ABOUT US
unique value
Toys hold childhood memories, provide comfort and emotional support, and connect us to loved ones. We appreciate the responsibility of caring for such irreplaceable objects. Each toy’s repairs are agreed upon individually, so we can ensure they keep their unique character.
craftsmanship
The Toy Hospital team collectively have decades of hands-on experience across a range of disciplines. Every toy’s repairs are carried out by hand using traditional craft techniques, including sewing, sculpting, and painting. Our workmanship is designed to last as long as the toys themselves.
sustainability
Our business is based on the recognition that old objects hold value which can’t be replaced by buying something new. We carry this commitment to sustainability through all our practices, from saving fabric scraps and re-using packaging to powering our studio with green energy.
Meet The Team
Mari
Mari Jones is the founder and director of Leith Toy Hospital. She works on custom builds and also repairs the knitted toys. She also runs Picture to Puppet, our sister company which makes custom puppets and soft toys to order. Mari is also a fantastic artist and you can view some of her work in the links below.
Angela
Angela has worked as a Doll Restorer for 3 years. Following her degree in Digital Art, her transferable skills allowed her to understand colour theory when painting dolls, and the 3D scultping skills came in handy when sculpting doll parts such as fingers.
Charlotte
Charlotte is our resident tech whizz and providing much needed IT support! As our health and safety manager, she makes sure any injuries to our restorers are prevented. She recently made a foray into the world of television staring in Channel 5's 'The Toy Hospital'. As part of the Doll Department, Charlotte can usually be found tinkering and trying to satisfy her insatiable quest to figure out how things work to repair the more complex toys.
Joel
Your dolls are in safe hands with restorer Joel whose main joys in life are sculpting and sausage rolls. With fine attention to details, he can bring back to life almost any doll. In addition to working at Leith Toy Hospital, Joel is a fine art sculptor and regularly exhibits his work around Scotland.
Aimee
Aimee manages the flow of the Teddy Department, ensuring that all your repair needs are met. She treats all of her patients in the teddy hospital with lots of TLC! Aimee also manages our social media, and is the face behind all those cute, and occasionally bizarre, pictures! She trained as a costume maker and loves making tiny cute costumes for the teddies. You can see examples of her costume work in the link below.
Lu
Before Lu became a Soft Toy Restorer, she came to Edinburgh from Germany to study Medieval Literature, which rekindled her interest in textiles and sewing. Her favourite part of work is finding the perfect match for patches. Besides her work for us, she also spins, dyes, knits and takes textile commissions. See her work in the link below.
Juan
Juan is our talented leather speacialist. He works miracles on all the leather, sheepskin and real fur teddies, however crusty they are when they arrive!
Marcello
Marcello joined us after working on costume design in the film industry. Their meticulous toy restoration work makes sure the teddies all return home fighting fit and strong enough to withstand many more years of love and hugs.
Chelsea
Chelsea is our most mysterious staff member who is tirelessly working in the background to get all of our teddy quotes out to customers. You can sometimes find her working on a Saturday fixing teddies.
Karlyn
From answering your queries over the phone or the door to ensuring your toy safetly retuns to you. Karlyn helps to ensure that the Toy Hospital runs smoothly.
Trissdan
Trissdan started teddy restoration following his courses in fashion and textiles as well as theatrical costume. His love of sewing and stuffed animals has combined into an absolutley amazing adventure and a great addition to our team.
Yukari
Introducing Yukari, our versatile teddy surgeon. Originally from Tokyo, her expertise in intricate hand sewing skills stems from a traditional Japanese method called 'unshin'. She finds joy in listening to the wonderful stories our clients share and is always ready to weave a bit of magic into every stitch.
Nimbocumuless Cloud Nine Duchess of Musselburgh
Cloud is our part time HR manager . You'll often find her wandering around the studio making sure everyone who needs a cuddle gets one. Most of the time, though, she can be found sleeping on the job pretending to be one of the teddies.
Lady Chaos Wrigglesworth
Chaos is our trainee HR Manager. She loves to run around the studio and as her name suggests, cause chaos. You'll often find her playing with whichever tool has been dropped on the floor.
Find out more
get a quote
Get in touch today to find out the repairs we can provide you with. If you’re looking for more pricing and examples of our toy repair work, check out the services pages that further explain our skills and abilities.