Wars Millenium Falcon and the Att Att had certicates, too. Such a 70's thing.

[rackey]

Using certificates as a marketing idea probably stemmed from the 70s but wasn't restricted to that decade. The Cabbage Patch Dolls didn't emerge until the 80s (unless they were out in the 70s and didn't become popular until the 80s). Registering the dolls was also a big thing, and if you officially changed the doll's name, you would get a new birth certificate and a birthday card for the doll on his/her first birthday.

And let's not forget the Beanie Babies of the 90s. They didn't come with certificates, but they did come with birthdays and little poems on their tags. The real marketing tool, however, was their retirement dates.

Now let's see, where did I put my Cabbage Patch doll's birth certificate? Hm . . . back to sorting through papers.

[chellebelle]

How cool! I really like the idea of a deed.

[rodentraiser]

My house was supposed to come with a deed, but as I got it secondhand, I'm sure the actual deed has been long lost. In my miniature catalogs, I do see where several houses say they come with deeds of ownership, especially if the houses were numbered. I might be mistaken, but I think all the Clell Boyce houses came with deeds too.