Over the last 30 years Lee Middleton Dolls has grown from a one-person hobby to becoming the foremost name in “reborn dolls”.

Middleton Dolls began as the seed of an idea 3 decades ago by talented artist Lee Middleton who had an innovative concept. It was to sculpt realistic dolls which looked like her own two children.

With her first dolls,  Lee’s talent somehow managed to capture the universal beauty and innocence of childhood.  With their soft skin, real hair and realistic expressions, these dolls were so life-like they amazed people who saw them and word spread quickly. Relatives and friends asked her to sculpt dolls that looked like their children and Lee soon found herself in charge of an unexpected cottage industry. These amazingly lifelike dolls have since become known as "reborn dolls".

The popularity of these reborn dolls grew and grew. In 1985 the doll community nominated Lee’s unique work for national awards. Doll Reader Magazine nominated Lee's first vinyl baby doll, "First Moments,” for a Doll of the Year award. This honor helped establish vinyl as a collectible medium.

Soon, sales expanded to new venues and Middleton Doll released new "reborn dolls" that looked even more realistic, thus creating tales of mistaken identity. Concerned adults who saw "babies" trapped inside hot cars called rescue squads and shoppers would scold parents for leaving their "babies" on store counters.

Supply and demand forced Lee to continuously find larger locations for production. In 1989, she opened a manufacturing facility in Belpre, Ohio. The facility produced more baby dolls a year than any other manufacturer in America, and the Mayor of Belpre declared the city to be "The Baby Doll Capital of the World." This was one of the factors leading to the "reborn dolls" phenomenon becoming a truly international industry.

Middleton Doll continued to lead the vinyl doll industry for more than a decade, but in 1997 tragedy struck.  Lee died suddenly of a heart attack.

Employees were devastated by this unexpected turn of events. But they could not afford to sit back and take no action. To keep the Lee Middleton name alive and the company viable, they were forced to look to the future. They had to find another doll artist who could create the life-like faces that made Lee's dolls the No.1 in the industry.

Be it divine intervention, or a just a stroke of good luck, a little known Canadian doll artist would soon take Middleton Doll in a whole new direction. In 1998, a death in the family almost kept Canadian doll artist Reva Schick from showing her dolls at the International Toy Fair in New York. Fortunately for Middleton Doll, Reva's sisters-in-law recognized her talent and insisted that they show the dolls for her.

Middleton Doll was a perfect fit for Reva. Just like Lee, Reva has a strong religious background and credits her artistic talents to God. Lee always tucked a tiny Bible into each doll box, and Reva became the one to continue that tradition.

 Every year Middleton Doll now introduces more than 100 new dolls in various skin tones, eye colors, hair colors, and sizes. Designed to look like real babies, each doll is sculpted by an award-winning doll artist who incorporates incredible detail into every crease, fold, and curve.  The Middleton Doll Company is recognized by doll enthusiasts as the industry leader of vinyl collectible baby dolls.

Today Lee Middleton dolls are available from doll stores and toyshops throughout the world. A  recent development is that they can now also be found on the internet on websites such as the leading online doll retailers  www.CollectorReborn.com  and www.CollectorReborn.co.uk . Reborn doll enthusiasts and collectors can now choose to buy from a collection of 100’s of dolls without ever leaving the comfort of their own home.

Lee Middleton dolls are now designed by gifted reborn doll artists such as Reva Schick, Eva Helland, Jane Pinkstaff, Michelle Fagan and Pat Moulton as well as several others.  They are ensuring the continuing creation of incredibly life-like dolls.

Many of these dolls become far more than just a hobby and an intense emotional bond in created between the collector and the reborn doll. In fact, The Middleton collectible baby dolls are so life-like they are known as "The Babies That Love You Back."

Lee Middleton’s beautiful  Artist Studio Collection™ includes superb limited edition, hand numbered dolls. Each doll is sculpted by one of Middleton Doll's award-winning artists and produced in vinyl. They are hand painted, lashed and produced with the same delicate care they were sculpted with. They are jointed and weighted in the appropriate place to make them feel like a real baby.

They are treasured collectibles that will become priceless heirlooms for many years to come.

 Lee Middleton dolls are available from: Lee Middleton Dolls at Collector Reborn UK and Lee Middleton Dolls at Collector Reborn USA.