Of Dolls

Many cultures, including our own American culture since colonial times, have made dolls for their little girls' play toys.  They were called "baby dolls."  The dolls were given to girls so they could pretend to take care of their babies.  This was often in imitation of their own mothers.  Yes, there were "child-like dolls," but there were few adult dolls.  Playing with the baby dolls served a useful purpose, in addition to the fun: girls were getting ready for their own future roles as mothers.

Growing up, I loved my baby dolls and had many accessories besides clothes.  There were the twin wooden  bunk beds crafted lovingly by my Uncle Robert.  He also made a child-size kitchen cabinet out of wooden crates; I've saved it for my grandchildren when they visit; I figure it is 65 years old now.  I don't recall ever playing with my brothers' cars and trucks.  Bob, Steve, and Don played endlessly with their toy soldiers and farm sets, and also with all their cowboy gear, including guns in holsters and complete costumes.  Sometimes one of the brothers would take a walk with me and my baby and push the carriage. Of course, I also had a doll high chair so I could 'feed' my baby.

My favorite doll was a "Toni" doll. She had 'dog-ear' pony tails.  Grandma Marie sewed me tons of doll clothes both for Toni and for the baby dolls.  I still have some of them.  My vision was to do the same for my granddaughters but alas - it was not to be!  I had to work as a nurse and had no time for sewing hardly anything.  I did manage to sew my own daughters many doll outfits.

Back in the 1950's, children were allowed to be children until they were teenagers.  My best friend, Pam, and I actually played together with our dolls until we were 14 years old.  I remember talking with Pam, and we decided, "Since we're going to high school after the summer, let's play with our dolls just one more time and then we'll put them away."  And we did!

When my first daughters were small, I knew of 'Barbie' dolls.  They had been introduced in 1959 and looked like tall, skinny, grotesquely-large-busted women.  I would not buy a Barbie doll for my girls; they had plenty of 'baby dolls.'  Eventually, my own dear mother bought the girls Barbie dolls!  She didn't ask what I thought, she just brought them.  What could I say?

As it turned out, the Barbies were fine for the girls.  There was the boy-Barbie, "Ken," with the molded plastic hair, then with the more life-like hair.  And then there were baby Barbies and child Barbies.  The girls had their Barbie apartments, cars, furniture, and, of course, tons of clothes.  The girls had weddings for their Barbie families.  I made a priest outfit for one of the boy Barbies; they named him, Father Grass.  Father presided at the weddings.  All the neighbor girls also had Barbie dolls.  It was fun for them to combine their Barbie families or to visit one another.  Sometimes they all went swimming in our small backyard wading pool.  I still keep a bag of dolls and a bag of clothes for the visiting grandchildren.  It keeps them entertained for hours!

The daughters also had "Cabbage Patch" dolls. They were introduced in the '80's; they were genuine baby dolls.  My girls all wanted them one Christmas but they were very expensive, even if you could find one to buy.  I was sad.  I knew we couldn't afford even one, let alone four.  I happened to shop at a local fabric shop.  There were real Cabbage Patch doll heads in boxes on the floor.  In another section, there were Cabbage Patch bodies (fabric), to sew onto the heads.  I immediately bought four, plus stuffing for the bodies.  When I got home (after the girls were in bed), I stuffed the bodies and attached them to the heads.  Then I made clothes.  The girls never knew they were not the 'real' expensive Cabbage Patch dolls!  Years later, I was looking at those dolls.  One of them had the legs sewn on backwards!  No one ever had noticed.

A doll quite popular now is the "American Girl" dolls.  They are even more expensive than the Cabbage Patch dolls were but they are lovely with an incredible lot of accessories.  My granddaughters had some of them.  I thought about buying one for myself, for a Christmas decoration, because I loved the St. Lucy outfit.  I thought about it for years, then bought it!  I keep my doll, "Kirsten," in her Colonial outfit all year, then dress her as St. Lucy for the whole Christmas season.

Kirsten waits for playmates.

I thought my granddaughters would enjoy playing with Kirsten when they visited.  No way!  Not one of them even touched Kirsten once, to my surprise.  The dollhouse I made them was the real attraction!  Whenever any of them came, they would immediately go to the dollhouse, stay there, and whine when their mothers wanted to take them home.

The main attraction at my house!

This morning my local granddaughters reached a milestone. They came for brunch with their mother.  For the first time, no one went over to the dollhouse to play!  The youngest, Sarah, is eleven years old.  Oh, well, her tablet holds her attention now.  She's growing up!

But, in the end, all the dolls served their purpose: my daughters are absolutely wonderful mothers!

Lord, we need to make sure that all the children of our big world have toys, especially dolls.  Show us the way to do this!