THE LETTEROF SWEDEN

A Quarterly Newsletter Published for Members of the We Love Lundby Club

SEPTEMBER 2008Volume 5Number 3

Remember Towering TV Antennas?

HAVE YOU EVER FANTASIZED ABOUT THEpast? The photo of the remarkable

Lundby Gothenburg with TV antenna inthe 1961-62 Carl Franz Weber catalog takesmany of us back to our early years. Thatvery house is also shown in the LundbyGothenburg dollhouse article on JenniferMcKendry’s website, www.mckendry.net.

Elisabeth Lantz, Sweden, doesn’t haveto just dream anymore. On an early springtrip to Småland this year, she was thrilledto acquire a similar 1960 Lundby dollhousewith antenna.

Elisabeth had always thought that theTV antenna was put on the house to lookgood in the Weber catalogs, but she foundthe same hole for the antenna on thechimney in another 1960s house shebought. Elisabeth owns houses without thisantenna so the TV tower was not sold withevery house.

Has anyone else found an antenna holeon a vintage chimney or better yet, doesany one else own an antenna dollhouse?Check out Elisabeth’s website atwww.swedish-dollshouses.com. ♥

Swedish Collectors DiscoverRare 1960s Dollhouses

Elisabeth’s 1960 Gothenburg with TV antenna. Fromthe Lantz collection.

www.toysmiles.com

1960s One-Story HouseRestored to Original

ANOTHER SWEDISH LUNDBY COLLECTOR,Peter Pehrsson, visited Elisabeth Lantz

in Stockholm in April. There he purchasedan old Lundby one-story dollhouse, whichhad been painted pink with a black roof,not at all like its original colors of lightyellow with a red roof.

Because Elisabeth has her own one-storyhouse, Peter could use it as a guide torestore his dollhouse to its “like new” con-dition in 1961.

Peter’s excellent find is the first time wehave ever seen this one-story Lundby doll-house. Many thanks to him for sharing histreasure! As Peter quipped, “It’s not per-fect, but it will do!” ♥

Front and back photos of Peter’s restoration project. Peternot only repainted the exterior, but he also added newwallpapers. From the Pehrsson collection.

Re-Purpose Old Bits forCrafting with Lundby

ADMIT IT! DON’T YOU ALL HAVE A BOXof fractured bits and pieces of

Lundby? You’re keeping them because youhope you’ll find just the right spare partsto fix them. You may have a three-leggedtable or bed, a lone pillow or bedspread,shower or bathtub missing the hoses, orother broken pieces.

Wouldn’t it be challenging and fun to“re-purpose” or “bash” something newfrom your castoffs—either a piece of fur-niture or an accessory. We found a charm-ing example of a custom piece on eBayrecently. The scene on the TV screen, fash-ioned from the Lundby aquarium, comesfrom the 1965 Charlie Brown ChristmasSpecial when the Peanuts gang gatheredaround the Christmas tree.

Our annual competition, sponsored by“Crafting with Lundby” this year, will pro-vide the opportunity to show your ingenu-ity in building a new piece of Lundby. Theresult must be true to 1:16 scale. You couldbe the winner of a complimentary 2009club membership and see your ideaannounced in the December newsletterand published in “Crafting with Lundby.”The winner and runners-up in the contestwill also be showcased on the club website.

We’re sure this contest will set off ascramble for broken Lundby items oneBay! WLLC members only are eligible toenter the contest. Please send individualphotos of all entries, with a description ofhow you designed the item, to CarolynFrank at scorpio822308@yahoo.com byFriday, November 21. Good luck to all! ♥

The Lundby aquarium becomes a widescreen HDTV!Courtesy of eBay seller.

2 THE LUNDBY LETTER

“But It Looks So Real!” By Renee Ganim

THE RESPONSES TO MY ARTICLE in thelast issue of The Lundby Letter werevery positive. One reader, however,

asked if we, as frequent buyers ourselves,had ever been fooled. Our answer wasthat, in a way, we had been taken, but itwas in a rather unusual way. I told theinquirer to wait for the answer in the nextnewsletter!

Those of you who watch “AntiquesRoadshow” know there are three factorsto consider when evaluating a collectible:1. Condition, 2. Condition and 3. Youguessed it, CONDITION!

My father, George Ganim, will addsome information in a future article onthis subject matter, but for right now, let’stalk about one of the most sought after ofall Lundby sets in very fine condition. It isthe red tiled “Continental III” kitchen. Inorder to meet the standards of a sophisti-cated collector, the set must be completein every way—door knobs, drawers,crisper, etc. Even matching woods!

