At the end of the holiday in Italy last year, Tricia and I were able to go to Switzerland and have a wonderful visit with Brigitte. Brigitte was a kind and generous hostess and on our last day we traveled to Zürich. After stashing our luggage in lockers at the station, Brigitte led us to the wonderful museum featuring Sasha Morgenthaler creations. (Link below)
We had another very interesting visit in Zurich, after the museum, but that will be shared in a separate post since this museum post is very lengthy. I hope you will prepare a cup of tea and enjoy these photos. If you have seen them before, perhaps these images will revive your interest, show you a different angle or a different lighting, and provide you additional and renewed insights to the delightful talents of Sasha Morgenthaler.
http://www.zuercher-spielzeugmuseum.ch/index_en.html
The fantastic displays in the museum are encased in glass and so there will be reflections plus you will see the back of some dolls that are facing outwards on the opposite side. These photos are not in a logical order and you might see a head shot later in the photo lineup from the full length photos. Also, please be tolerant of the photos that are a product of my camera phone and my very shaky hands in nervous excitement of actually being there in Zurich, in person, and with so many studio dolls! I hope you will be able to enjoy your visit as you see the inspirational Sasha studio dolls in abundance and Serie dolls as well. The real Sasha Shangri-La.
The Prince.
A four legged beauty.
Boys galore and don’t you love seeing them all together? Each one is very unique and so charming. One thoughtful girl in bright pink towers in the background and a friendly zebra nudges the barefoot boy.
A poorly captured Pierrot to the right of the photo and a divine bebe propped up on an upper pedestal.
A beautiful bebe.
The fabulous existentialist girl and boy.
An oh so sweet child in dungarees and striped shirt.
A remarkable blonde boy and girl. Her coat is a work of art by itself.
A closer photo of the girl in bright pink. I can’t help but notice the lovely waist tie of the blonde girl from the back.
Tools of Sasha’s trade.
A most handsome boy in brown corduroy trousers and black jacket. Even the small Steiff bear with his mouth open looks to be amazed to see such a fine boy.
I love this beautiful blonde girl with her plaits and holding on to bebe dear. So very touching.
A beautiful head painted by Sasha and would be an A-I studio doll if joined to the proper body. Such beautiful painting on this tricot covered mold and lovely red hemp wig.
A photo of a working table which I think would’ve been in Sasha’s studio.
A head mold.
Another photo of this precious pair or should I say trio?
An amazing Japanese girl dated 1952. A most beautiful child looking so serene.
The existentalist pair in these two photos. I struggled with the glare and I hope you can especially see the wonderful boy and his purple corduroy slacks, purple and white striped top with scarf, plus a smart shiny black jacket with matching hat. The girl is equally beautifully dressed with her fur coat, colorful scarf, slim white slacks and sleek black boots.
Close up of the handsome boy wearing the brown corduroy trousers.
A sweet girl in her apron and sandals. You can see the rick rack trim on her undergarment that is typically seen on Sasha’s undergarments.
Yes, another angle of this happy girl and bebe.
A card game created by Sasha Morgenthaler.
An unexpected Kathe Kruse wide hipped girl stands behind a delightful doll house and to our left of these two lovely studio dolls. The girl with the plaits is a favorite of mine.
I could have spent hours absorbing this display alone. As you can see, all children love a doll house.
I was delighted to see these two lovely Munich Art dolls. I think this was my first time to see a Munich Art Doll in person though I have seen them in books and in several Theriault’s auction catalogs.
How lovely to see these girls shopping and looking so beautiful in their corduroy dresses.
Amazing displays.
This pretty girl, in her checked gingham dress, looks at home with other dollies of days gone by.
A tilt of her head and her high arched brow both speak to me as to say that she is inquisitive and observant.
A little angel all in white is tucked sweetly into this corner.
A biography and timeline for Sasha Morgenthaler.
An existentialist look to this pale girl in black sweater and slacks with a discreet scarf wound at the neckline.
