Doll Lover Interview: Phyllis F. (my cousin!)

 

N2O4Dolls:  Today I am very happy and excited to post this interview with my cousin, Phyllis.  I thought of asking her for an interview right away when I started the blog because I know how much she loves dolls.  I loved reading about her insight into the very special and important role dolls played in her childhood.  I also love it that dolls continue to be a source of comfort and joy for her as an adult.  I know you will enjoy reading her thoughts below.

 

Phyllis:  A few years ago, I made a scrapbook showcasing photos of some of the dolls I've owned over the years.  It was titled "They're Not Just Toys; They are My Friends."  The phrase best describes how I feel about my dolls.

    

When Laura asked me to be a guest on her blog,  I immediately said yes, thinking how easy it would be to do.  I read through the questions she had sent me, and then went off to make dinner.  The next day I was still thinking and continued to ponder my answers for a couple more weeks -- so many memories and emotions surfaced.

 

In the 60's I grew up on an Iowa farm as an only child whose Mother didn't enjoy guests (young or adult) very often.  Since I couldn't reciprocate invitations, I rarely was invited to my classmates' homes.  Back then, many days my dolls and cats were my only playmates (and cats really don't care to play dress up for long.)  I had several baby dolls, a few child dolls and, of course, a Barbie and Ken.  Looking back, my preteen dolls were my favorites.  My Skipper with her long auburn hair and my Penny Brite dolls were with me most of the time and I have vivid memories of those two.  

 

I had a great playhouse my mother had made up for me in a small building near the house. I created other "playhouses" in the barns and hayloft.  The ones near the rafters of the hayloft were the best, until Daddy had to feed those bales to the cattle.  I learned to build them in the far back corners. First hay in, last hay out.  Daddy would always leave a narrow path between the hay bales for me to get to my "house".  In the loft my dolls had their own hay bale homes with doll blanket beds and whatever clothing I brought out that day.  What fun I'd have from mid-summer and into the late fall.

  

I was blessed to have a grandmother who believed every doll should have a wardrobe.  She made each doll extra clothes whether it was a little crocheted blue dress for my troll doll (N2O4Dolls:  As a little girl I loved sneaking into Phyllis' room when she was away at college and looking at the troll doll by her bed!!)  or an elegant wedding dress for my Barbie.  All those outfits made playing with my dolls so much fun.  I still have many of the 60's patterns she used to make those clothes and many of those Barbie clothes were passed on to my daughters and someday my granddaughters.  Grandma taught me how to make simple clothes for my dolls on her treadle sewing machine and later how to make myself clothes.  What a blessing my Grandma was!  Maybe she understood that I needed friends. (N2O4Dolls:  We had a great Grandma.  She made the dolls that I shared in THIS POST and many other things for me as well.)

 

When our first daughter was old enough, we gave her a "My Friend - Mandy" doll; and I got a "My Friend - Jenny."  Following Grandma's example I made many outfits for our dolls.  My daughter and I spent many hours playing dolls and having tea with them often in the shade of the maple tree in the back yard.  When our youngest daughter was old enough, she got a Mandy doll, too, and joined our fun.  (N2O4Dolls:  I had a My Friend Mandy doll too.  I'm hoping to share more about her in an upcoming post.)

 

Since that time, I've expanded my doll collecting with other pre-teen dolls.  I have a 16" Kelly doll, an American Girl Elizabeth and several others.  I don't collect multiples of one type of doll, just ones I think would be a good friend.   One doll I got recently is a little doll with such a sad face that I knew she needed a friend.

 

 

(L to R) Childhood doll named Luanne, Kelly, Penny Brite, Elizabeth, sad faced doll, and Jenny.

 

What doll would I still like to have?  One Christmas long ago, I asked for a Thumbelina doll.  Instead I got twin babies with red hair.  I played with them a lot, but they weren't Thumbelina.  A few years ago while both our daughters were in college (translate, no extra funds), I saw a collector's version of the same 60's Thumbelina in a catalog.  I held on to that catalog for a long time. Maybe, some day.

 

My someday Thumbelina

 

What surprised me about thinking and then writing for this blog entry was the realization of how lonely I must have been as a child to have such strong feelings about so many of my dolls.  I don't think I realized it then, which was a blessing.

  

My dolls truly are my friends.

 

N2O4Dolls:  Thanks so much, Phyllis, for your insight and honesty about your life-long relationship with dolls.  And thanks for being such a great cousin and friend!

Dolls in Literature: The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright

Another childhood favorite dolly read of mine is this book by Dare Wright.  There are other books in this series.  One thing that was so unique and captivating to a child in the 1970s was that the illustrations are photographs.  That was not very typical in picture books in that era, from what I remember anyway.  Edith, the main character dolly, has some bear friends and engages in various adventures with them throughout the series.  According to Wikipedia, this book was out of print for quite a while before being reissued by Houghton Mifflin in 1998 and by Barnes and Noble for the Nook e-reader in 2012.  I don't actually remember a whole lot about the plot.  I may have to hunt a copy of this down or get it on my Nook.  Did any of you read this when you were little?

