Sonja Bryer

Some beautiful sculpts from Sonja. Any questions? Email her: sonja@mariedolls.net

Sonja designed the dresses, hats, and ribbon roses. Everything is handmade. Each doll is $275.00.

Sonja and Her Dolly sonja@mariedolls.net A self portrait doll of Sonja as a child Limited edition of 10 - $850.00 Each doll is handmade by Sonja and an incredible collectible!

Stacy Limited edition of 10 - $500.00 sonja@mariedolls.net

Mary Jane Limited edition of 10 - $500.00 sonja@mariedolls.net

A recent article on Sonja:

Sonja Bryer never thought she would enjoy getting her hands this dirty. In the welcome confines of her basement, Bryer is hard at work sculpting her next major masterpiece. She knows that with every stroke of her sculpting knife, there is no room for error. But she also knows that her precision will pay off. She knows that what she creates will last a lifetime in a young child’s heart.

Bryer is the creator of several hundred porcelain dolls that have been sold across the country and around the world. For 25 years, Bryer has sculpted dolls for the Danbury Mint company, Ashton Drake, Franklin Mint, Disney, Warner Brothers and most recently for Marie Osmond’s company, now called Chrisma Brands.

When she initially first became interested in doll making, Bryer was already an accomplished ceramic artist. To support her ceramic-creating hobby, Bryer offered ceramic classes from her basement and taught courses at other studios in Dayton for 12 years. She said students from three different states came to those classes to learn from her.

But, Bryer said “this artistic thing kept coming out of me.” In 1977, Bryer got her chance to pursue another challenge. While attending her first doll convention, Bryer discovered a new passion: sculpting porcelain dolls.

I met a lady there who then taught me how to sculpt. I was like sponge. “I wanted to learn so badly,” Bryer recalled. This mentor Bryer met at the convention would also teach Bryer the importance of developing her own style.

Soon after hop-scotching across the country to showcase her newly created porcelain doll collection, Bryer finally got discovered by national companies at Toy Fair in New York City. Bryer knew, if companies were interested, she could have them mass market her creations and take a break from traveling the country to sell her own dolls.

Since Toy Fair, Bryer has been busy creating well-known, porcelain dolls sculptures. For example for Disney, she created the likeness of Cruella Deville, the evil woman pursuing dozens of dogs in the movie, 101 Dalmations. Bryer has also created dolls of the characters from the Wizard of Oz, Barbie doll type sculptures of Marie and Donnie Osmond.

While Bryer does not have a particular, favorite porcelain doll that she has created, she said she loves the challenge of creating a character’s face, like the Wicked Witch of the West character and the Wizard of Oz doll series.

It was with the Marie Osmond doll company that the Sonja Bryer name received more national attention. Bryer got to spend time on the home shopping channel, QVC, with Marie Osmond to celebrate Marie’s 10^th Anniversary on QVC. Bryer recalled that the host of the show Mary Beth, commissioned Bryer to create a portrait, porcelain doll of Mary Beth’s daughter. Bryer also said that in 1999, CNN Larry Kings’ Producer also asked Bryer to create a portrait doll of their daughter as well. Bryer said the doll, which was named Amaya, has been one of Marie’s best sellers.

Marie herself flew out to Bryer’s home in Bellbrook in October 2000 to create her own porcelain doll and Bryer flew out in 2003 twice to visit Marie’s home in Utah.

Despite the good relationship with Marie, Bryer has reached a stalemate with Marie’s company over Bryer’s doll making contract which has already expired. Bryer said the company continually asks her to take a pay cut, so she is setting her sights elsewhere. Bryer is working with a company in China which is producing her dolls for members of the Ohio Valley Doll Colletors Club. She is also making some small editions of her own and some One-of-a-Kind dolls.

So it would seem after 25 years, Bryer is far from slowing down from her passion of sculpting dolls.

Her husband, Paul, who is retired from DP&L and who gladly spends most of his time being Bryer’s goffer, said his wife will be sculpting dolls until the day she dies. Bryer agrees. “I need to be creating all the time. It’s in my blood.”