Oh, You Beautiful Doll … part 1
I’ll start off by saying this: I am the mother of two grown sons. We had a home full of vehicles: Matchbox, Lego, Little People, Brio, Thomas the Tank Engine, John Deere. We read books about trucks and I learned about front loaders, backhoes, and 53 footers. School buses, helicopters, emergency rescue vehicles. From room to room we laid miles of tracks, highways, bridges and tunnels. For birthdays I carved construction sites out of giant cakes. Such was the world of boys. I once bought a baby doll to prepare my 3 year old for the birth of his brother. Within three playdates the poor baby had been used as a football, basketball, truck driver, footstool, doorstop, and had been tied up and rescued by a helicopter. So much for the doll. My sons are inseparable to this day.
So 25 years later I find myself the owner of a large lot of dolls and for the first time since childhood there are dolls in my home. And while I am not yet longing for a granddaughter, I AM enjoying the dolls!
There are over 100 unique dolls in this lot, each more beautiful than the last, each one dressed in marvelously well-made and detailed clothing and accessories.
Among the vinyl baby dolls, my favorite is Emma. She has a soft, stuffed fabric body, and when I hold her I can remember the pleasure of holding my own babies. Realistically she is a bit small for a toddler, but her great head of tumbling blonde curls and adorable denim and knit-stripe skirt and sweater and lace up shoes, Emma looks like she is ready to take her first steps.
Most of my dolls have porcelain heads, hands and feet and soft, fabric-filled torsos that make them easy to dress and fun to pose and play with. Keeping with the red, white and blue theme (after all, we’ve just had an amazing election!) I’ve just photographed a pair of dolls called Jordan and Jadyn. I think Jordan is especially cool, because this doll could be a boy or a girl, with short blonde hair, denim pants and sweater, and a truly awesome silver messenger bag that I would buy in a second in my size! Jordan and Jadyn are 17 inches tall and part of my BFF Collection, kids you might see in 4th to 6th grade, dressed in funky, fabulous outfits that can be mixed and matched.
