What was Your Favorite Doll when You were a Child?

Dolls, like most forms of art,  have always inspired me to write.  Some people do not think of dolls as art, but they definitely are.  Whenever my mother would buy me a doll when I was a child, I would not only do its hair and change its clothes, I would study its face and give it thoughts and emotions.  After awhile, I had a small collection of dolls, and they “interacted”   with each other.  Their lives were full of drama!  I was writing back then, not as much on paper,  but my dolls had stories that included a past, present, and future.  As I got older, my best friend, and I played with Barbies. I had a huge wooden doll house where they all “lived” and boy did my girlfriend and I have our very own soap opera going on with those dolls.

 

Do you remember your favorite doll(s)?  Were they just dolls or did they have “lives?”

 

Below I list a few of my favorite dolls from my childhood, and following that I have a few photos of dolls from my current collection, and no…I do not give them thoughts and emotions : )  However, I believe the doll artists did a wonderful job making them life-like.

 

My Three Favorite Dolls

 

Baby -That- Away was definitely my favorite and most memorable doll.  She used to crawl.  I thought she was the coolest thing. I can still see her crawling across the floor in my memory.  I remember asking my mom almost every day before Christmas, “Did you get me Baby That Away?”  Just in case you are wondering, I didn’t believe in Santa Claus, so I pestered my mother for about two weeks before Christmas, every Christmas.  She probably would have been better off telling me there was a Santa Claus, but there was no way Santa was going to get credit for the toys she purchased.  Can’t say I blame her.  She was a single parent, too.  Shoot…

 

Baby Alive was my second favorite doll.  I am pretty sure there is still a Baby Alive out there on the shelves.  She used to eat, drink, and go to the bathroom.  I used to change her pamper.  If I remember correctly, her mouth moved slightly when she ate–real cheap like, but it was definitely cool for the 70s lol  I bet the Baby Alives they have out there now chomp down on their food like real babies, smacking and all, real life like lol-probably even throwing food across the room.

 

Tamoo was my third favorite doll.  She was a doll that was supposed to boost the self-esteem of little black girls across the country.  She had dark skin and a tight afro.  You would pull her string and she would say, “I can dig it!”  She also said, “My name is Tam…moo.”  However, “Sock it to me baby!” was definitely my favorite line of hers.  Well, what can I say?  It was the 70s. lol

 

Today I am an avid doll collector.  Dolls that are well done and full of character inspire me to write.  I am particularly inspired by antique dolls and dolls from different nations.  I have included a few photos of some dolls from my collection.

 

 

And your favorite doll was…