A most beautiful girl wearing a remarkable dress with the fabric flowing on a diagonal in the center while the white lines of the fabric draw our attention to her neckline, cuffs and hemline. A most wonderful creation!
A pale girl wearing a fabulous creation of a maxi coat in leather with matching slacks, belt and boots and a white knitted top. She has a wistful and far away expression.
A sweet child in white with a remarkable hat.
A very pale and serious girl wearing a stunning white dress.
Photographs of Sasha and her family and at work.
A print of a painting by Ernst Morgenthaler illustrating his wife, Sasha, her sons, and the housekeeper in the background.
A perfectly pouty brunette in a pale pink dress that reminds me of the Serie brunette girl’s dress called “Party Pink”.
A serious and thoughtful child. Several more close up photos.
A lovely display of Sasha vinyl dolls. The round platforms rotate in circles to help you see all the dolls.
A gorgeous girl.
I am showing this most beautiful Sasha Studio girl with her very full plaits once again. Her green eyes are perfect with her green printed dress. I love her ribbons too. I love everything about her.
A handsome red headed boy.
Her lovely white dress with lace trimming on the bodice, cuffs, and hemline accentuates the diagonal patterned fabric. Her brown hair, eyes, necklace, sash, and shoes all make for a perfect picture of this beautiful girl.
Two beautiful girls in lovely white gowns.
A dreamy expression with this beautiful girl and she has a wax-like appearance to her face.
Additional photos of the vinyl dolls and outfits.
There were many fantastic antique dolls on display.
A lovely Sasha Doll tucked beside a most interesting train display.
Look here! A Gregor waving to get our attention.
Additional lovely Kathe Kruse dolls.
Baby Sasha waiting for his stroll.
As you can see it is an extraordinary museum and I would love to spend much more time there to really see and think about the amazing displays of dolls and toys.
A couple of Lenci dolls among doll friends.
A towering and full doll house is a wonderful backdrop for our beloved Sasha dolls.
I took a few photos of Zürich from the museum window.
Upstairs the displays continue of space toys and familiar toys to include Star Wars.
A wonderful poster on display.
A happy surprise to see these two Sasha babies sitting in a cradle tucked away on a side shelf.
I hope you have enjoyed this post of remarkable Sasha dolls along with the other lovely dolls and toys found in our human history. I am so grateful to Brigitte for her warm hospitality extended to Tricia and me during our stay and for bringing us to the toy museum in Zurich. This visit will forever stay with me in my heart.
Sasha Shangri-La 
What a lovely way to start my day, thank you for sharing all these wonderful photos. Wow, you must have been over the moon being with all these Sasha’s in one place. I have spotted a few Studio Dolls I haven’t seen before too, always a thrill and I will ask if I can use some of your photos of them to add to the Studio Doll Album in our group. ❤
Thank you Janet. It was wonderful to be there and though it has been over a year now, I can remember clearly those feelings of joy. What a magical place! Yes, please use any photo for the group album. Have a wonderful day my friend. ❤️ xxx
Wonderful to see your photos Ginger – I took lots of my own on my various visits there but it’s lovely to see how different angles capture different expressions on these special dolls.
Some of the dolls are from Sasha’s own collection, now held by the city of Zurich, and others belong to the museum itself. The beautiful early Götz girl in the green coat on the carousel display belongs to the museum’s owner and was bought for her by her grandfather who set up the famous toy store in Zurich. They only recently acquired the museum’s own studio bebe, a donation by a local resident.
The museum liaises with the city to try to display selections of Sasha’s own collection regularly to avoid them being in store and unseen. Also, last year they were able to display a previously unseen family piece, a toy elephant made by Sasha for her son, and I had the huge honour to help the owner display it along with some of the other toys Sasha made.
My favourite is always the soft bodied girl with plaits early in your post wearing a check dress and holding the bebe. I can gaze at her for ages.
Thank you for sharing these Ginger and how joyous to see the pleasure the museum gave you. Looking forward to my next visit to see what has changed recently!
