Doll Collectors of Hawaii
South Pacific character dolls by Patty Kanaar
The dolls on this page are some of the ones in my collection and were made by Patty Kanaar. She is a well known artist and doll maker who lived for a time on the Big Island (Hawaii). She has captured the charm and uniqueness of the South Pacific from Hawaii to Tahiti through her dolls. These are heirloom quality dolls that are reproduced from the artist's original sculptures. They are crafted in cold cast resin and each is signed by the artist. The dolls were marketed under the name of Island Traditions by Hei Mana Creations. Over the years of her work, she has marketed the dolls using various tag designs and markings. This page will show some of the dolls she has made as well as keys to identify her work.
Each doll in the group photo below is linked to a separate page which shows larger images of the doll, plus details of the markings, tags, and signatures on the doll. To view that, place your curser on the desired image and click once.
Other dolls, which we have are shown below the group image have links to a larger image. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the image.
The thumbnails below are in addition to the dolls shown in the group photo above. Click on the thumbnail below to get a larger detailed view.
"Tutu Makes Embroidery". This lady is 9 1/2 inches tall, seated with an embroidery hoop.
"Dancer with Green Skirt". This doll is a limited edition hula doll marked number 82/1000 and dated 2002. Otherwise, she is unmarked and has no tags. She is made of porcelain, stands on a wooden base, and is 14" tall.
"Pele". Pele is the legendary goddess of fire who lives in the volcanoes of Hawaii. This doll has a tag reading “Pele: Island Traditions Collectible Dolls by Patty Kanaar; cast resin composition”. The “Kanaar” signature is on her left foot. She has jointed arms and is 15" tall.
"Auntie and Keiki Story Time" identified with tag as item #A928; figure is 6 1/2 inches tall.
"Seated girl" This doll is unmarked. She is 4 inches tall and fully jointed.
"Woman with Shell Basket" This woman is 15 inches tall and stands on a wood base. A tag on the bottom of the base reads"Hei Mana doll". She has jointed arms and is made of hard cast porcelain.
"Uncle Billy with a fishnet" This 14 inch man cold cast porcelain doll stands on a wooden base which has a tag glued to the bottom which reads "Patty Kanaar Island Traditions". There is also an artist's signature on the strap of his left sandle. He holds a fishnet containing a fish.