Leith Toy Hospital

Specialist toy restoration at Leith Toy Hospital

Leith Toy Hospital is a workshop dedicated to the repair and restoration of soft toys, teddies and dolls, based at 85 Millhill in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh. According to the company, hundreds of toys pass through its doors every month, with owners sending patients from all over the world. The work covers everything from much-loved children's toys to antique bear restoration, and the team states that it treats each item with dignity and respect while preserving the character and expression its owner remembers.

The workshop describes a clientele ranging in age from 1 to 120 years, and frames its activity around the emotional weight of favourite toys: pieces that hold memories and connections to the past and whose damage can be deeply upsetting for their owners.

Soft toy and teddy repair

On the soft toy side, the team works on antique mohair bears and sheepskin teddies as well as modern plush. The range of interventions runs from sewing patches and adding stuffing to making tiny waistcoats or undertaking a full reconstruction of the toy. The workshop also offers reinforcement of repaired areas so that the same damage is less likely to recur.

Doll repair and the doll hospital

A dedicated doll team repairs and restores both modern and antique dolls. The listed doll services include restringing, eye replacement and limb replacement. The workshop's specialists cover materials such as ceramics, plastics and bisque, and the site also addresses specific conditions such as "sad doll disease".

How the restoration process works

The workshop sets out a step-by-step procedure for sending a toy for treatment:

• Owners fill in a quote form and send photographs of the toy showing the damaged area.
• Repair specialists examine the photos to determine the best treatment.
• The customer receives an email with a quote that breaks down the treatment plan.
• The toy is posted safely or dropped off in person.
• Repair experts examine the toy in person to confirm the estimate.
• The toy joins a queue for restoration, after which photos of the finished repairs are sent and the toy is packaged and posted back.

Recreating a lost toy and other services

Beyond repair, the group includes a sister company, Picture to Puppet, which specialises in recreating lost toys from photographs and in making bespoke puppets, mascots and soft toys. The site also lists action figure repair with its own price list, and a merchandise section alongside the Bearlooms memory teddy line.

Television appearances and public profile

The workshop highlights the media work of its restorers. Doll Doctor Charlotte Abbott has appeared as an expert on BBC 1's The Repair Shop, including an episode marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day in which she repairs a doll with a wartime story. She has also featured on Channel 5's Toy Hospital and on episodes 3 and 4 of Channel 5's Amazing Cleans. Founder Mari Jones appeared on Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch, and the workshop was visited by Sean Beattie for episode 2 of Don't Waste Scotland on STV.

A twelve-person restoration team

The company describes its restoration team as made up of twelve people with a broad range of specialities, spanning ceramics, plastics and bisque dolls through to antique mohair bears and sheepskin teddies. The stated approach is that no job is too big or too small, from patching to complete reconstruction.

The information available at the time of writing this profile included a rating of 4.9 stars on Google, attributed to Google reviews shown on the site.