Thank you Diane and I really appreciate the helpful information you added in your comments. I am glad they rotate the dolls in and out to allow them all to be seen and how very special that some dolls belonged to Sasha herself!
You might think my favorite doll is the same as yours – the blonde girl in the checked dress because I took many photos of her. She is my second choice. My favorite is the girl with the thick auburn plaits with the green eyes and the green printed dress behind the doll house. Aren’t they all so lovely?
I was so happy to be there and the ladies there were so kind and helpful. We had a limited amount of time due to commitments and I would love to be there early in the morning with an open day.
I am glad you have a next visit to look forward to. I would love to return and hope to one day. Sometimes life surprises us and an unexpected door will open! ❤️ xxx
WONDERFUL ! Ginger what a fabulous time you must have had seeing all those Sasha dolls in one lovely place. So much to see in each photo ! I will be back again and again until I have had a good long look at every one.
It’s lovely seeing the other dolls and toys on display too.
You are so good to take so many photos and to share them with us. A brilliant post that I am sure will be visited again and again by everyone who loves Sasha and toys. xxx
Thank you Dee and I am so glad you enjoyed the post and that you will revisit it too. I am seeing new things every time I look at these photos that are so full of wonderful dolls, bears, and toys. What a wonderful place to visit again and again.
I flew home the morning after this museum visit and it was a perfect ending to a most wonderful holiday in England, Italy, and Switzerland. 😊 xxx
p.s. If I counted correctly, there are 115 photos in this post. I wish I had taken more! ❤️
It was a real treat seeing these wonderful photos! You did a great job of capturing their serene and innocent expressions. Thank’s so much for sharing them. I loved seeing so many studio boys, though I think my single favorite would have to be the little girl in the white dress and floppy hat. It must have been an amazing experience seeing it all in person. Thanks again!
You are very welcome Steve. I have really enjoyed posting these photos. Seeing them brings back wonderful memories and I am noticing much more now than I did at that time. Studio boys seem to be rarer to find and there were plenty in the museum to see and appreciate. I highly recommend a visit to Zurich and especially to the museum if you have a chance. ❤️ xxx
OMGosh Ginger!! It took me a while to go through all these yummy photos!! With so much detail it takes a while to look at everything! I adore the photo of the large dollhouse which included Sasha dolls the most. But I also love that you included other photos as well with the variety of antique dolls, the amazing view outside the window to a place where I will never see, and the space toys from another level of the museum. I envy you for seeing this beauty with your own eyes, but an thankful that you have shared your sights with others.
Hi Cathy! I am glad you enjoyed the post. It will take a while to see everything in the many photos. I see new things each time I look. I am glad I took photos out the window in order to see the lovely area architecture. Switzerland is just beautiful! I am very fortunate to have visited. ❤️ xxx
This is an amazing place to visit, thank you so much for sharing it with us Ginger. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to see so many beautiful Sashas and Gregors all in one place. I absolutely loved all your photos and saw many dolls that I would LOVE to have a little hold of! 😀
Big hugs xxx
Thank you Sharon. I am so happy to share and I highly recommend everyone that can will visit the museum. It is a Sasha heaven! Plus other dolly heaven too! ❤️ xxx
A million thanks Ginger for this truly wonderful visit to what can only be described as ‘an insight into Sasha Studio Heaven.’
To visit here has always been on my Sasha wish list but alas now too late for me so am all the more appreciative of these photos and like Janet says there are some dolls here that I have never seen before.
You are most welcome Kendal. I am glad you enjoyed the museum post. I did not think I would ever go to Switzerland or be there at the museum either. I am deeply grateful to Brigitte for making it happen. I hope you enjoy the photos again in the future. ❤️ xxx
Wonderful photos and they bring back such memories. I think there are slightly fewer Sashas on display now but it is good that the display is changed sometimes, as it gives us a winderful reason to return ❤ ❤
Wonderful memories from last year and lucky you to return this year! It was nice to see the different dolls that you and Madeleine posted on Facebook. It is very good that they rotate the displayed dolls. ❤️ xxx