Lee Middleton Original Dolls Opens Nursery at FAO Schwarz

FAO Schwarz has added a new feature to its renovated Lee Middleton Original Dolls boutique: a "Newborn Nursery Adoption Center." Developed by Lee Middleton Original Dolls, the new adoption center "brings to life to heartwarming feelings of welcoming a new baby into the family," the company said in a statement.

"Those who have completed adoptions in our company stores experience such joy," said Mary Putinski, Lee Middleton Original Doll's director of marketing. "If these adoptive parents live to be 100 years old, they'll always remember this special day. We wanted to extend that same unforgettable in-store adoption experience to FAO Schwarz' customers."

The Lee Middleton Newborn Nursery Adoption Center mirrors "many facets of a real hospital birth experience," right down to a viewing room and the life-like dolls.

Twenty combinations of hair and eye color are available for adoptive parents to choose from, followed by the completion of the adoption application and choosing the baby's name. The doll arrives wrapped in a blanket and is then placed in the arm of the waiting mother. The center's "staff nurse" takes a photo of the mother and child, then receives an official adoption certificate, complete with footprint. Accessories for baby, including hats, booties and blankets, are for sale around the adoption center.

"The Lee Middleton Original Dolls Adoption center will offer our customers a unique shopping experience, bringing an added sense of fun and excitement to our Doll Department," said David Niggli, CEO and director of merchandise for FAO Schwarz.

FAO Schwarz' flagship store at 767 Fifth Avenue is recognized as the world's largest toy store.