A Christmas Carol
On December 19, 1843, Charles Dickens released A Christmas Carol, a story that helped revive and redefine the spirit of Christmas. More than a century later, as the tale continued to warm hearts around the world, Bob and Jan Simpich began sculpting their own three-dimensional interpretations of Dickens’ classic—an artistic endeavor they continued to refine until some of their very last designs in 2006. Today, the Christmas Carol Collection stands as a cherished celebration of Christmas past, present, and future, and a gentle reminder of the hope first promised on that very first Christmas.
This Weeks Featured Designs
Browse three handpicked pieces
Condition: Pristine | Limited Edition of 1,000 | Introduced in 1999
This Dear Santa is #15 of the 1,000 numbered pieces in the edition, hand-numbered on his base along with the 1999 date. (Artist proofs made while the design was being developed were left unnumbered, so the numbering begins with the finished edition.) Of all the Simpich Santas, he is the one that captures the classic Santa style, and he carries the tradition of letters to Santa right along with him. From his black boots and wooden stand to his white beard and Elizabeth’s letter, he is in pristine condition.
The letter is the heart of this piece. Santa has paused to read a note pulled from his mailbag, and that note was written by my sister, Elizabeth. More letters peek out of the black “Mail – North Pole” bag on his shoulder, waiting their turn.
He wears red velvet trimmed in white fur, small round spectacles and a bell at the tip of his cap.
Sculpted by my grandfather, Robert Simpich, then cast, hand-painted and dressed in hand-sewn clothing in the Simpich Doll Shop in Colorado Springs.
For any family that still writes letters to Santa, he belongs by the tree.
Condition: Pristine
The Happy Urchin is one of the most charming and playful figures in the Simpich Caroler Collection — and one of the hardest to find. This cheerful young boy is caught in a moment every family recognizes: arms overflowing with a towering stack of beautifully wrapped Christmas presents, his wide grin and bright eyes radiating pure holiday excitement.
Every detail tells his story — from his cozy tweed overcoat and colorful fringed scarf to his curly blonde hair and rosy, freckled face. The hand-wrapped gifts he carries are a masterclass in Simpich craftsmanship, each box individually wrapped and ribboned by hand.
The Happy Urchin pairs beautifully with Grandmama and Grandpapa, and together they create one of the most beloved family scenes in the entire Simpich Caroler Collection.
As part of the Rare category of Simpich Character Dolls, the Happy Urchin is significantly harder to find than standard Caroler pieces, making this an exceptional opportunity for serious collectors.
Condition: Pristine
This is a wonderful Bell Ringer from the Simpich Doll Shop, on a base stamped 1989. She is an early example of the white fur-trimmed coat, and after 37 years her condition stands out. The red felt is still vibrant with no fading, the white trim is bright with no stains, and her bell still jingles when you lift her for a closer look.
Simpich Character Dolls began in the fall of 1952, and the last dolls were made in January 2007. This Bell Ringer was made 37 years after the first Simpich doll, and 37 years have passed since. She is a wonderful example of the craftsmanship, longevity and wonder of Simpich Character Dolls.
The Bell Ringer has deep roots in that history. My grandparents, Bob and Jan Simpich, first made her in their home in Manitou Springs, Colorado, as a Christmas gift for their family. Over the years Jan refined the design. This fur-trimmed version keeps the red coat and bonnet, black satin bow and brass bell that have made the Bell Ringer a core figure in any Caroller set.
Sculpted by Jan Simpich, then cast, hand-painted and dressed in hand-sewn clothing in the Simpich Doll Shop in Colorado Springs.
Whether she’s the first piece in your Caroller set or the one that rounds it out, she’s ready to ring in another Christmas.
Simpich Character Doll Shop
Latest Additions
New finds are listed often, this is the perfect place to stay up to date with our inventory.
The Ghost of Christmas Present – A Christmas Carol Collection
Condition: Pristine | 19 Inches Tall
In A Christmas Carol, the second spirit greets Scrooge with a laugh and an invitation: "Come in! and know me better, man!" The Simpich Ghost of Christmas Present looks like he's saying it right now. His arms are spread wide, his palms are open, and his eyes are crinkled nearly shut from laughing.
Dickens described this spirit carefully, and this piece follows him closely. In the book, the spirit wears a simple green robe bordered with white fur, a holly wreath set with shining icicles, and no shoes. He has long, dark brown curls. Here, the robe is deep green velvet, trimmed in thick white from collar to hem and around both sleeves. The holly crown is dotted with red berries and threaded with gold for the icicles. His curls and beard are sculpted in heavy ringlets. Beneath the robe he wears gold-flecked trousers, and his bare feet stand on a round wooden base.
At 19 inches, he is the largest Simpich doll ever produced, and the size lets the small details come through: the laugh lines around his eyes, the knuckles on his open hands, the toenails on his bare feet, and the twisted gold rope belt with its tasseled ends.
He was sculpted by [designer], then cast, hand-painted, and dressed in hand-sewn clothing in the Simpich doll shop.
