DOLLS

Black Friday is here and the local morning news stations seemed to be at every shopping location to interview the blurry-eyed, giggly, sleep deprived consumers. As a service to the community they periodically provided tips to their viewers and at one point this morning, a shopper distilled the reporting into one concise message.

Apples and oranges and fashion dolls. To compare them, I think that Barbie and Tyler are apples to Gene’s orange. Barbie is melons (obviously) to the grapes of Bratz. As a consumer and collector, I appreciate them all and I am glad that the manufacturers have given us a wide range of styles from which to choose. But two of these dolls have informed my life. Barbie may have brought fashion dolls into my world, but Tyler brought them back.

My mom cherished the family stories that she heard growing up and as I grew up she liked to remind me of things that I had done. Sometimes it would be embarrassing and other times old wounds would be opened and I’d reiterate my side of an event. But there was a sweet thing that she would recall from time to time and it still represents something about my character.

There are not many shops that carry collectible dolls in my state and it’s a lengthy trip to get to one. Due to time and budget constraints, the majority of my research and shopping is done online. But recently I traveled to a town, generally known for it’s heritage and tourism, as it had a shop which provided a chance to see collectible dolls in person. I had no idea that I would be entering a wonderland filled with amazing sites and friendly characters.

Just as the familiar scent of autumn arrived in the evening air and sidewalks became alive with the crunch of fallen leaves, my interest in dolls shifted from warm to cool. While in childlike anticipation of the Fall/Holiday season, I became disinterested in my collection.

At this time of year I develop what I call Sears Wish Book syndrome. As a little girl that catalog meant that Christmas was coming and I could prepare for my visit to Santa. Even though one year I got distracted and wondered why Santa needed to wear a wrist watch, I still remembered to tell him what was at the top of my list because I believed he had to at least honor that wish.

Financially doll collecting can get you into a serious mess. But if you have an actual mess, you can use your doll investment to help you develop an organizational system flexible enough to be used for other household projects.

While in my mid-twenties, I was astonished to learn that most people couldn’t deal with confrontation, let alone choose to instigate it. No matter my age or their level of authority, when I was convinced that I was right about something or certain that they were terribly mistaken, I would express and defend my opinion to the bitter end.

You may wonder what this has to do with dolls.