Hello maxie1,
Thank you for your question.
There appear to be numerous sites selling Florence Maranuk dolls
online, but precious little history of this designer.
Ladies Den Dolls lists this brief history:
http://www.ladiesdendolls.com/
"...Florence Maranuk is the president and founder of Show Stopper
Dolls. It was founded in 1983. Her prestigious Florance Maranuk
Collection is avidly sought after by knowledgeable collectors.
?Attention to detail? is the cornerstone of her success. The
exquisite materials used, the expressive sculpting, and the innovative
designs combine in an art form that makes her dolls speak for
themselves. There are currently over one million of her Dolls in the
hands of enthusiastic doll Collectors worldwide..."
Florence is also known as "Flossie" and searching for Flossie brings
about this page at Collectibles Online:
http://www.onlinetrophys.com/showstopperdolls_history.htm
"...Flossie Maranuk, President and founder of Show-Stopper, was born
in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Brandywine College in
Delaware and founded Show Stopper in 1983. Her premier doll was
Presented at the New York Gift Show. There are currently over one
million Florence Maranuk Dolls in the hands of enthusiastic doll
collectors worldwide.
Flossie's fascination with travel brings her to some of the most
exotic cities and countries worldwide for several months each year.
Her love of travel, combined with her deep fascination in people and
children throughout the world, is deeply reflected in her designs. Her
prestigious Florence Maranuk Collection is avidly sought after by
knowledgeable collectors.
She currently heads a team of national and international sculptors and
costume designers. "Attention to Detail" is the cornerstone of her
success. The exquisite materials used, the expressive sculpting, and
the innovative designs combine in an art form that makes her dolls
speak for themselves.
Flossie currently resides in Brigantine, New Jersey..."
Searching further for the history of Show Stopper Dolls brought me to
another page at Ladies Den:
http://www.ladiesdencollectibles.com/Collectible_Dolls.htm
"...Show-Stoppers are made of porcelain, as are many of the dolls on
this site. These original collectibles are meticulously hand-painted.
The elegant fabric used in the costuming is delicately tailored to
create unique imagery to provide you with a lifetime of enjoyment.
Most are posable, so that you can adjust their arms and legs. Several
dolls are musical while others are miniature. A variety of resin
antique chairs, with velvet or tapestry upholstery, are available to
compliment your doll collection..."
All For You gifts notes the following:
http://www.afygifts.com/
"...ShowStoppers dolls designed by Florence Maranuk are collectible
porcelain dolls and are very highly accredited. They have won awards
such as the esteemed D.O.T.Y. award, which is for Doll Reader
Magazine's, Industry's choice "Doll Of The Year". Whether you are a
avid porcelain doll collector or just looking for the perfect gift,
there is something for everybody in the Florence Maranuk
collection..."
Her 2001 DOTY Awarded doll, "Skye" can be found on this page at Emily's Gifts:
http://www.emilysgifts.com/dolls/showstoppers/skye.htm
And her Beauty and the Beast is nominated for a 2003 Dolls Award of
Excellence and is shown here at A New Doll:
https://www.anewdollintown.com/Item/Item.asp?ArtistId=75&ItemId=417
Try as I would, I could not locate a Home Page for "Show Stopper
Dolls" nor additional information on Florence "Flossie" Maranuk, even
in the Google Usenet discussion groups, though there are sales and
auctions talked about in rec.collecting.dolls:
http://groups.google.com/groups?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22Florence+Maranuk%22&sa=N&tab=wg
Following a few of the many links to her dolls for sale online:
A2Z Dolls
http://www.a2zdolls.com/blondes.html
Mini Home Depot
http://www.minihomedepot.com/DESIGNER%20PAGES/Maranuk.htm
Lacey Lady
http://www.laceylady.com/florence_maranuk.shtml
Little Angels Gallery
http://www.littleangelsgalleries.com/flormardol.html
Count Your Beans
http://www.countyourbeans.com/showstoppers.htm
And there are many, many more.
Search Strategy:
"Florence Maranuk"
"Flossie Maranuk"
"show stopper dolls" +history
"florence maranuk" +award
I trust my research has provided you with the available history of
Florence Maranuk and her dolls available online. If a link above
should fail to work or anything require further explanation or
research, please do post a Request for Clarification prior to rating
the answer and closing the question and I will be pleased to assist
further.
Regards,
-=clouseau=- |
,
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