Condition
Pristine, as shown in the photos.
In the story, this is the spirit who takes Scrooge to the Cratchits' Christmas table, and he's a natural centerpiece for a Christmas Carol display alongside the Cratchit Family.
God Bless Us Every One: Scrooge & Tiny Tim
Condition: Pristine | Limited Edition #134 of 800 |
This is the only limited edition in the Simpich Christmas Carol series, and it’s the moment the whole story builds toward.
Scrooge is a changed man. Dressed for Christmas dinner in a green tailcoat with a black collar and a lace jabot, he sits on a wooden stool with Tiny Tim on his knee, one arm wrapped around him and a grin across his whole face. Tim, in a red plaid vest with a red satin bow at his collar, holds his crutch in one hand and has the other arm around Scrooge’s shoulder, looking up at him.
Look closely: the veins and knuckles in Scrooge’s hands, the creases in his worn leather shoes, the wrinkled stockings at his ankles. The stool carries the story in my grandfather Bob Simpich’s lettering, cast from his hand-lettered original, with lines drawn from Dickens: “God bless us every one,” “Tiny Tim did not die!” and “He knew how to keep Christmas well as any man alive.”
Sculpted by Bob Simpich, then cast, hand-painted and dressed in hand-sewn clothing in the Simpich Doll Shop in Colorado Springs. Mounted on an oval wooden base, stamped with the shop’s mark and hand-numbered #134 of 800.
He knew how to keep Christmas. This piece does too.
The Cratchit Family – A Christmas Carol Collection
Condition: Pristine | Complete Signed Set of Five
Bob Cratchit comes home through the snow with Tiny Tim riding on his shoulder, and the whole family is there to meet them. This is the complete Cratchit Family from the Simpich A Christmas Carol Collection: Bob with Tiny Tim, Mrs. Cratchit, the Cratchit Girl, and the Cratchit Boy.
Each of them is bringing something to Christmas dinner. Mrs. Cratchit holds the pudding on its plate, iced and topped with a sprig of holly. The Cratchit Boy carries a carved wooden bowl heaped with red apples. The Cratchit Girl holds a candle burned low, its wax dripping down over the holder. Above them all, Tiny Tim raises his crutch in a red mitten, plaid scarf wrapped around his neck, while Bob looks up at him with a grin under a white top hat trimmed in holly.
Look closely and you'll find a patch on every member of the family. There's a tweed square on Bob's knee, calico on Mrs. Cratchit's skirt, a red diamond on the girl's pinafore, and a mend on the boy's breeches. Dickens wrote the Cratchits as a family with very little money and a great deal of joy, and these small mends tell that story in fabric. He described Mrs. Cratchit as "brave in ribbons," and there's her blue ribbon tied at the back of her dress.
Each figure was sculpted by [designer], then cast, hand-painted, and dressed in hand-sewn clothing in the Simpich doll shop. Their outfits include wool coats, a linen shawl edged in lace, a lace cap over painted ringlets, and a gingham shirt under a felt vest.
Condition: Pristine | Sold as a pair
Grandpapa and Grandmama are out for the last of their Christmas shopping, arms full of gifts for the grandchildren.
Grandpapa is dressed for the occasion: black top hat, red waistcoat with a gold watch chain, gold cufflinks, a black satin cravat and a red plaid scarf. He carries his gold-topped cane in one hand and a foil-wrapped box in the other, and his eyes are crinkled shut mid-smile.
Grandmama wears a blue wool dress trimmed in black lace, a black shawl, and a bonnet tied with red ribbon. A painted rose brooch sits at her lace collar, and her lace-cuffed mittens are full of packages: holly paper, a red polka-dot box, and green and red bows.
Sculpted by Robert Simpich, then cast, hand-painted and dressed in hand-sewn clothing in the Simpich Doll Shop in Colorado Springs.
Every Caroller set needs someone bringing the presents.
Yule Log Boy (The Teenage Boy) | Simpich Character Dolls, Caroler Collection
Condition: Pristine
Every caroling party has one kid who isn't quite paying attention to the music, and in the Simpich Caroler Collection, it's this one. Yule Log Boy has one black mitten thrown up over his head, waving at somebody down the street or at the first snowflakes, and his mouth is wide open, though whether he's singing the carol or shouting hello is anybody's guess. Behind him, on a length of twine, he's dragging home the yule log.
He's a freckle-faced blond in a heathered blue knit pullover, black felt trousers and black shoes, with a long Fair Isle stocking cap in red, navy, green and white that flops down past his shoulder, and a matching knit scarf that hangs nearly to his knees and finishes in a fat white yarn tassel. Both are the real thing, tiny knitted pieces rather than printed fabric, and the pattern is picked out with little stitches of yellow. The log itself is a sculpted piece with bark texture and growth rings on the cut ends, tied with a red ribbon and a sprig of holly, ready for the hearth.
