His body collapsed years ago and his face is scrunched like a doubled-up fist. To many, this misshapen figure looks like nothing more than a congealed puddle of disintegrated rubber. But to Solana Beach resident Jo McKirahan, this is the doll she keeps in a place of honor and has never had the heart to throw away.

In Kathleen Clark Sweeney's Carlsbad antique shop, she surrounds herself with several old dolls from her personal collection, including her favorite of papier-mache. It doesn't matter that the doll is missing its head.

To avoid having her more than 2,000 dolls strewn about the house, Carlsbad resident Mary Lou Voigt had her husband move the hot tub out of the back yard and build a storage area. Voigt has limited herself to just one cabinet in the living room for her older Ginny dolls.

These are just a few North County residents who regard their dolls on a higher plane than toys. They are among a large group of collectors in the country who spend small fortunes on their dolls, books and accessories, travel the world looking for new acquisitions and join clubs for camaraderie and networking.

Ranked second only to stamps, dolls are among America's most favorite collectibles, according to several national collectible publications. Some people buy dolls with an eye toward investment, but a vast majority add to their collections because of some emotional pull.

If their doll doesn't come with a name, they will select a suitable one. Collectors with an emotional bond will talk to their dolls, style their hair and dress them up for holidays and special occasions.

If necessary, they will restore and conserve. Considering that many collectors have thousands of dolls in their possession, this is no easy feat.

The popularity of collecting dolls has as much to do with tapping childhood memories as it does with investing in a piece of art, said Joan Pursley, editor of Dolls magazine.

"Some of it stems from collectors who did not have dolls growing up," Pursley said. "They came from poor childhoods where their only doll was a rag doll. Now they can afford pretty dolls and capture something they missed from childhood.

"Or it can be simply seeing beautiful dolls," Pursley said. "Not all dolls are in essence art objects, but they are works of art in one way or another, and it's not uncommon for collectors to buy dolls as art instead of figurines or paintings."