Nanchen
Dolls are friends for life. The dolls and cuddly toys from Nanchen Natur are handcrafted with great passion in North Hesse, Germany, from entirely organic materials.
The story behind Nanchen Natur
In the early 80s, Nana and Peter Sendke couldn't find dolls good enough for their own children anywhere. So they started making them themselves, according to the principles of Waldorf education. Since 1983, every Nanchen doll has been hand-sewn and painted in this way. In 2012, Nana and Peter passed their company on to Juliane Krüger and Janah von Buttlar: old school friends, designers, and mothers who grew up with a Nanchen doll themselves and preserved the brand's colourful, dreamy style.
More than 250 dolls and cuddly toys
From a comforter for the little ones to a dress-up doll that older doll mums and dads will adore: at Nanchen, you'll find more than 250 different dolls and soft animals. Every face is hand-painted, so no two dolls are exactly alike. This expression is deliberately kept neutral, leaving room for imagination and for what your child feels. This way, the doll is a friend on a happy day, and equally so during a big cry or a tantrum.
Why do we at In den Olifant love Nanchen?
Nanchen dolls are made from wool and organic cotton, making them safe and wonderfully soft, and they absorb the familiar scent of home. This provides a sense of security. The product range changes deliberately slowly, so that a lost favourite doll can often still be reordered years later, and Nanchen even has its own doll doctor who repairs damaged dolls. Dolls that pass from one generation to the next: that makes us at In den Olifant, a toy store in Antwerp since 1970, very happy. Each one is a work of art that we are happy to include in our collection.
How to care for a Nanchen doll?
After wild adventures, usually little is needed. Brush mohair hair back into shape with a regular hairbrush, wipe the fabric clean with a damp cloth, and air it by leaving your doll outside overnight. If the music box jams, a gentle tap helps. If your doll really needs a bath, wash her by hand with a suitable wool shampoo. Do not rub, brush, wring, or spin. Rinse with water of the same temperature, gently squeeze out the water, and lay the doll on a bath towel to dry.
