Mrs. Royal’s doll collection is displayed in several rooms of her home such as this one. (Staff photo by Deborah Bennett) They come from all walks of life, vary in age and some even emigrated from foreign countries. Yet they all have two things in common. They are dolls, and they belong to Betty Sue Royal – all 400+ of them.

Mrs. Royal’s enormous collection of dolls, which now occupies most of the space in her home, had humble beginnings with a single purchase in 1970 of three Avon dolls for her young daughter.

“But instead of being a girly girl, she was a tomboy, and she eventually gave the dolls back to me,” laughs Mrs. Royal.

The collection is not limited to “unknowns” but also includes a few “celebrities” such as Princess Dianna, Lucy Arnez, Elvis, George W. Bush, Jesus and Erica Kane of All My Children fame. And, of course, no doll collection would be complete without an array of Barbie dolls.

Many are clad in elaborate attire

such as the “umbrella doll” whose elegant dress can be expanded by opening the umbrella underneath it. Others are adorned in garments made by Mrs. Royal. Some have rolling eyes while others have two-sided heads. All are unique in some manner.

While many of the dolls were purchased by Mrs. Royal or given to her as presents through the years, many have also been rescued from trashcans and flea markets. And all are treasured by Mrs. Royal.

Perhaps her love for dolls is best explained by Mark Twain who said, “Nothing that grieves us can be called little: by the eternal laws of proportion a child’s loss of a doll and a king’s loss of a crown are events of the same size.”

Mrs. Royal is not a child, but she does possess a child-like love for her dolls, and she is eager to share her collection with anyone who wants to visit her.

“Just call first,” she says like a proud parent.