Where does the inspiration come from when you develop a WILLIAMSBURG Collectible?
| Q: | Where does the inspiration come from when you develop a WILLIAMSBURG Collectible? |
| A: | Finding the right inspiration is one of my favorite parts of developing a new collectible and the vast design resources we have here make it easy. Costumed interpreters, antiques, buildings, and gardens all offer possibilities for great designs. Each collectible tells a chapter of the Williamsburg story-connecting our customers with the place they love and the art and artists they enjoy. |
How do you decide what collectibles to develop?
| Q: | How do you decide what collectibles to develop? |
| A: | In everything we do there is an opportunity to teach, but we can only succeed when we develop collectibles that touch our customers. That's why we take such care in deciding which collectibles to create. One of the most beloved of all family traditions, collectibles often mark a special memory or event. We look for collectibles that capture the essence of the Colonial Williamsburg experience and have the potential to build on the Foundation's educational mission. We also listen to ideas from our customers. |
What is it like to work with the artists you work with?
| Q: | What is it like to work with the artists you work with? |
| A: | Working with artists and designers to come up with ideas for new collectibles is perhaps the best part of my job! They are so creative and talented and they also really love Williamsburg. In fact, we often come up with so many great ideas, it's hard to pick which collectible to create next! |
Will you ever develop a Madame Alexander Doll named Lauren?
| Q: | From: Joanie M. I purchased the Madame Alexander WILLIAMSBURG "Abigail" doll for my granddaughter when she was born and gave it to her as a special gift from Grandma. The hair and skin color of the "Abigail" doll was perfect for my granddaughter. Since then, my second granddaughter, Lauren, was born in June 2006. I have patiently waited to see if a "Lauren" doll from WILLIAMSBURG would be offered. Is there any chance that you could suggest a "Lauren" doll be made for the WILLIAMSBURG collection sometime soon? (Brown hair and eyes would be perfect for Lauren.) WILLIAMSBURG holds a special place in my heart and I have visited there over 50 times in the past 15 years. It would give me such pleasure to be able to give a "Lauren" doll from WILLIAMSBURG to my second granddaughter. Thank you for your time and consideration. |
| A: | Joanie, I am so happy you and your granddaughter have enjoyed Abigail so much. She was one of my favorites too. All of our dolls interpret the costumes, customs, and even names from the 18th century. Lauren is such a beautiful name, but my research shows that it was not a popular girls name until the 20th century. I can well imagine a doll with brown hair and brown eyes in the future, but I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to name her Lauren. If you'd like to let me know your granddaughter's middle name, I could research that! Thanks so much for your interest and support of Colonial Williamsburg! |
Does Colonial Williamsburg still make the wooden fire engine toy?
| Q: | From: Kathleen K. I have a toy made in wood of the fire engine that has been housed in the magazine. Is this still made? I visit Colonial Williamsburg at least every other year, but have not seen this item for a very long time. I have very fond memories of my father, husband and then very small son participating in the bucket brigade and pumping the rails. Looking forward to hearing from you. |
| A: | Kathleen, this does sound like a wonderful toy with wonderful memories! Unfortunately, we have not carried it in our stores for some time. I'm afraid it has been a while since we had a manufacturer who could make toys like this for us at affordable prices. I'm so glad you brought it to my attention, though. Perhaps we can explore finding a manufacturer for it again. Keep an eye on the Toy section of our website for new offerings we bring in! |
Will you be selling a square boxwood wreath?
| Q: | From: Marci D. Are you going to be offering the SQUARE boxwood wreaths again? I HOPE so! Thank you. |
| A: | Marci, I loved that wreath too! Unfortunately, I believe the manufacturer we bought that wreath from discontinued it. Keep watching our catalog and website for new offerings, though–we are always adding new wreaths. |
Can you provide a list of all of the Lang & Wise WILLIAMSBURG buildings?
| Q: | From: Ashley Do you happen to have a list of all of the Lang & Wise WILLIAMSBURG buildings that were created (or any other information on the collection)? Even though they are nearly all retired now, my family has just started trying to collect all of the pieces we can find. It would be great to know what we are missing! Thanks! |
| A: | Ashley, there's still time to start your collection! Although we launched the collection in 1997 and produced our last new pieces in 2007, there are many great pieces still available today. Right now we offer 13 buildings and 16 accessory pieces online. Here is a list of the buildings and accessories that we still have stock on: |