Every state / South Dakota
Stuffed animal repair in South Dakota
We searched South Dakota by name and nobody came back with a website saying they are there. That is the usual answer, and it is not the end of the road.
What an empty state actually means
It means our search found nobody. It does not mean nobody is there. A lot of this work is done by one person in a spare room who has a Facebook page and no website, and no search engine will ever show you them. Asking in a local sewing or quilting group finds those people faster than we can.
If the job is a split seam on something modern, a Repair Café will often do it for nothing, and there are far more of those than there are of these. Do not take anything old, jointed or irreplaceable to one. They are volunteers with sewing machines, not restorers, and they would tell you the same.
Post it instead
23 businesses anywhere in the country say they take work by post. Before you send anything: of the 185 we have read, 2 say anything about insuring your item while it is with them. Insure the parcel yourself, both ways.
A small craft studio that repairs stuffed animals and soft sculpture, originally set up to cover warranty work on its own 'MY KIDS' toys and now taking in other makers' items too. You email photos first, they propose a replacement fabric, and stuffing is replaced with polyester fibre fill unless you ask about other options.
In their words: “If some items come with previous repairs, we will usually not work on that animal unless it’s structurally unsound or per your request.”
New Mexico
takes it by post
A long-running doll hospital in the Kansas City area that also repairs stuffed animals of any size, including deep cleaning, sanitising, and replacing old stuffing with new hypoallergenic fiberfill. Repairs are booked by phone, take at least 60 to 90 days and sometimes more than a year, and they do not touch mechanical or electrical parts.
10910 Johnson Dr, Shawnee, KS 66203(913) 631-1900sales@dollcradle.com
In their words: “Unfortunately, our expertise doesn't extend into the mechanical or electrical components of dolls or collectibles. There are no replacement parts for Chatty Cathy or Mrs. Beasly, sorry!”
Shawnee
Said openquoted about 2 months thenread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over, takes it by post
Dr. Toni's Doll Repair & Restoration
A Southern California doll hospital run by a certified Dollologist, mainly working on vintage and antique dolls but also taking some stuffed animals and older toys. Visits are by appointment only, photos get you a ballpark figure, and a firm price needs the item in hand.
2114 Deodar St, Santa Ana, CA 92705(714) 785-6998
California
you can hand it over, takes it by post
A long-running doll and bear repair shop on Long Island, run by Jan, that also takes stuffed animals and Steiff pieces. They clean, restuff, mend tears and replace eyes, they keep original parts wherever they can, and they do not touch porcelain.
45395 Main Road, Southold, 11971(631) 765-2379
In their words: “SORRY NO PORCELAIN REPAIRS”
Southold
Said closedno reopening date givenread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over, takes it by post
Realms of Gold Cloth Doll & Stuffed Animal Repair Hospital
Beth repairs and rejuvenates cloth dolls, teddy bears and other stuffed animals, and has been doing it for over 20 years. She gives a free estimate first and does not start work until you have approved it, and her patients range from a few months old to nearly a century.
California
Placed here from their phone number, not their address
Said openread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over, takes it by post
Stuffed Animal Clinic of Madison
Nicole repairs stuffed animals, fabric-bodied dolls and pet toys from a clinic in Madison, Alabama, taking work in by post and by local drop-off. She mends tears, holes, faces and limbs, cleans and brushes out matted plush, and makes memory bears and weighted bears, with prices published from $50 and free estimates.
In their words: “The Stuffed Animal Clinic does not repair the following: Porcelain dolls, Mechanical dolls or toys (voice boxes, lights, etc.), Plastic toys, Barbies or other all plastic dolls and action figures, Cannot replace doll hair (we can comb and straighten doll hair)”
Madison
you can hand it over, takes it by post
Tina runs a mail-in stuffed toy cleaning and restoration service, with a standard package that unstuffs, deep cleans, restuffs and brushes a toy, plus customisation on top. Enquiries have been closed since a wave of demand in 2021, and she also sells one-to-one video sessions teaching you to do the repair yourself.
In their words: “It is with endless gratitude to our Stuffie Spa community that we can say The Stuffie Spa is currently fully booked through 2022, and that inquiries for appointments are closed until further notice.”
Location not stated
Said closedno reopening date givenread off their site yesterday
takes it by post
A one-person home workshop in the US, run by Martha, that repairs and restores stuffed toys and nothing else, with a focus on collectible and antique mohair bears and animals. She works by post on a booked schedule, requires cleaning as part of the job, will not do partial repairs, and has a long published list of things she will not take on.
In their words: “Though we focus on these collectible brands, we work on most types of plush toys (however, I do not work on dolls).”
Virginia
Placed here by TeddyBears.org state list, not by them
Said by appointmentquoted about 2 weeks thenread off their site yesterday
takes it by post
A postal stuffed animal repair service started in 1983 by Sally Winey, working to three set packages: clean and restuff, stitching and part replacement, and full restoration. They rebuild missing limbs and take on dog-attack damage, and the price includes shipping the toy back to you.
