Ella is a gnome doll made by Birgitte Frigast. She makes dolls in several sizes, but these are about four inches high. The dolls are made of porcelain, an their clothes are entirely hand made, including her tiny knitted sweater.
These can be very hard to find in the US. Sari got this one at Kris Kringle Haus, which is only open a few months a year. It specializes in Christmas items from Europe. I really want to go some year.
I wanted Ella to have a friend, but it was frustratingly hard to find these dolls for sale in the U.S. Finally I found Mads, who was one of my favorite boys, on sale on Ebay. I also liked him because his name was close to my dog's name, Mattie. Unfortunately, Mattie died on the very day Mads arrived. It is bittersweet.
I have somewhat varied experience with them, One of the things I loved about Ella was that she stands really really super well. Mads, alas, does not. His elastic is strung wrong or something. It takes a lot of patience to get him to stand. On the plus side, with his curved arms, he can easily hold small objects!
The hats are non-removable, and I suspect that to remove the hats would also remove the hair underneath. I think they just have wisps of hair glued to the head, and the hats cover the bald spots. It would not be possible to remove the clothing without cutting it off and ruining it. And the shoes- they have little wooden shoes, like those traditional in the Netherlands- are actually part of the porcelain leg. Definitely not removable. If you like dressing your dolls, these dolls are not for you. On the other hand, I don't know where you would get other clothes that are this tiny. For that reason alone, I don't have a problem leaving the dolls as they are.
They are very charming little dolls and I wish they were easier to find in the U.S.
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