DOLLS Magazine and The Doll Reader to merge

According to a DOLLS Magazine email sent this morning, and more information from the DOLLS website:

The two premiere publications covering doll collecting, DOLLS and Doll Reader, will merge into one title in 2012 published under the name DOLLS by Jones Publishing. The deal was announced Jan. 27 at the Debut of Dolls and DOTY Awards Banquet during the IDEX trade show in Orlando, Fla. Jones Publishing also presented its Lifetime Achievement award to Maggie Iacono at the same event.

DOLLS and Doll Reader's sister publications, Teddy Bear Review and Teddy Bear & Friends, will also merge this year. Jones Publishing will retain the title Teddy Bear & Friends but increase the magazine's frequency to TBR's bimonthly schedule.

"By working collaboratively with our industry partners, we know that we can help make the industry stronger," said IDEX Vice President Susan Fitzgerald. "This new merger will allow us to reach more people and, in turn, grow the publications and their content. We believe this will also help to develop and expand IDEX, which remains the leading industry show."

DOLLS Publisher Carie Ferg agreed, saying "Uniting two great, long-standing doll magazines into one dynamic title, as well as partnering with IDEX, presents us with a terrific opportunity to use the combined strengths of Jones Publishing and Madavor Media to grow the industry."

The new DOLLS magazine will be sent to both DOLLS and Doll Reader subscribers beginning with the March 2012 issue, which mails Feb. 2. This issue features a sneak peek at what dollmakers have planned for this year. The new combined magazine will continue to feature fan-favorite columns and features from Doll Reader on a regular basis, including patterns by Marsha Olson and Antique Q&A by Jan Foulke, and well as DOLLS' readers favorites.

The big change will come for Haute Doll, which has appeared for the past year as a special section with a flip cover in Doll Reader. With the merger DOLLS will move from 10 issues to a monthly publishing schedule, with one special-focus issue every quarter appearing as DOLLS Presents: Haute Doll, entirely devoted to high-fashion and ball-jointed dolls. The regular issues of DOLLSwon't neglect popular fashion dolls and BJDs, but the content will remain suitable for all ages, while Haute Doll specials will venture into edgier fashion and ball-jointed doll releases.

Doll Reader subscribers will have the remaining issues of their subscription applied to DOLLS; readers who subscribe to both magazines will have their DOLLS subscription extended by the number of issues remaining on their Doll Reader subscription. An FAQ is posted on the DOLLS website, www.dollsmagazine.com, to answer questions about the merger, and Jones Publishing has issued an invitation to readers to send feedback, suggestions, and additional questions to DOLLS staff. Contact information and links are posted on the DOLLS website under the "Contact Us" link at the top of the home page.

Jones Publishing and DOLLS magazine have committed to have a strong presence at IDEX, which will continue to be owned and managed by Madavor Media. Look for some exciting events sponsored by Jones at the 2013 IDEX show, including the presentation of the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award!