Everyone knows Richard Simmons, the health and fitness guru. He had us Sweatin’ to the Oldies and planning our food intake with Deal-a-Meal. But what a whole lot of us didn’t know about is Richard Simmons and his dolls. Simmons was a well known collector of art dolls, one of a kind fine art pieces created by artists for adult collectors. They are not dolls to play with and definitely not mass produced. They’re exquisite pieces by renowned doll artist. Simmons was as big an advocate for doll art as he was for health and fitness, raising up artists and bringing the medium to the public’s attention.
After Simmons’ death in 2024, his collection of over 250 dolls was auctioned by specialty auctioneer Thieriault’s. Dolls Magazine profiled his collection with lots of beautiful images.
Simmons was not only an enthusiastic supporter of art dolls, he also was involved in the production of dolls with both Goebel and L.L. Knickerbocker. Simmons worked with the original artists who designed the dolls that were reproduced for the collection.
A lot of the information floating around the internet about the commercial Simmons dolls is conflicting. So let’s start with a known fact: the dolls were made from the late 1990s to early 2000s.
As far as I can tell, Goebel of America produced “Collection of the Masters,” which were resin and/or ceramic reproductions of dolls from Simmons’ art doll collection. This line included the “Memories of Childhood” collection by Cynthia Malbon; “Precious Details” by Julie Ann Fischer; “Storytime Treasures” by Rosemary Volpi; “School Days” by Stephanie Cauley; “Debbie’s Webbies” by Pat and Glen East; as well as dolls by Annie Wahl and Jodi and Richard Creager.
Richard Simmons’ “Nana’s Family” collection, designed by Annie Wahl, is the best-known of all the dolls, produced by both Goebel and L.L. Knickerbocker. “Nana’s Family” featured older people packed with personality.
Gail Lackey collaborated with Simmons on a L.L. Knickerbocker line called “Enchanted Forest” that was released in 2000.
Simmons’ dolls were sold in stores and on QVC and HSN. They were made with great attention to detail, packaged nicely and packed with certificates of authenticity. Original prices were around $100. You can find them on resale sites, and sadly, many of them are still new in box. That’s nice for the next owner, but somehow sad that these beautiful dolls were kept in their boxes to “protect their value” and not displayed by the original owner. Simmons doll prices range from about the same as the original price to a fraction of the original price, depending on condition and demand. (Take that as a sign to take your collectibles out of their boxes and enjoy them.)
If you don’t want a reproduction, you can find some of the art dolls from Simmons’ personal collection being resold by sellers who purchased them from Theriault’s auction.
Here are a few of the dolls from the Richard Simmons collection for you to admire their charm and detail. All are available on eBay.
1998 “Celebrate Life” doll from the Richard Simmons Remember Angels collection by Goebel. Available from vintagevet, $19.
Richard Simmons Collection of the Masters Summer doll, from the Memories of Childhood series by Goebel. Made in 1998 in a limited edition of 2000, she is a reproduction of an original doll from Simmons’s collection, sculpted by Cynthia Malbon. Available from vintageshopcom, $74.99.
Fern the workout lady doll, a member of the Nana’s Family collection designed by Annie Wahl, made by Knickerbocker from 1997-1998. Available from Up on West Hill, $22.