Dolly Memories: Shirley Temple Doll

  Source

I had this exact Shirley Temple doll when I was a little girl.  It was one of those things where I think my mom had maybe seen some of Shirley Temple's movies when she was little and then they came out with the doll and she bought it for me.  I don't actually remember seeing any Shirley Temple movies.  I do remember that we had a record or something that had Shirley Temple singing some songs that I listened to.  I think my mom tried to help me make a meaningful connection to the doll and the actual person.  Anyway, I can remember that two of my favorite songs were called "On the Good Ship Lollipop" and "Lions and Tigers in my Soup" (or something, that's probably not the right name).  Amazing that I can still recall the exact tune of each of those songs and in my mind's ear (it has an eye, why not an ear?  right?) I can hear the words in her little voice.  The power of memory is uncanny.

It's funny how thinking about these childhood dolls does bring back such a flood of memories.   I honestly haven't thought a whole lot about this doll for decades.  I don't know for sure if we still have her.  She may be in a box in my mom's basement. Even so, I'm able to recall quite a few specific memories about her.  I surprised myself by remembering the songs and the record.  That just popped into my head while I was typing the above paragraph.

I also remember that Shirley's curls must have been treated with MASSIVE amounts of Aqua Net or something.  They were quite rigid.  There was no way you were going to give that girl a different hairstyle without pulling out some power tools.  The good thing about this is that I'm pretty sure if we do find my original doll in Mom's basement someday, her hair will still look pretty good!!  

I also really remember liking her dress a lot.  The red polka dots were velvety and soft and the skirt was very stiff.  I liked her socks and red shoes, but a vivid memory I have is that the socks were pretty hard to get back on the right way if they came off.  I wonder if my Shirley still has her shoes and socks.  I may have to do some digging at Mom's soon.  I will for sure post a photo if I find her.

Did anyone else have this doll?  Or another version of Shirley?  I'd love to hear from you and see photos if you have them.

Dolls in Literature: Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field

This is another book I loved as a child.  It describes the life of a little wooden doll over the course of one hundred years.  The doll changes owners several times and travels the globe.  This is one that I would enjoy reading again as an adult.  Not only is it great to have a doll as the main character, this book contains a lot of historical information that is really interesting.  Definitely a must read for all doll lovers.

I did a bit more online searching and found a site dedicated to Hitty Preble.  The Great Cranberry Island Historical Society in Maine has created a wonderful website with LOTS of information about this book.  CLICK HERE to check it out.  You can even purchase your own flat Hitty doll that has slept overnight in the Preble house.  (The Prebles were the first family Hitty lived with in the story.)  HERE is a link for you to explore.  Good stuff!

Meet two of my friends

I received this little sibling pair as a gift when I was a child.  If my memory is correct, my paternal grandma and my Aunt Ruth made these for me.  As you will see from the close-up photos below, these two were very well loved as evidenced by their stained faces.  I remember bringing these friends with me everywhere I went, including outside.  Now they sit in my craft studio and serve as my inspiration for creating dolls of my own.  You can check out some of my creations in my Etsy shop, Walnut Hill Handmade.  I will treasure these two forever.  I love that they are handmade.  I love all the details from their hand-embroidered faces to their clothing and their yarn hair.  I wish I could remember what I named them as a child, but I really have no memory of it whatsoever.  Do you have some special, much loved dollies from your childhood?  If so, I'd love to see photos and hear your story.  Contact me at the link on the sidebar and send me your story and photos.  You might just find yourself featured right here on the blog!!

Dolls in Literature: Katy Comes Next by Laura Bannon

I LOVED this book as a child.  Unfortunately, it is out of print and quite pricey on Amazon.  I would love to own a copy of it, but if I have to save money to buy this book or a Blythe doll, I know where my money's going.  Anyway.........in this story, Ruth's parents own a doll shop which always keeps them too busy to repair Ruth's doll, Katy.   When asking for new eyes or a new wig for her doll, Ruth is told, "Katy comes next."  Unfortunately, "next" never seems to happen.  Then one morning, Ruth wakes up to find that her parents have closed the doll shop for the day.  Instead, they have declared it "Katy Comes Next" day.   On this special day, Ruth's parents spend the whole day fixing Katy and getting her a new wardrobe.  Can I just say how much I loved this book as a little girl?  I checked it out from the library MANY, MANY times.  Do any of you remember reading this as a child?  If so, did you love it as much as I did?  The one weird thing I remember, though, is that Katy looked completely different after they were done with her.  She got a new wig, new eyes, etc., and was truly a different doll at the end.  I remember that bothering me on some level.  Still, my overriding memory after reading it decades ago is of complete enchantment.  I think Ruth even got to pick out a really cool doll trunk for Katy and fill it with lots of beautiful new clothes, shoes and accessories.  How fun!!