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I take care of my plush patients as an orthopedist, plastic surgeon or physiotherapist and sometimes as a style consultant.
Because everyone has different problems.
This is also due to the fact that no one is like the other: sometimes they are old, sometimes very young.
But they always have one thing in common: someone is waiting for them at home who loves them very much.
I've been doing this job for half my life now.
When I was 30 I started my own business.
That it happened was more of a coincidence.
I had discovered an antique doll at the flea market, a collector's item.
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Unfortunately it was damaged in some places.
When I was looking for an expert who could mend the spots, I found it, but the repair was very expensive.
Then I decided that I could do that too - but at fair prices.
And so I have acquired more and more skills myself, because there is no training to become a puppet doctor.
In addition to craftsmanship, i.e. working with needle and thread, it is important to have a sense of aesthetics, but above all to understand that every single cuddly toy, every doll is a collector's item.
Puppet doctor Christine Grieser at work - the repairs require a lot of manual skill
Source: private
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When I told my family that I was giving up my job as an industrial clerk to work with toys, everyone was surprised.
My parents were skeptical and thought I would now spend the whole day playing - and that when I had such a solid education.
After a short time, however, they understood that my job is really close to my heart and that I can make a living from it. My everyday life is very varied, sometimes it's about polishing a doll's eyes and making them shine again. Another time, a teddy bear gets new felt feet because his fur is particularly worn at this point. After ten years of intense cuddling, even mass-produced teddies look completely different.
There are fewer and fewer people who understand how to handle cuddly toys and dolls, and the demand is high.
Of course, as a self-employed person you won't get rich in such a craft niche - but the order situation is very good.
Most of the inquiries reach me over the Internet.
I usually have around ten to 15 patients at home who are waiting for treatment.
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Sometimes emergencies reach me;
for example a mother who calls because her child cannot sleep without his bear, which broke while playing.
Then I try to put the patient in between.
One patient in particular sticks in my mind.
Then I received a doll in the mail.
The owner had lovingly put her in the package with a pillow and blanket and added a tiny plush toy to accompany her;
The doll also had a small flashlight with her, in case it got too dark in the package, and a bar of chocolate for provisions.
I took the chocolate out of the package because of course the doll had eaten it in the meantime.
For this I gave her a packet of gummy bears for the way back.
I often receive photos of the cuddly toys and dolls in their owners' arms when they return home.
That is one of the aspects that I particularly love about my job: that I can bring so much joy to people.
Noted by Marlen Dannoritzer