ABOUT US

Established in 2017

Leith Toy Hospital is a toy repair shop based in Edinburgh. Leith Toy Hospital officially opened its workshop in 2017, and has been growing in popularity ever since. It grew out of Picture to Puppet, a custom puppet and toy making business started in 2012. Leith Toy Hospital and Picture to Puppet are based in a cosy workshop at 64 Constitution Street. Our soft toy repairs range from dog-mauled favourites to antique teddy bears. We also restore dolls in various states of ill health ranging from cracked porcelain to broken eyes.

If you’ve got a toy in need of rest and restoration, send us a picture! We will then be able to chat through some different repair options with you and give you a quote, and a link to book a repair slot. Shortly before your repair slot, you can either drop off your toy at the Toy Hospital workshop or send them by special delivery in the post. 

When your toy is admitted to our repair shop, our specialist restorers will check them over and confirm what work is needed. Every toy repair is unique and we will consult with you to agree on a treatment plan before we get started. Toys can be with us for as little as one day, or up to twelve weeks while our team works on their repairs.

When repairs are complete, your toy will come home restored and ready for many more years of love and making new memories!

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

Director

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.

emma

Head of Teddy Department

Emma was the toy hospital’s first employee and now supervises all soft toy repairs. They studied Dress and Textile History, which has given them an understanding of antique materials and construction techniques. They’re also fascinated by the social history of toys, and the importance that toys can hold in people’s lives.

Charlotte Abbott holds a sign with Head Doll Surgeon written on it.

charlotte

Head of Doll Department

Charlotte Abbott manages the Doll Department here at Leith Toy Hospital. She is also our resident tech whizz and providing much needed IT support! She recently made a foray into the world of television staring in Channel 5’s ‘The Toy Hospital’. When not fixing toys, Charlotte can usually be found tinkering and trying to satisfy her insatiable quest to figure out how things work.

elspeth

Doll Department Administrator

Elspeth keeps the doll wards in order, handles quotes and invoicing for the dolls, and trundles huge mounds of toys to the post office every day! She is also a fabulous painter, you can see her work in the links below.

angela

Doll Restorer

Angela Zawitaj 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.

joel

Doll Restorer

Your dolls are in safe hands with restorer Joel whose main joys in life are sculpting and sausage rolls. In addition to working at Leith Toy Hospital, Joel is a fine art sculptor and regularly exhibits his work around Scotland.

Soph

Soft Toy Administrator

Soph handles the check-ins and check-outs and keeps the teddy wards in order. She is also the main contact with the outside world for all the soft toys.
Soph is also an incredibly talented photographer, you can see her work in the links below and in all the fabulous photos on our website!


Aimee

Soft Toy Restorer

 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

Soft Toy Restorer

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

Leather Specialist

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

Soft Toy Restorer.

Marcello is their newest member to join our team. 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

Administrator and Soft Toy Restorer

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.

Find out more

Get in touch to 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.

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