(704) 929-1880wineybearsrepair@gmail.com
In their words: “There are instances where the material is simply too old to be repaired.”
North Carolina
Placed here by TeddyBears.org state list, not by them
Said openquoted about 4 weeks thenread off their site yesterday
takes it by post
Bbeauty DollsDDA member
A doll shop in Yuba City with a doll hospital section, running alongside doll recycling, customisation, adoption and a very large parts inventory of wigs, eyes, shoes and clothes. The parts stock is the interesting part: a repairer with 19 sizes of wig in stock can match something a smaller workshop would have to fake.
Yuba City
takes it by post
A family-owned collectible bear and toy shop in Historic Downtown Glendale, running bear repairs alongside the shop since 1992. You send photos to start the conversation, then bring the toy in or post it. They are unusually plain about both the price and the wait.
7146 N 58th Dr, Glendale, AZ 85301(623) 931-0339bearsmore@aol.com
Glendale
Said waiting listquoted about 18 months thenread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over, takes it by post
Attic Antiquity Doll HospitalDDA member
Dorothy Meredith and her husband Mike, restoring dolls from a studio in Central Texas since the early 1980s, specialising in composition. Every patient is tagged, catalogued and put in a labelled container to wait its turn, and they do all the work themselves rather than sending it out. Written estimate before anything starts.
(830) 606-5868dmeredith@dolldr.com
In their words: “Our goal is not to make an antique appear new, but to restore damage while preserving as much of the original as possible.”
Texas
takes it by post
Making and restoring porcelain dolls since 1983, with a shop attached. They examine the doll, send you an estimate, and start nothing without approval. Restring American Girl dolls using factory methods, which is a specific enough claim to be worth something.
In their words: “We repair only what is necessary, keeping your doll as original as possible.”
Location not stated
you can hand it over, takes it by post
Elaine's Dolls and RestorationDDA member
Elaine Vernon, a certified Master Doll Doctor of twenty-five years, running a full-service doll hospital in Stockton. Invisible porcelain repair, composition, wood, papier mache, wigs, rocker eyes and costumes. Estimate from photos first, then a final estimate once it is in her hands.
8900 Thornton Rd, Stockton(209) 956-9084elaine209@att.net
In their words: “Email or contact us before shipping your doll.”
Stockton
you can hand it over, takes it by post
A fibre artist in Cincinnati running a stuffed animal hospital alongside making and selling her own. The clearest published price list of any US repairer here, and a same-day appointment for local people whose child cannot sleep without the toy.
Cincinnati
Said openquoted about 2 weeks thenread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over, takes it by post
A registered charity that restores donated dolls and gifts them to girls in children's homes or removed from their families, and takes paid repair work to fund it. Their doll doctor is the youngest member of the Doll Doctors Association and one of very few specialising in American Girl dolls.
Location not stated
takes it by post
A mother-and-daughter stuffed animal repair service in New York, whose six-year-old president once said the business would run until she was a grown-up. Their work is lovely and their last post is from February 2013, announcing a brief hiatus until spring.
New York
Said closedno reopening date givenread off their site yesterday
takes it by post
Thirty years and twenty thousand toys, in an 1890s building in downtown Noblesville. Tin, celluloid, composition and pressed steel, custom parts fabricated for almost anything, and the mechanisms repaired: wind-up and battery-operated both. They also invented the cardboard box repair business. This is where the toys every plush specialist refuses actually go.
165 N 9th St, Noblesville, IN 46060Their site
Noblesville
you can hand it over, takes it by post
A specialist cleaner of thirty-five years with a dedicated soft toy service, in store in Scottsdale and by post from anywhere in the country or the world. They clean, sanitise and deodorise inside and out, and they draw a careful distinction between a plushie, a soft toy and a stuffed animal by what the eyes and nose are made of. Cleaning, not repair.
8480 East Butherus Dr, Ste 104, Scottsdale, AZ 85260(844) 728-3322
In their words: “We clean and restore your plushies, soft toys and stuffed animals that have some monetary value and/or high sentimental or emotional value.”
Scottsdale
Said openread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over, takes it by post
Doll Cottage, The Doll Repair Hospital
A doll repair hospital that publishes what it calls a partial list of services and a flat 12.99 dollar return shipping fee, and takes Madame Alexander among others. The site has not been touched in a decade.
In their words: “There is a $12.99 return shipping and handling fee so if you are paying by check please add this to your total”
Location not stated
takes it by post
A doll repair practice with a before-and-after gallery, sitting inside a shop for antique doll clothes. They also run repair seminars with a class bring-list, and publish articles arguing professional doll repair against amateur doll repair, which is a fair question to have an answer to before you choose anybody.
Location not stated
takes it by post
Vermont Teddy Bear, Bear Hospital
Every bear Vermont Teddy Bear makes carries a lifetime guarantee. If anything happens to it you send it to their Bear Hospital in Shelburne and they repair or replace it, free, for as long as the bear exists. Their own bears only, and unlike Build-A-Bear you post it rather than walk in.
In their words: “They only repair their own branded bears. The guarantee is on bears they made.”
