Simpich Character Dolls.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Cool Colorado Stuff - Brief Article

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Simpich is a Colorado institution. Newlyweds Jan and Bob Simpich began crafting handmade carolers as gifts for their family in 1952, for their friends the following year, and for an ever-growing circle of collectors in the time since. (At one point, there was a seven-year waiting list for some dolls.) Building a fervent clientele through word of mouth and annual newsletters, the couple moved the business out of the home and into a shop in Old Colorado City in 1978, and never looked back. Now 80 employees strong, Simpich has produced about a half-million dolls in its half-century of existence, everything from Santa Claus to...