MNN - Mother Nature Network

Bald dolls heads are lined up on a shelf on Feb. 19 at the Original Doll Hospital in the Bexley suburb of Sydney, Australia.

 

This year, the Original Doll Hospital is celebrating 100 years of mending all types of dolls, teddy bears, rocking horses, umbrellas, prams and various other items. First established in 1913 by Harold Chapman, the quirky repair shop is now run by Geoff Chapman, the third generation of Chapmans to run the business.

 

Overflowing piles of doll arms and legs are stored in bins for future use at the Original Doll Hospital.

 

Shelves and racks filled with spare doll parts surround employee/nurse Gail Grainger as she works on repairing a doll inside the Original Doll Hospital.

 

A cardboard sign hangs over a waste pile of discarded doll body parts at the Original Doll Hospital. Although the hospital specializes in all types of dolls — plastic, vinyl, porcelain and more — not all patients make it through surgery intact.

 

Spare arms for dolls cover a work bench at the Original Doll Hospital.