Shelburne
Said openread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over, takes it by post
Angelic Creations Doll and Toy Hospital
A doll and teddy bear hospital west of Chicago, run by the same person for over forty years and now working from home. Everything starts with a paid examination, in person or by post, and most toys have to be cleaned before any repair begins. It takes stuffed animals as readily as dolls, and accepts donated toys for parts.
60563(630) 740-8128whittville@gmail.com
In their words: “We should not have to repair a toy covered in saliva, vomit, germs or animal fluids. We would like to or need to clean it first.”
Naperville
you can hand it over, takes it by post
In a state that borders South Dakota
Bordering is not the same as near. Texas borders New Mexico and that is still a seven hundred mile drive. Check the town before you plan anything.
Dr. Darlene's Doll RestorationDDA member
Listed in the Doll Doctors Association hospital locator, in Fosston, MN. We have not read a website for them, so we cannot tell you what they take on, what they refuse, or what it costs. The contact details are theirs and are published here as the directory published them. Ring before you rely on any of it: of the entries in these same lists that did give a website, nearly half pointed at a domain that no longer exists.
Fosston
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
Listed in a published list of doll hospitals by state, in IA. The website the directory gives no longer loads. We have not read a website for them, so we cannot tell you what they take on, what they refuse, or what it costs. The contact details are theirs and are published here as the directory published them. Ring before you rely on any of it: of the entries in these same lists that did give a website, nearly half pointed at a domain that no longer exists.
Iowa
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
Listed in a published list of doll hospitals by state, in IA. We have not read a website for them, so we cannot tell you what they take on, what they refuse, or what it costs. The contact details are theirs and are published here as the directory published them. Ring before you rely on any of it: of the entries in these same lists that did give a website, nearly half pointed at a domain that no longer exists.
Iowa
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
CrazyEye Stuffed Animal Clinic
A stuffed animal repair service in Omaha run by Janice Bjornstad, covering ripped seams, missing facial features, limb reattachment, joint repair, fur weaving, restuffing and hand washing. You text photos to get a free quote, but parts of the website are unfinished and still carry template placeholder text.
Omaha
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
Listed in the Doll Doctors Association hospital locator, in Minatare, NE. We have not read a website for them, so we cannot tell you what they take on, what they refuse, or what it costs. The contact details are theirs and are published here as the directory published them. Ring before you rely on any of it: of the entries in these same lists that did give a website, nearly half pointed at a domain that no longer exists.
Minatare
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
Everywhere, including South Dakota
6 of these are national rather than local: a chain with a shop near most people, a restoration franchise dispatched to wherever the damage is, a manufacturer's own service. They are as available in South Dakota as anywhere else.
American Girl Doll Care Center
Mattel's own repair service for American Girl dolls, renamed in 2026 from the Doll Hospital to the Doll Care Center. Three tiers, from a refresh through to replacing two of head, body, torso or limbs, and every treatment comes back with a certificate of good health, a gown and socks. Their own dolls only.
75 Rockefeller Plz, Fl 1, New York, NY 10019Their site
In their words: “They only repair their own branded dolls. The Doll Care Center is Mattel's service for American Girl dolls and takes nothing else.”
Location not stated
Said openquoted about 6 weeks thenread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over, takes it by post
A national contents restoration franchise that works as part of the emergency response after a fire, flood or storm. Textiles, electronics and art, restored room by room with photo documentation, and billed through the insurance claim rather than by you. You reach them through an adjuster or a contractor.
Location not stated
Said openread off their site yesterday
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
A national specialty restoration franchise covering electronics, art, documents and textiles for insurance claims. They argue in their own words that a favourite stuffed animal can mean more to somebody than its monetary worth, and price by process and labour rather than per piece, which they say keeps the claim cheaper.
In their words: “If any items cannot be restored, they'll be listed as total loss items.”
Location not stated
Said openread off their site yesterday
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
A commercial laundry and restoration plant built around insurance work. They publish a 92 percent average restore rate over a million items processed, and they say plainly that they recover soft goods other cleaners write off. Every item is photographed, barcoded and graded restorable or not, priced against replacement cost.
In their words: “Each item is graded restorable or non-restorable and priced against replacement cost.”
Location not stated
Said openread off their site yesterday
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
Textile Restorations, trading as ReNew
An award-winning restoration plant for clothing and household fabrics damaged by fire, smoke, water or mould, working through insurers. Named American Drycleaner Magazine plant of the year in 1991 and rated the number one fabric restoration vendor by Contractor Connection in 2010 and 2014.
Location not stated
Said openread off their site yesterday
Doesn’t say how you get it to them
Every Build-A-Bear store runs a Bear Hospital: stitching, restuffing, a brush and a clean bill of health, free, in about five minutes while you wait. There is one catch and it is a big one. They only take Build-A-Bear bears.
No mail-free route stated
In their words: “They only repair their own branded bears. By a former employee's account, the number of people arriving with other brands is what created the independent repair market in the first place.”
Location not stated
Said openquoted about a week thenread off their site yesterday
you can hand it over