But what is the most important to thecollector? The base on the fridge.

We estimate that more than 1/3 of theLundby refrigerators out there are missingthat small block of wood which the fridgesits on. So when we consider a purchase,we look at the fridge base first. Once I wasexamining a kitchen on eBay. It was so, so,but the base was there. I called my Dad tocheck it out. “Nice fridge, go for it,” hesaid. I emailed my customer in Austria andadvised her that I might finally be able toput a set together for her.

The package we bought arrived and myDad reached in to unwrap the fridge. Hisface turned red as he uttered, “But itlooked so real!” The base of the fridge wasa sponge.

Next time we’ll discuss “Collectingthree-legged furniture.” Also, is the orangeon the diving board the same as that onthe ping pong paddles?

Lundby is really a lot of fun, isn’t it!! ♥

Back to the Prices of the Good Ol’ Days!

WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT if we could teleportourselves back in time? While trolling the

Internet, Julie Plovnick, VT, found a digitizedversion of the Grosse Pointe News (MI) fromSeptember 18, 1975, with an ad for the LundbyGothenburg, extension floors, and furnishings onsale at a Jacobson’s department store.

Jacobson’s ad writer did a great job promot-ing the dollhouse: “Our Lundby dollhouse andextensions for young interior decorators helpdevelop creativity and imagination, and providehours of fun. Of durable, smooth wood withtasteful wall coverings, it’s ready to be furnishedwith furniture and room accents from our col-lection.”

Prices for the Gothenburg are listed as fol-lows: six-room dollhouse with stairway and win-dows, $35; dollhouse extension, $19; playroomand garage, $21; swimming pool with patiolawn, $15; wood/plastic automobile with safetybelts, $12; and individual furniture, lamps anddecorating accessories, $2.50 to $6.00.

Julie adds, “Don’t you wish we could pur-chase the advertised items new, at the 1975prices listed”? ♥

1975 Lundby ad in Michigan newspaper. Courtesy of Julie Plovnick.

Lundby Dolls CaptivateBy Sue Morse

NOT ONLY DID LUNDBY produce the 11½ inch Petra fashion doll (see article in

the June 2008 issue of The Lundby Letter)during the decade of the 1980s, the firmalso marketed 15 larger-sized dolls, rang-ing from 16” to 20.8” in height, for a briefperiod in the mid-80s.

Although neither the hang tag on my“Lundby Doll” nor the 1985 catalog cred-its the Corolle doll company for manufac-ture of these dolls, the resemblance toother Corolle dolls is notable. Just as Sufawas commissioned to make lamps, pictures,and other accessories for Lundby, Corollecould have been consigned to make theLundby dolls.

I’m very lucky to have won a Lundbydoll on eBay several years ago, long beforeI knew there was a catalog of 15 dolls! Mydoll happens to be my favorite of all ofthem because she is dressed in SwedishMidsummer attire, complete with a floralheadband.

If anyone owns a similar Lundby doll,please send adigital photoand I’ll checkmy catalog tosee if it’s pic-tured. ♥

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The cottage was designed by Swedisharchitects Beban Nord and Ann Morsing(Box Design), who also created the 2005Lundby “Stockholm” (see Interview withBeban Nord of Box Design). It has severalwonderfully creative features, such as:

A skylight which opens and closes;French doors between sitting-room andthe porch; a two-sided fireplace accessibleinside and outside; several built-ins, suchas the sofa bed, a suspended bunk bedwhich can close up flush to the wall,indoor & outdoor shelves, kitchen-count-er & appliance unit, and kitchen table;outdoors on side 2 of the house is a show-er unit plus a separate toilet & sink unitcomplete with double doors and heart-shaped peepholes (a charming version ofan outhouse, but with modern plumbing(see photo of Gotland’s Side View bottom lefton page 4); and a hanging-basket swing.

Two models available for the Export and Nordic markets

Gotland will be marketed in two models,but will be identical once fully furnishedand with all accessories.

(Family doll set); pet set 83.2002 includingdog with doghouse, cat, parrot & perch,

food items (Kitchen set); garden set83.2005 with 4 potted plants, garden tools,and a little garden of sunflowers and veg-

September 2008 3

Gotland Dollhouse Photos Display Micki’s Innovative StyleBy Patricia Harrington

THE LAUNCH OF LUNDBY’S NEW DOLLHOUSE, called “Gotland,” was announced in theJune edition of The Lundby Letter. It is designed as a doll-cottage, beach house, orsmall vacation home, but many collectors envision it as an addition to the newer

Lundby houses, Gothenburg, Stockholm, or Småland (released 1999, 2005, 2006 respec-tively): in-law addition, rental apartment, guest house, retirement home, etc. This versa-tility is sure to make it a big winner for the Lundby Company (www.Micki.se), whichwill release the dollhouse in Scandinavian retail stores in September.

