Long Beach Studios

   Long Beach Studios was established in April of 2000. The previous 15 years I spent working in the Model Services department of Hasbro where, soon after I started there,  I had been given the task of developing a doll hair rooting department. In the subsequent years I was their sole domestic rooter and stylist.  I did all their pre-production prototype doll hair rooting and styling between 1985, and when I left to go freelance in 2000.  

ROOTING OF HARD CAST AND 3D PRINTED HEADS

Over the past several years I have become increasingly specialized in the rooting and styling of hard cast urethane and 3D printed doll heads.

This is not the fabrication of an applied wig

It is the actual rooting of the hard material, solid or hollow-cast, just as if it was a vinyl head. The result is a prototype that looks just like a rooted vinyl skin. In addition to your products looking amazing, the other obvious advantages of this are cost and time savings - you can 3D print a head or make a solid casting off an original wax and have it painted, rooted, styled and ready for presentation in very short time.

Drawing on 30 years of experience in the rooting and styling of doll heads, and with a meticulous approach to each new skin, and to each new hairstyle, I'm able to successfully translate design sketches and intent into a prototype product that you will not be disappointed with.

My experience runs from high-end fashion dolls to hair play dolls and baby dolls to ponies to licensed collector's dolls, to Disney Princesses and just about everything in between.

I often use my model making experience and skills in my work as a rooter. If you have a wax sculpt I can make a mold from that, roto-cast it in urethane, root & style it for you. Some of the technically complex hairstyles (Star Wars I, for example) can be as much fixture fabrication as styling, and being able to draw upon 30 years professional experience of making things and making things work is invaluable. 

I am also available for on-site styling for photo and commercial shoots, and trade shows. 

This is a list of some of the companies for whom I've worked freelance:

Just Play

Reeves International

Play Along

Jakks Pacific

Robert Tonner

Hasbro

Madame Alexander

Ashton-Drake

Funrise

Fisher-Price

Spinmaster

Ohio Art

Disney

Target

Toy Biz

Goldberger Doll

Far Out Toys

Moose

I have in- stock  over 400 combinations of colors and denier / filament count, by several different manufacturers - Saran, Kanekalon, Clion, Italian nylon in curl sizes ranging from 3MM to 40MM, to dead straight.