Four Little Girls by Starkey's Daughter Cloth Dolls

Pressed felt faces of dolls that were in the making by Rachel McCullough Sherrod of Starkey's Daughter Cloth Dolls

Rachel McCullough Sherrod of Starkey’s Daughter Cloth Dolls has been making dolls off and on for decades but seriously began dollmaking in 2012 after her retirement. 

Among others, she enjoys making childlike dolls of historical significance.  Her most recent dolls are a set of four, a tribute to the four little girls who tragically lost their lives during the September 15, 1963, bombing of the 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.   According to Rachel, the idea to make this set was suggested to her by a seasoned, experienced, and well-respected doll collector. 

The Four Little Girls:  Carol Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, and Cynthia Wesley are beautifully represented in doll form.

As shown above, the completed dolls represent Denise McNair, whose full name was Carol Denise McNair (age 11); Carole Robertson (age 14), Addie Mae Collins (age 14), and Cynthia Wesley (age 14).  Their pressed felt faces are individually sculpted, and their bodies are made of cloth.  With the exception of Denise, each doll stands 20 inches tall.  Denise, described as petite, was the youngest of the girls.  The Denise doll stands 16 inches.

Carol Denise McNair's sweet expression is captured in doll form.

Carole Robertson's closed-mouth, wide smile is artistically reproduced.

The bespectacled Addie Mae Collins doll has a large red ribbon in her hair.

Cynthia Wesley's sweet smile and bright eyes are nicely duplicated in the Cynthia doll.

Currently only one set of the Four Little Girls dolls exists.  Rachel has not determined if additional sets will be made.

On February 5, 2017, the Four Little Girls dolls will be on display at a viewing of the award-winning documentary, Why Do You Have Black Dolls?  Rachel will host this event, which includes two viewings of the documentary at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. EST.  The flyer below contains full details.

For more information about these and other dolls made by Rachel of Starkey’s Daughter Cloth dolls, please contact her by email or by visiting her website.


Read more about the tragic deaths of Carol Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, and Cynthia Wesley at the first two links below.  The third link redirects to the Why Do You Have Black Dolls? website.

16th Street Baptist Church Bombing
Four Little Girls of Birmingham Remembered
Why Do You Have Black Dolls?

Hearts For Hearts Dolls Relaunch

Heart for Hearts Rahel from Ethiopia is 14 inches tall, made of artist-type vinyl with well-rooted natural-textured, Afro-style hair.  She is one of four returning Hearts for Hearts Dolls.

Having originally entered the doll market for the playline in 2010, the Hearts For Hearts dolls have returned.  The following is notification about the relaunch from Jennifer Crisanti, Director of Business Development for Splashworks.com:

The award-winning multicultural brand, Hearts For Hearts Girls is back. Our mission is to empower girls to become agents of change in their communities, and around the world. Four dolls, Rahel [shown above] from Ethiopia, Nahji from India, Dell from the USA, and Consuelo  from Mexico are now available through Amazon Prime and specialty retailers.

It’s a brand built on a foundation of rich content. Girls can learn about the characters through their diary entries and they will be able to interact with characters in the upcoming mobile apps.  

Together we CAN change the world — one heart at a time! 

You can check out the dolls at : http://www.hearts4heartsgirls.com  

Jennifer added:

Our team feels very lucky to be able to participate on this brand.

We have an opportunity to deliver the brand's messages through games and apps.

 As we move forward, it will be important to continue to connect with the community.  

I have attached a link to a promotional game on our site.  There is more fun to come!  Play the game at http://www.hearts4heartsgirls.com/play.

An empowered girl will become an empowered woman.