THE EXPORT VERSION #83.2000 isunfurnished, but includes one doll and 5lights. See 2 Export photos above. There are 6supplementary sets of furniture, dolls, pets,and accessories as follows: family doll set83.2001 with mom, dad, boy, and girl insummer outfits and with some tote-bags

food dish & bone (Pet set); sitting-room set83.2003 consisting of coffee-table, arm-chair, wood-basket with logs, books, agame, blankets, and assorted pillows(Sitting-room set); kitchen set 83.2004which includes a sink, 2 kitchen chairs,dishes, pots & pans, a dish-drying rack, and

etables for side 1 of the house (Garden set);

lamp set 83.2006 with 11 lamps (Lamp set).

THE SELF-CONTAINED FURNISHEDMODEL FOR THE NORDIC MARKET#83.1000 includes one doll, 18 lights, dog-house, garden, kitchen chairs, armchair &coffee table, outdoor “kitchen” sink andcounter, blankets & pillows. There are 2additional add-on sets: family & pet set83.1001 includes doll family of 4 & all

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pets; accessory set 83.1002 consists of allthe extra small items for the kitchen, sit-ting-room, and garden. The photos belowdisplay all sides of the furnished model:

North American collectors must order from UK, Europe, or Australia

The transformer is also sold separatelywith different code numbers for differentcountries. There are no current plans tomarket the Gotland dollhouse in NorthAmerica, but it can be shipped from UK,European, and Australian suppliers. TheLundby Letter will continue to update you onsources for this house. Please note that theNorth American version of a transformeris made by the same company which sup-plies Lundby; this transformer is availablefrom www.cheekymonkeytoys.com.

There is so much play-value in“Gotland” that it is sure to be a big hitwith children. The intriguing design fea-tures will ensure that “Gotland” will be atreasured favorite for adult Lundby-collec-tors. I, myself, cannot wait for mine toarrive from Sweden! ♥

4 THE LUNDBY LETTER

Gotland Dollhouse—continued from page 3

BEBAN NORD AND ANN MORSING, theSwedish interior-design architects at

“Box Design,” are the creators of the newdesigns for Lundby, including the latestdollhouse, “Gotland,” and the MickiChildren’s Room (see www.micki.se).Beban Nord was interviewed for a Mickinewsletter article, February 2008, in whichshe talked about the close collaborationbetween the Micki Co. and Box Designduring the past four years.

She said, “It started with a request todesign a modern dollhouse, which result-ed in the Lundby Stockholm [2005]. Thework was both fun and different, and acompletely new format. To design prod-ucts for children requires another way ofthinking.”

“It is important to think about the tar-get group, children, and that the productsare not designed for adults. We haveemphasized playing and really made prod-ucts for children. This is also important forthe furniture and every detail in the MickiChildren’s Room. Play and function gohand in hand.”

Beban expressed how much fun theprojects have been and what a good work-ing relationship the architects have withthe Micki Co. “During the creativeprocess, ideas are bounced back andforth.” The Micki newsletter interviewerthen asked Beban, “What does one haveto consider when designing small furniturefor the dollhouse or the children’s room?”She responded, “Regardless of whether it

is furniture for the dollhouse or the chil-dren’s room, it’s a matter of making high-quality furniture pieces which are fun andhave several functions. They have to beaesthetically appealing and also be afford-able. They cannot be too detailed for thedollhouse, rather quite simple forms, butnevertheless should have several functionsto increase playing; for example, the sofa isalso a sofa-bed. Often we ask childrenwhat they think, not only our own, butothers who are asked to test things.”

In regards to the final products, Bebanexplained, “In order for the final result tobe good, everything needs to be wellthought-out, from display materials andpackaging to the final product. Micki isreally good at this, plus the company hasgreat experience with toys.” ♥

Interview with Beban Nord of Box Design

“Toy Design Requires Another Way of Thinking”By Patricia Harrington

(Translated from Swedish and adapted from the February 2008 Micki Toy Co. newsletter article)

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The photos above and to the right show the housecompleted with the supplementary sets.

