Visiting the World’s Oldest Surviving Doll Hospital

Great Big Story traveled to the Hospital de Bonecas in Lisbon, Portugal to meet with Manuela Cutileiro, a “doll doctor” at the oldest surviving doll hospital in the world. They take a behind the scenes look at how plastic, porcelain, metal, wool and fabric dolls are treated for missing eyes, chipped paint, and broken arms just like we are at a real hospital. The interesting doll hospital has been family owned and run since 1830.

The Hospital de Bonecas in Lisbon, Portugal, has got a pretty sweet operation, complete with a reception area, a plastic surgery room and a morgue. And no matter what your ailment is—broken leg, missing eye, cracked skull—head doctor Manuela Cutileiro has got you covered. But instead of fixing flesh and bones, Hospital de Bonecas lovingly repairs and restores dolls and toys. Cutileiro’s family has been in the business of mending childhood memories since 1830.