What began as a hobby for a young girl named Barbara Annalee Davis grew into a family business--the business of doll making. A young adult in the 1930s, Annalee created puppets and dolls, unaware that this hobby would become her life's calling. She sold her dolls though various craft outlets in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Years later, after her marriage to Charles "Chip" Thorndike, her hobby transformed itself into the family business that is now considered an industry innovator.