September 2008 5

JULY AND AUGUST ARE SWEET SUMMER MONTHSfor gatherings (at least in the Northern Hemisphere).

International FestivalVienna, Austria

WHAT A PERFECT PLACE for Lundby collec-tors to meet—in historic Vienna, Austria.For the first time, friends from the UK,Sweden, and Austria, who met on eBay,gathered July 25-27 to share their passionsfor their dollhouse collections. For a won-derful gallery of photos of their visit, go tothe website of the host, SieglindeNormandasky, http://nedomansky.aon.at,and click on Events: You’ll see the photosat International Lundby Festival, Vienna,Austria.

Here’s a bonus! For a peek into photosof Sieglinde’s trip to Stockholm in Octo -ber 2007, click on Lundby weekend inStockholm, Sweden.

If anyone is in Rome, Italy, October 3-5, your editor, who is going on a tour ofthe Amalfi Coast, will be happy to arrangeanother International Lundby Festival,even if it’s with only one other member!

Dollhouse ConventionMount Olive, New Jersey

A SMALL BUT SPIRITED GROUP of WLLCmembers met August 30 at the MarriottResidence Inn in Mt. Olive, NJ, to net-work and to share their passions for andknowledge about Lundby. It was just threeyears ago that the first convention washeld in conjunction with a Dollhouse Toysn’ Us Convention in nearby Morristown.

Sharon Barton, CA, who couldn’tattend in person, sent a floral arrangementand her sweet message of “My Lundbyheart is with you.” Congratulations toRenee Ganim, NY, and her father

Lundby Members Connect in Austria and the USA

Fellow eBayers gather in Vienna on the Danube: left to right, Sabine Schmid, Austria,(Whoopie_doo) and her daughter Melanie; Stella Goodman, UK, (Bluecatsmum);Elisabeth Lantz, Sweden, (Fruntimret) and her daughter Sofia; and SieglindeNormandasky, Austria, (Barbie_cat). Stella’s friend, Linda Bancroft, UK, (Far_apart)was the photographer. Courtesy of Stella Goodman.

Club members enjoy a meal at the New Jersey gathering. Left to right are GeorgeGanim, Loretta Ganim, Renee Ganim, Maria Cannizzaro, Paul Schreiner, SueMorse, and Hal Morse. On the wall behind our table was a beautiful reproduction of“The Gleaners,” painted by Jean François Millet in 1857. Lundby began marketing aminiature replica of this painting in 1985.

George, who won the annual “GuessingGame” contest by predicting the manufac-turers or country of four out of eightminiature TVs.

Even though this year’s attendance wasminimal, those in attendance decided tohold another gathering in 2009 in the USA(more on our plans later). Sue Morse, VA,and Maria Cannizzaro, NJ, will be theorganizers for the trip to Sweden, whichhas been postponed until 2010.

On the second day of the gatheringsome participated in ScanFest at Vasa Park,Budd Lake, NJ. The annual event is heldoutdoors and offers lots of Scandinavianfood, music, fun and vendors sellingNordic items. Members Sue and PeterKopperman, MD, reported that sales ofSwedish antiques and furnishings at theirbooth were very brisk. And the weathercouldn’t have been more perfect! ♥

Lundby Connections

LAST ISSUE WE HAD FIVE WLLC mem-bers in California. Now there are six!

Tracy Neher, Cottonwood, submitted hermembership and this photo of her cat Ty,who also loves her Lundby dollhouse.Others within an hour and a half to a six-hour drive of each other are MarilynnAbrams, Union City; Sharon Barton,Highland; Dexter Chow, Menlo Park;Britt Rodriguez, Valencia; and AndreaVoinot, Berkeley. Perhaps a mini-meetingis in your futures!

♥Here’s another interesting tidbit from UKmember Marion Osborne. She tells usthat the apples in the dish shown with theearly 1960s bookcase are actually painteddried peas. See how the paint has chipped

from the “apples” in this photo submittedby Marion.

♥Looking for Lundby? Soon the WLLCwebsite will be updated to feature memberJulie Plovnick’s items for sale, in additionto Sue Morse’s inventory. You are invitedto check them out and consider makingup your holiday wish list! ♥

6 THE LUNDBY LETTER

Coming Up in theDecember 2008 Issue

� German-made Lundby� Announcement of the Winner

of the Bashing Contest� Plans for 2009� Interviews

The Lundby Letter is pub-lished quarterly for members ofthe We Love Lundby Club.If you have any inquiries aboutan article, or if you are inter-

ested in submitting a story or project of your own,please do not hesitate to write or email us.

