When I was looking through the pictures that were already scanned to show Melodye one of my frilly dresses, I couldn’t find any. Well, I found some from the back when I did a series on my mother taking pictures of how long my hair was all the time…so Melodye, I’ll have to find the box of pics and scan them in. But what I did find, were pictures of me with dolls. Ilove love loved my baby dolls as a child. One or two of them were always with me, especially for picture taking time.
The front porch was a popular posing spot. Here I am with two of my very favorites, a Bye Bye Baby made my Ideal and a Gerber baby. Someday, when I can afford it, I’m going to buy myself a couple of those. I wish I still had them, or any of my dolls, but when I was about 10 or 11 I got the idea to donate them to the local children’s home. I wish I had saved at least one.
At Christmas there was always a picture taken of me in front of the tree at the car dealership where my mom worked. This is me with Chatty Cathy, another favorite.
My cousin Diane and I on my grandmother’s cedar chest which is sitting in my library now.
Patty Play Pal was tons of fun because she could wear my old clothes.
When it was time to pose, even my grandfather got into the act with Patty Play Pal.
Debra McElroy, Leanne Ciconne, me and Linda Tuey. And of course if I had a bunch of dolls, I had to have a tea party for them, right? I had Barbie dolls, one of the old ones with no moving parts and I remember going to Rhodes Department store and standing in line to trade it in for one of the new ones with bendable legs and long blonde hair and an orange bathing suit with some kind of netting over the top of it. Less than a month after turning it in I wanted my old one back again.
Your turn, what was one of your favorite toys from childhood?
I wasn’t much of a doll kid, other than being frustrated at how Barbie’s shoes never stayed on! I DO remember Chatty Cathy, not because we had one, but because we gave my sister (her name was spelled with a K) a LOT of teasing about that doll.
I had one doll that I just remember having, but no playing with much. Her name was Honeymoon, and you can find her online, as some kind of collector’s item, although I don’t think they’d want mine if I still had it, considering three fingers were chewed off, the clothes had disappeared, and she had a new body (we actually found a doll hospital for her when the old body was falling apart.). Anyway, I just googled her and found out this: 1966 Honey Moon Doll, 19″ tall, cloth stuffed body with vinyl head and limbs, white yarn hair, dressed in a green and blue striped top and bloomers with a plastic bubble helmet.
She is the daughter of Junior Tracy (adopted son of Dick Tracy and Tess Trueheart) and Miss Moon Maid part of the Dick Tracy comic characters.
I had NO idea she was Dick Tracy’s granddaughter, and I just emailed my parents to find out what the heck happened to my space helmet! 🙂
Oh how funny…Dick Tracy’s granddaughter. LOL
BTW, I LOVE those photos of you. 🙂
Thanks. It’s fun to look back. I need to get more pics scanned in.
Yeah, and I KNOW my dad read those comics when he was a kid, so now I wonder if that’s why I got the doll! 🙂
ooh…good point!
Some of my favorite times were at my grandparent’s house. I had a Chatty Cathy, too. She had the most beautiful little pink and white dress. It kind of freaked me out when her pull string broke and she would talk at random times. I don’t know what happened to her.
I also loved to play tea party at my grandparent’s house. I had a pink plastic tea set. My grandma would cut the crusts off cucumber sandwiches, make real tea, and set up the old metal TV tray for me. She always let me dress up in her old dresses and jewelry. My Grandpa would join me and wear one of granny’s church hats.
I also played office a lot. I liked to use my Grandpa’s old typewriter and his notepads. He let me stamp stuff and saved used envelopes for me. Now, that he is gone, I have that typewriter.
Chatty Cathy was so great. Mine was almost new and I got in trouble for something and my mom took her away and hid her in the shed which didn’t have a very good roof. It rained and she got wet and never really chatted anymore.
I remember playing with grandmother’s jewelry too!
Oh yes, and office. I would go “help” my mom in her office and I loved those stamps.
Thanks for sharing.
Oh my gosh! You are so adorable in those photos, and I can see why you’d want to pose with all your beautiful playpals. I wonder if you felt fortunate to have so many dollies? And how much did you love it, that your granddad got in on the action? LOL!
I had two dollies that I really loved: The first was Miss No Name, my clothespin doll, which my Nana made for me. The second was the Drink and Wet doll that she gave me after Miss No Name got lost in the shuffle of a middle-of-the-night move. At some point, we were given some little International Dolls (I don’t remember the brand), but since we could only Look Don’t Touch, I don’t remember them with any affection.