He is the natural companion to the Teenage Girl, and the two of them together read as a pair of siblings sent out to fetch the log and finding it more fun than they expected. On his own, he's the piece that gives a Caroler display its motion: everyone else is standing still and singing, and he's the one about to break into a run.
Condition: Pristine | Limited Edition of 1,200 | Introduced in 2002 | Edition Number 119 - 1,200
Good News Santa is mid-dance: balanced on the toe of one curled red shoe, the other foot kicked up behind him, his hat swung high overhead and his face turned up to the sky. Beneath his feet, the sculpted base is hand-lettered with the words “Good news of a great joy.”
Throughout the Santa series, I’ve talked about how joy is one of the most important threads in my grandfather Bob Simpich’s work, and in the Simpich family’s legacy as a whole. This piece says it outright. Good News Santa isn’t just joyful; he proclaims joy.
Look closely and you’ll find the gold-rimmed spectacles, the red leather belt with its brass buckle (where most Simpich Santas wear black), and the calligraphy signed beneath the inscription. This one is #119 of 1,200, hand-numbered on the base, and the back of the sculpted base is marked “© Simpich 2002.”
Sculpted by Bob Simpich, then cast, hand-painted and dressed in hand-sewn clothing in the Simpich Doll Shop in Colorado Springs.
A Santa for the season’s oldest good news.
The Organ Grinder | Signed by Robert Simpich | The last and rarest Simpich Caroller
One red-mittened hand turns the crank, a pipe is clenched in his grin, and his cheeks are pink from the cold and from laughing. Whatever tune is coming out of that organ, he knows every note of it by heart.
The organ hangs from a leather strap across his chest, its face carved with a row of gilded pipes. And riding on top sits his partner: a small brown monkey, tail curled over his back, one hand pressed to his cheek, wearing a little red cap with a gold button to match his master's. Of the two of them, the monkey is the one watching you.
Turn him around and the story keeps going. A fringed red plaid scarf hangs down the back of a black wool coat. His trousers are black-and-white tweed. All of it is hand-sewn from real fabric, not painted on. On the back of his red cap, pressed right into the brim, is the mark: © Simpich.
The Organ Grinder was the last new figure added to the Simpich Carollers, released in 2005, less then two years before the doll shop closed. Making the Organ grinder one of the hardest to find, since they were only produced for a very limited time.
Robert Simpich, who founded the doll shop with his wife, Jan, sculpted the original. This piece was then cast, hand-painted, and dressed in hand-sewn clothing in the Simpich doll shop, and set on a wooden base. Turn it over and you'll find Robert Simpich's signature across the base, the year 2005, and the doll shop's gold foil label from 2413 West Colorado Avenue.
He has been well cared for. The scarf's fringe is intact, the wool is unfaded, the gilding on the pipes is still bright, and both the crank and the monkey's little cap are still with him.
Details
The last new Caroler, released 2005
Signed by Robert Simpich on the base · dated 2005 by hand · original gold foil shop label
Condition: heirloom
Condition: Heirloom (pristine and signed by the artist) | Limited Edition of 1,200 | Introduced in 2005
#661/1200
“Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse” … except this one. Santa has found the plate of cookies left out for him, and a little gray mouse has beaten him to it, sitting up among the chocolate chips and looking up at Santa as if waiting to see whether he’ll share.
Even a Mouse was created by my father, Master Puppeteer David Simpich, and introduced in 2005, less than two years before the Simpich Doll Shop made its last dolls in January 2007. This one is #661 of 1,200, hand-numbered and signed on the base, and even the cookie plate is marked “© Simpich 05.”
Sculpted by David Simpich, then cast, hand-painted and dressed in hand-sewn red velvet in the Simpich Doll Shop in Colorado Springs.
A Santa for any family that still leaves cookies out on Christmas Eve.
Certified Simpich
Every Simpich Character Doll we rehome goes through a rigorous inspection, authentication, and in some cases restoration. So that you know you are getting an authentic Simpich Character Doll ready to warm your home for years to come.
About Toby Simpich
General Manager of Simpich Family Traditions
Hello, and welcome to Simpich.com, the home for all of my family's artwork. My grandparents Bob and Jan Simpich started the Simpich Character Dolls in 1952, and since then the Simpich Family has only grown and expanded their creative legacy. From my father David Simpich's marionette productions, to my brother Kemper Simpich's landscape photography — I'm so proud to share it all here on Simpich.com.
I live in Woodland Park, just west of Colorado Springs, with my wife Kinsey. I've been working in the family business since 2009, when I took up selling concessions outside my dad's Marionette theatre in Old Colorado City. Since then I've worked to sell tickets to his shows, sell the fine art by landscape photography by Kemper Simpich and paintings of Robert Simpich, and of course the Simpich Character Dolls. I've rehomed thousands of these characters in my attempt to keep the legacy of my grandparents alive. If you are interested in learning more about any aspect of the Simpich Family's legacy, reach out using the form below.
If you would like to explore my photo and video work, check out my website!