THE LUNDBY LETTERWe Love Lundby Club

6347 Waterway DriveFalls Church, VA 22044

www.toysmiles.com Email: toysmiles@aol.comEditor: Sue MorseAdvisory Members: Kristina Aronsson

Carolyn FrankPatricia HarringtonElisabeth LantzMarion OsbornePeter PehrssonYvette Wadsted

Design: Don Christian© 2008, We Love Lundby Club. All rights reserved.

Permission has been granted to use the Lundby logo.

OF SWEDEN

EMMA PHILLIPS, UK, GOT HER CHHILDHOOD DOLLHOUSE BACK, thanks to herknight-in-shining-armor husband Mark and his quest on eBay.

It must have been like Camelot for Emma to grow up in Kent, England, so closeto Five Oak Green near the premises of A. Barton & Co. (Toys) Ltd. Her originalCaroline’s Home dolls’ house, along with a plentiful supply of furniture on thedoorstep, was a Christmas present in 1983 when she was eight years old.

Twenty-one years passed. In the meantime, Emma had lost her dollhouse, but shehad gained a husband who would go to the ends of eBay to find her another one!

On May 24, 2004, Mark placed an advertisement on the Internet with www.doll-shouse-info.co.uk, an independent website for the dolls’ house and miniaturesenthusiast, in order to hunt down another Caroline’s Home dolls’ house for his wife.

Members in Focus FIFTEENTH IN A SERIES OF ARTICLES

By Sue Morse

Emma and Cece stand in front of Emma’s retrieved and refurnishedCaroline’s Home.

Mark’s purchase of a Lundby Gothenburg,which, after more purchases on eBay, isvery well furnished.

Emma’s favorite miniatures are the orig-inal pieces that go with Caroline’s Home,including the bits of food. Mark likes theLundby swivel leather-effect chair, the redand blue cars, and the picture of theQueen and Prince Philip, which comple-ments the living room of his Gothenburg.They would love to have a swimmingpool! Both dolls’ houses are displayed inthe living room where Emma and Markand their guests alike can enjoy them.Both are on timer switches that come onin the evening.

Mark is a liability adjuster which involvesinvestigating liability insurance claims andEmma is employed as an insurance broker.In their free time, they are both avidTottenham Hotspur (football) fans. Theyhave a new mischievous three-year-old catnamed Cece and he is a breath of fresh air!

Because eBay was the culmination ofMark’s quest for Emma’s dolls’ house, it’squite understandable that they are big eBay

An avid collector, Mark displays his Spurs cur-rent home football shirt and his LundbyGothenburg.

Wouldn’t you take note of this message?“I hope you can help me. My wife had aCaroline’s Home Doll’s House around1983’ish. It was unfortunately discarded duringclearance of the parental home and I am desper-ate to replace it if possible. Look forward tohearing from you. Please email me.”

Mark relates that he received an over-whelming response to this plea to replacea part of his wife’s childhood. He wasamazed that people were so kind andhelpful. “The replacement of Emma’sdolls’ house was in sight,” he explained.“We were directed toward eBay, where wehad previously searched without success.However, this time an item was available,and after frenzied bidding, the dolls’ housewas ours!”

Without Emma’s knowledge, Markarranged to meet the seller to collect thedolls’ house at a local supermarket so hecould surprise her with its early arrival.One day when she came home from work,she was sent upstairs under false pretenses.To her delight, the new Caroline’s Homedollshouse had made it home to Emma.Mark adds, “In the process of replacingEmma’s Caroline’s Home, we documentedthe items and wrote a diary of the discov-ery and purchase of items.”

In the course of Mark’s search, he real-ized how deeply satisfying it was to obtaina replacement home for Emma. The searchgave them a common interest, leading to

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fans. They send special thanks to eBay sell-er Stella Goodman (bluecatsmum) forintroducing them to the We Love LundbyClub. Mark and Emma Phillips’s eBay UserID is 70srainbowchild. ♥

Cabinets of CuriositiesExhibit

Canberra, Australia

During all of the Southern Hemispherewinter, Anna-Maria Sviatko has beengathering together her dollhouse exhibi-tion, which runs from October 4 throughJanuary 26, 2009. The Swedish ambassadorto Australia will open the exhibit.

Visit http://theshoppingsherpa.blogspot.com and click on the Parade of Houseslink on the left of the page. Shown are herhouses which will be part of the exhibit.Anna-Maria will be blogging the galleryopening, so you can feel like you’re rightthere! ♥