Thanks for posting another provocative (and fun!) set of memories, Susan. Keep ’em coming, please.
No, Melodye, I hate to admit it but I don’t think I thought myself fortunate at all, not back then. I was a very spoiled only child and was brought up by a mother with a huge guilty/martyr complex. Everyting was given to me and she would do without.
I must have had some kind of a conscience though because when I was around 10 or 11 I donated all my baby dolls to the local children’s home. We took them down in person in several big bags and my mom was ticked off that they never even said thank you.
As a grownup looking back I can realize how lucky I was but as selfish child, no.
Oh, I love love love these pictures! How absolutely adorable!
My favorite toy was my “orange baby.” She had on an orange outfit, and so that’s the only name I ever gave her. I recently found her at my mom’s house and gave her to my little girl. I also had a Thumbelina doll that I loved. My mom made me a little blanket and pillow to lay her on. At one point, I had a little wooden crib for my baby but I don’t know where that wound up.
Orange baby`- that’s great! 🙂
Oh I had a little wooden crib too that I loved. Gave it to my daughter who could care less. Sigh.
Those are darling!
I loved my dolls, too. Oh, the adventures they went on!
Yes, they were my first audience for stories, too!
Awesome pics! I loved my Barbies and so did my daughters – who drove their dolls around in my husband’s size 17 shoes. Guess you could call it the Nike Stretch Hummer!
LOL. I love that image.
I was way more into stuffed animals. My mom even took pictures of them for me and wrote their names on the back, so I wouldn’t forget when I grew older.
Oh I loved the stuffed animals too! I had a full-sized bed and my mom would tuck the stuffed animals in on either side of me so none of us could escape. I’d forgotten about that. Thanks.
I never got dolls. I got… books. Except for one year when I got this. Because “You like horses, right Cat? Well, this is horses for proper little girls!” *facepalm*
But I don’t remember really playing with anything. Toys were supposed to be put away. Not out on the floor.
*le sigh*
Oh dear….not quite the same thing, was it?
P.S. I meant to say (albeit off topic) that there’s a good summary of the LA TIMES Festival of Books’ panel on Social Networking here:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/04/social-networking-wil-wheaton-goodreads-and-more.html
It’s my understanding that CDs of each panel will become available. FYI, in case you’re interested! 🙂
Thanks! I’ll go check it out. And I would be interested in the CD info.
I loved playing with Barbie and Angie and my favorite baby doll was a Madam Alexander. I had ONE Barbie doll. I’m embarrassed to say how many my daughters owned.
My daughter had gobs of Barbies too. It was a bit unreal. LOL
I had a rag doll when I was three. My mother decided that it was too torn and dirty and threw it away, thinking I wouldn’t notice. I remember going outside on a Saturday morning, in my white with blue-and-red-polka-dotted pajamas, to rescue Linda Eekla from the garbage can.
But my favourite toys were puppets, especially an owl named Wizzy.
Oh I am glad you were able to rescue Linda Eekla from the garbage.
Of course Wizzy was your favorite. 🙂
I was a baseball girl. If you’ve ever seen “the Sandlot” then you’ve pretty much described my childhood. Except, I’m a girl.
Nice memory though.
old dolls
What a doll YOU are!)
And you had BIG DOLL! On the steps, next to your grandfather… I had a doll like this and she was taller than I was at a certain point. My Aunt Mary gave her to me. I also had Chatty Cathy, and like your other post, I was more “into” stuffed animals. (still am
Thanks for sharing a glimpse back down memory lane . . . Liz
Re: old dolls
Thanks, Liz. I loved them all, dolls and stuffed animals. I think I was building a family.
I loved dolls too, but not baby dolls. I loved the little lady dolls or girl dolls dressed up in fancy clothes. I still have most of them and dream of having “my own room” where I could let them hang out with me.
Was that kinda creepy? Sorry.
I also had and loved Barbies too. When my girls were more into Barbies, they’d want me to play too. I have lost some of that playing imagination that they’ve got in spades, but I’d brush their hair.
I can picture you in a room full of fancy dressed up dolls. 🙂
I loved the babies when I was really young. As I got older I loved things in miniature…something about those little tiny details that drew me in. Someday I’ll have a miniature fairy garden on the patio.
Patti playpal
Hello! Doll collector here , I love your doll pics! Your Patti playpal is a rare and very valuable Platinum Patti playpal. They were only made during the end of production and are very hard to find.
And sometimes it disappears in the washing machine …