Let me introduce myself:

I am Annamaria Büdy - Mrs. Rocha. I graduated as a Master of Arts in Japanese Philology, in spite of that I consider myself as a mainly empiric-autodidactic doll and educational toy designer-maker and toy-researcher.

I was born in 1956. Since my childhood I have made dolls and toys almost without any interruptions. I design and make wooden and textile toys in small series more seriously from 1991.They are on sale in my own educational toy shop. I sew one-of-a-kind textile dolls and dressed animal figures from about 1998. In 1996 I have given up my language-teaching activity, so I can dedicate more time to my researches about toys and toy-making. You can get acquainted with my work as a researcher on another web-site ( www.toyresearcher.com ) Since 1999 I participate in doll and toy exhibitions and contests in Mexico, Hungary, Russia and in other countries as well. I am an eternal student!

I have acquired the easiest basic skills for sewing from my mother. In my childhood I was being helped in improving my skills by the TV programs for children handcrafting of the famous puppetdesigner Vera Bródy, by my older friend, Ágnes Sípos - Mrs. Kováts and by the Hungarian magazines for doing-it-yourself "Barkácsoljunk", for young children "Dörmögö Dömötör", for boy's scout "Kisdobos" and for the pioneers organization "Úttörö". Hungarian and foreign folk-art observed in Hungarian and foreign museums and lately, works of my folk-artist collegues have paid a huge influence on me. Susanna Oroyan, the American doll designer supported my own theories and experiences with her books. Usually, I create my own technics, sometimes I find out one or another skill from works of other artisans or I catch it up on exhibitions and shows.

My recognitions:

In 1999 my rag doll "Rozika in Hat" was bought by the Hungarian Toy Museum and Workshop "Szórakaténusz" and this doll was exhibited on the 2002 Toy-Masters Show in the Hungarian National Gallery, which was a great privilege for me. A catalogue was published about this event.

In 2001 my ancient style dressable doll "Xochitl - the Mexican Way of Feeling" was awarded by the Áron Kiss Hungarian Association for Play and Playthings.

In 2003 on the Annual National Doll-making Contest in Gyor city (Hungary) my "Lúdas Matyi - in Memoriam Imre Sóos" doll was prized in the Artistic Textile Doll Design Category. "Lúdas Matyi - In Memoriam Sóos Imre" doll is a piece uniting the Hungarian old story about a poor peasant boy and the allegory of begging for attention for "forgotten" people.

In 2004 my "Wizard" doll was awarded on the Annual National Doll-making Contest in Györ city (Hungary) in the Artistic Doll of Mixed Technics Category.

My dolls were presented in the Hungarian magazine for applied arts, "Magyar Iparmüvészet" (Budapest, 2003/4) and in the Catalogue of the First Moscow Artistic Doll Exhibition (Moscow, 2004).

I have participated in Hungarian exhibitions and shows with my serial wooden toys also, as in that of Berettyóújfalu, where they were awarded and in Miskolc, Kecskemét "Szórakaténusz Toy Museum and Workshop" and Zánka Children and Youth Center.

I am member of the Áron Kiss Hungarian Association for Play and Playthings, of the Györ Doll Fans Society, The Toy Maker's Guild of the Hungarian Union for Folk Artists Associations, the Budapest Doll Club and the English-founded Global Doll Society's Southern Belles Chapter.

My Professional CREDO:

A hand-made object is beautiful for me, if even the human hand-work can be noticed on it, if its creator's thoughts, his or her character or his or her own figure appear on it. I do not aspire to create a perfect masterpiece, as perfection is unfamiliar to me, exactly because of the human nature. All objects reflect their crafter, so a perfect art-piece will cover up his or her frailities. Behind the objects I always seek the human. Appearance can be illusory. I would not like to design "nice" dolls, but through its counterpole, I would like to show strangeness and inspite of that lovability.

I make two types of textile dolls:

dolls to play with, which are simple, aesthetical, educational;
art-dolls, which are made due to an inspiration and they represent my thoughts.

In case of both types I would emphasize their lovability inspite of their imperfect frailness, with the soft, warm fabrics and colours.

Annamária Büdy - Mrs. Rocha