Hi everyone,
We were in St. Louis the last 2 days so I have another question for everyone to answer. Eventually, I’m hoping to get back in my sewing room, but I don’t think it will be anytime soon.
Here is todays question:
“What is the story behind the most unique or unusual doll in your collection?”
Thanks for taking time to share your Time Traveling dreams! They were great!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, you all know about my dolls from Africa (still have to take pictures of them), and I do have several unusual or unique dolls from which to choose, so I think I’ll tell you about Daniel Ben.
A number of years ago, Cabbage Patch Kids announced they were going to release a very limited number (200) of a new edition called “the boo-boo boys”. These boys would each have a “booboo” on either a leg or an arm–the bandage part being that puffy stuff they used to put on t-shirts back then, and the owie underneath (which showed on either side of the “bandage”) was similarly applied but flat. There were, as I recall, three possible “hairdos” (one of which was bald) available, plus choice of eye color and one or two dimples (cheek/chin). One of the haircuts was called “the Buster” and the yarn hair was cut all the same length all over the head (think of a grown-out buzz cut).
Our son was 3 years old when we got him, and His hair was cut like that–a grown out buzz cut–when we first met him. BUT…he has Three dimples–both cheeks and his chin! So I called. Could they do a Booboo boy with three dimples? She had to check. Yes, they could. So….one booboo boy, three dimples, brown “buster” cut, brown eyes, named Daniel Ben.
Our son’s name is Daniel Benjamin, but when he was little, he couldn’t spell Benjamin, so he would write “Daniel Ben Trayer” on his papers. Hence, the name. And really, for a doll with a cloth, needle-sculpted and hand painted face, he actually does remind me quite a bit of my son when we brought him home!
very nice story, Charlotte!
I will go bk and read your comment too.
I meant to add, the Booboo boys were large–25″ or so tall!! Among the larger of the “Originals” (that is, with soft-sculpted faces and hand-painted features).
Oh, I forgot to mention, I did finally get around to posting on yesterday’s blog, replying to Linda’s comment.
Well, I have dolls from all over the world. My most unique one was a doll from Switzerland. She is about 9 inches tall and made of cloth. She has real plastic shoes that we could take off. Her cute hair is in braids.
She is still packed away in a large box. (YES! I have not unpacked. I think … I am still not completely settled into this house, so I have not filled the curio with my dolls and special items. I have so many things.) Another doll I have is special is the doll from Spain. She is a lady doll in a fancy yellow dancing dress.
I should find these dolls in the large labeled packing box and take photos of them. I have had these dolls since I was about 6 years old.
I hope everyone is doing okay.
Jeanne, I hope your trip to St Louis is good and very successful. I hope George is feeling good too. Medical travel is not enjoyable, so I wish for both of you ease and comfort. Both of you are on my mind always.
I have been doing a lot of sewing. My dual quilt sewing operation is going smoothly with a lot of small fabric pieces, creating 1.5″ or 2.5″ or 3″ squares of half triangle kind of pieces. I am just sewing and cutting and pressing/flattening and placing the pieces into a bin. On Thursday, at crafters group, I will do all of the rotary cutter trimming of the edges. So far I have not made any mistakes sewing or cutting. I think it is because I am not working blazing fast, also, I have the instructions right next to me to remind me what tiny piece I am sewing and pressing. Super tedious but the result should be good if I keep up being neat and tidy.
Happy Wednesday already.
Well, to tell you the truth, I do not consider myself a doll collector, although I do have more than a few American Girl dolls! I can’t really say that what I have is unusual either, but I do have a doll that started it all, and she is laying on my daughter’s bed.
We would go to Branson several times a year, and especially Silver Dollar City, when they changed festivals during the year. There was a darling doll shop there, and you could find every kind of doll that was made, from Madame Alexander dolls to dolls made by local craftsmen. I just loved going in to admire them and they happened to have a real baby bed, a white wrought iron antique one, just filled with baby dolls. There she was, sleeping soundly in her beautiful white christening dress, with a fur jacket, and hat. I just thought she was so precious and pointed her out to Michael. He said,why don’t you get her? Mind you she cost over $100, and I did not have any dolls at the moment except my daughter’s storybook dolls. I could not believe he said that, but true to his word, he bought her! She is made by a local craftsman, in an entirely cloth body, except for porcelain hands and head. She is always sleeping and has perfect eyelashes, not painted on, but “real” ones!
She is nothing I would consider as a reborn baby! Those dolls creep me out! For sure she is not a play doll, just for display. She had a tag on her wrist with the name of the maker, but I can’t seem to remember where it went, so I have no idea how rare she is. I wasn’t thinking about that apparently, and was not in the “know”about collecting dolls!
