“Dolls Are My Therapy”: Inside ‘Sister Wives’ Robyn Brown’s Secret Obsession

The Brown family isn’t exactly known for making smart financial decisions, despite raking in huge pay checks from TLC’s Sister Wives. But their unusual spending habits may explain their money troubles. Recently, Robyn Brown’s $62,000 doll collection was exposed. While collecting dolls isn’t unheard of, the price tag is shocking. Considering the family’s history of debt, it’s hard to justify spending that kind of money on a frivolous hobby. Robyn and her husband, Kody Brown, previously filed for bankruptcy and were once buried in hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, including mortgages, car loans, and credit card balances. Other family members have had similar problems. Meri Brown has taken out multiple business loans, and both she and Janelle Brown have expressed concerns about paying off the Coyote Pass property since leaving Kody. The family bought the land in 2018, but development was stalled due to family drama and financial constraints. To this day, no construction has begun.

But the family’s historic money problems aren’t the only reason Robyn’s pricey doll collection raises eyebrows. It’s yet another example of the preferential treatment she received compared to Kody’s other wives, even at the expense of the family. The Browns have struggled to afford the basics, let alone luxury purchases. Last year, Kody and Janelle’s daughter, Madison Brown, revealed she grew up “poor” despite TLC fame and fortune. Sister Wives viewers have witnessed countless instances of Kody favoring Robyn; it’s a part of why his other three relationships broke down. Spending tens of thousands of dollars on a doll collection when the family’s finances are crumbling seems like a prime example of his favoritism.

Robyn’s Expensive Hobby Is Proof She’s the Favorite Wife

The Brown family didn’t willingly reveal the worth of Robyn’s doll collection (it’s not like they were trying to brag). As reported by The Ashley, internet sleuths on Reddit recently grew curious about Robyn’s love for Etsy crafts. They dug into her account and tallied up her spending over the last few years. Reality TV blogger Katie Paulson of Without a Crystal Ball shared on Instagram Robyn’s Etsy history, revealing tens of thousands of doll supply purchases. Commenting on her post, Paulson said, “She even purchased a piece of art that says ‘Dolls are my therapy.’”

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In total, they found she spent $62,000 on doll-related items in only three years – and that number doesn’t include anything she bought apart from Etsy. One Reddit comment claimed Robyn made almost 500 purchases for doll-related items over the last six years, with over 100 purchases in 2024 alone. Robyn apparently has an affinity for 18-inch American Girl dolls. She’s spent hundreds of dollars on clothing for them, including several “1800s Victorian” outfits, some of which were custom-made. Robyn’s account shows she’s left glowing reviews for many of the accessories, praising their quality and attention to detail.

While Robyn may have had the extra cash to drop thousands on her love of Etsy products, Kody’s other (now ex) wives weren’t as lucky. Earlier this year, his ex Janelle opened up about his spending habits, admitting she was unaware of where a lot of their money was going.

“Kody would just take out funds and I don’t know what for, and the money was just being spent– and lots of it,” Janelle revealed.

Kody and Christine’s daughter, Gwendolyn Brown, echoed a similar sentiment in 2023, accusing her father and stepmother Robyn of reckless spending, and putting the rest of the family in a tough financial situation. “I think that my dad and Robyn have a terrible habit of spending very crazy and not within their means at all,” she said.

Kody’s Financial Decisions Always Put Robyn First

Kody’s favoritism toward Robyn was always a contentious issue within the Brown family. It would often manifest itself in financial decisions that prioritized or benefited Robyn, straining Kody’s relationships with his three other wives. Aside from the doll collections, another clear example of this is when he hired a nanny for Robyn – a luxury he didn’t extend to his other wives. His decision was especially controversial since it made It during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kody looked like a hypocrite for enforcing strict visitation rules on his wives and kids, all while giving a nanny regular access to Robyn’s home.

Christine was particularly vocal about the disparity. On other occasions, she voiced frustration about being excluded from big financial decisions, especially those that benefited Robyn. She wasn’t afraid to call out Kody’s favoritism before leaving him, and the doll collection’s expensive price tag is just another example of the preferential treatment Christine witnessed on a regular basis.

Kody also prioritized Robyn’s housing needs over his other wives. Janelle has admitted to contributing money from the sale of her Las Vegas home to help Robyn buy a house, expecting the favor to one day be reciprocated. But when the time came, it wasn’t. There was also a clear disparity in property allocation when the family bought Coyote Pass. Each wife was supposed to get a separate home, but Kody gave a larger plot to Robyn, fueling resentment among his wives.

Robyn’s Step-Daughter Defended Her Doll Collection

Robyn’s doll collection may be another example of financial favoritism, but not everyone in the Brown family is upset by it. In a recent YouTube video, Kody and Christine’s daughter Mykelti defended her step-mother’s hobby, calling the collector’s pieces beautiful. “I’m not going to go into the story because it’s not my story,” she said. “But it is something very special that she shared with some very special important people to her, was this collection of dolls.”

Mykelti continued, “So, I know it sounds absurd and that is a lot of money, so I don’t necessarily support that much money [being spent on dolls] but I support the heart behind it, and the reasons behind it I think are very sweet.”

For now, none of the other family members have commented on Robyn’s doll collection, and she hasn’t responded to the backlash from fans who’re outraged by her spending habits in light of the family’s history of money problems. Kody and Robyn must be doing okay financially, considering they recently bought a more expensive, multi-million dollar property – despite losing the income from his other three wives in recent years.

There are rumors that Sister Wives is coming to an end, which would make sense since it’s no longer about a polygamous family. TLC just announced more episodes for Season 19, which could be setting up a spin-off. And who better to star in it than Kody and Robyn, two of reality TV’s most notorious villains? At least that would mean Robyn would have a lot more money to put towards her doll collection.