So that was almost 30 years ago, and she is still here, sleeping sweetly on Jennifer’s bed!
I took a picture of her and will send it to Jeanne, hoping Charlotte and Rosemary also send some pictures, plus anyone else.
Sweet, Linda. Yes, we need to share photos of our treasures.
If you could take a good perfect photo of your doll (with no back ground) you could drag the image into Google images.
I think that might be worth a try.
🥰❣️
Many years ago when I was doing porcelain doll making, I made a reproduction of a By-Lo baby doll for my mother for Christmas one year. I made her a christening gown, too, and even well into her dementia in later years, she always seemed to remember I had made her, as she would point her out to me. She is currently packed away in my basement, as I’m really not “into” porcelain dolls now, but I did enjoy making her. Your talking about your baby doll, Linda, reminded me of her.
Well, it sounds like you both are home again. Hope all went well and that you both are getting some well deserved rest.
As to today’s question, I’m stumped. I don’t think that I have any unusual or unique dolls. I just like modern child like dolls although, I do still have my dolls from back in the ancient history of the 50’s. 🙂
I moved some stuff around at the other house under the skylight yesterday to prep for the roofing people. Not a clue how to pop up the solid glass panel at ceiling height. I know that somehow, my dad used to do that and wash the glass, but I have no idea how he did it by himself. It is going to be very hot again today, so I’ll bring the ladder and see what I can accomplish. At least it is indoors so it should be okay temperature wise.
I guess I would have to say Lydia, who has been in our family since the 1930’s. She is made by the German dollmaker Elfriede Hurse and is signed on her foot
Here’s a bit of information on the dollmaker. She was obviously determined to make dolls even though supplies were limited due to depression and war.
Her body and limbs are cloth. Her hands and feet are sewn with fingers and toes. I’m unsure what her face is made of, but it is painted, some sort of composition . She is jointed at the neck, hips and shoulders. Her dress, socks, and shoes are all original to her.
Elfriede Herse dolls were manufactured in Malente (a little town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) from about 1930 till 1953 by Elfriede Herse, a sculptor and woodcutter.
The biggest challenge was the procurement of material, which Elfriede Herse mastered with great imagination: for the body, fabric remnants and as a filling deer hair were used. She gathered deer hair from the tree bark in the spring when the deer rubbed against them to shed their winter coats for stuffing. Herse made her silky shiny hair out of sugar sacks, which were painstakingly disintegrated into threads and then made into wigs. Her hair is very shiny and sparkles in light.
I shared photos of her here around four years ago, so I just went back and mostly copied that post since I save the posts I share.
Some of you older folks like me might remember the radio program way back in the 40’s, “Amos and Andy”. They were really funny and I think they were black? Anyway, When I was about 10 I got a baby doll they had made to go with the program. My doll was brown with soft brown hair and I loved that doll and remember I took it to camp with me. I wish I know what happened to that cute doll.
Yes, Sissy, I do remember that radio show!
Jeanne, you know I am praying that the last 2 days will be very helpful to George. I hope y’all are home now, and resting. Sending lots of love and prayers.
Since I missed commenting yesterday I went back and commented today if any of my sofa sisters wish to read what I wrote. Forgetting I was on yesterday, I wrote a lot, largely responding to what others wrote. Oops!
Unfortunately I don’t have as much to say today because I can’t think of any of my dolls having a unique story. Maybe I’ll go in the doll room and chat with them and come up with something before the end of the day.
Loved your Bethlehem, yesterday story. So sorry that they tore down a beautiful neighborhood. Progress, not!
Barbara I read yesterday’s story this morning and it reminded me of the thatched cottage that my grandparents lived in and where my mother was born. We have photos of it and Grandad made a painting of it. He had a wonderful garden too. I am not sure when it was actually demolished but it was before the protection rules came in. Now those sort of buildings are considered heritage and you can’t even renovate without using original methods. They also cost a fortune. It was replaced by a row of cheap council bungalows. I echo Joy’s comment. Progress – NOT!
I don’t have any special dolls or even toys to share. I was a child who wasn’t careful about the things I played with but I had fun. We didn’t have much money and I grew up with rationing. Linda, I can’t imagine my ex husband letting me buy a doll for $100! What a gem! I did look at antique dolls in the 80’s and they were $2000+ so never in my budget.
Anne, I was VERY surprised when Michael said to buy her! But look what that started! I now have two rooms full of dolls and two closets full of doll clothes. He is not too encouraging about buying more dolls these days!🤣