Sunday, August 7, 2011

Blog Jog Day 2011

Welcome to Blog Jog Day! Please take a minute to enjoy my site, which is devoted to Black-doll collecting and my frequent musings about all genres of vintage-to-modern Black dolls.  I have also authored three Black-doll reference books.  Information about my books is located under the Books tab.  

After browsing here and reading today's blog in its entirety, click over to Chelle Cordero, Author, at http://chellecordero.blogspot.com/  to see what that blog has to offer!

Lost in the links? You can always go back to the main Blog Jog Day Blog at http://blogjogday.blogspot.com/ and find a new link from which to jog.

Four Doll Facts:
  • Made from a variety of materials, dolls with realistic and sometimes not-so-realistic features, are inanimate representations of humans.
  • When mass produced as a counterpart to white dolls, Black dolls are usually created in fewer quantities.
  • Doll lovers and culturally-conscious parents desire non-stereotypical dark-skinned dolls with ethnically correct features for their collections and for their children, respectively.
  • When created as described under the second bulleted fact, Black dolls, do sell.
Four Doll Controversies:

  • To be featured in a future post, Li'l David and Li'l Ruthie  (Horsman, 1975), anatomically correct dolls, came with a message to parents on the outside of the box, which read:   "This doll has true-to-life features which differentiates little girls from little boys.  For those who feel they do not want their children to be aware of these differences, we do not recommend this doll."  
  • Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids, (Mattel, 1995).  Designed to "chew" plastic food that entered the doll's mouth and exited its backpack, the Snacktime Kids were removed from the market after several reported cases of children getting their hair and fingers caught in the doll's chewing mechanism, which did not have an off  switch.  
  • Happy Family Midge and Baby (Mattel, 2002), a.k.a. "Pregnant Midge," mistaken as an expectant Barbie alarmed parents whose protests forced the doll's removal from store shelves.  The doll was actually Barbie's married friend Midge and did later re-enter the market. 
  • New to the US market, Bebe Gloton, a.k.a. the breastfeeding doll, by Berjuan is making waves in the US from the United Kingdom.   This toy includes a "fake breast" halter to be worn by the child, and a mechanical infant that mimics the act of breastfeeding when it latches onto the halter.  Emotions and opinions are mixed.  Some view Bebe Gloton as an innocent toy while others argue against the ability for little ones to imagine themselves lactating mothers using the halter and the suckling infant doll. 
If you have found this post informative, please become a follower/reader of my blog by subscribing via email or by clicking the "Join this Site" link on the lower right-hand side of  the main page.  If you know others who are as enthused about Black dolls or dolls in general, please share the link to my blog with them. 

Thank you for jogging by my site!

Happy, informative Blog Jog Day!

dbg

14 comments:

  1. What an interesting site, full of great information.

    I've learned a lot about black doll collecting in just one visit!

    Thanks so much.

    Suzanne
    The Working Writer's Coach

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  2. Thank you Suzanne for your comment. I hope you'll return and ask a friend to visit.

    dbg

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  3. Fascinating blog. I've enjoyed visiting and I'm now a follower.

    The Bebe Gloten is bizarre.

    Regards,
    Donna
    Children’s Author
    Write What Inspires You Blog
    The Golden Pathway Story book Blog

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  4. Thanks, Donna. I am following your blog now, too.

    dbg

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  5. Hi There...I'm too absolutely fascinated by the collection.Back in the day I collected over a dozen of the black cabbage patch dolls for my daughter, and know of a friend who is into this type of craft. It would be an honor to be able to purchase one of your dolls.

    I'm jogging along but have linked your blog to my blog so that I can take my time and review what you have to offer for sale.

    Great Job!!!

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  6. RYCJ... thanks for stopping by, for commenting, and for linking my blog to yours.

    dbg

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  7. What an original blog! Did you know that there's a horror movie about a serial killing black doll? Might be something for you ;-)

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  8. I think it's good that these dolls exist, but I don't think they exist in Europe. At least I've never seen them here. Any idea if this is true?

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  9. Hi Vanessa Morgan - Thanks for the compliment on my blog. I believe I have seen images of the doll featured in the black-doll serial killer movie. It would not be something that I'd like to view, however. I enjoy collecting dolls that possess the ability to conjure up positive feelings. A serial-killing doll of any color wouldn't do that for me.

    ------------
    AvalonCatCartoons,

    If you are asking about the existence of black dolls in general in the European market, yes they do exist. Historically, the European market (Germany and France, specifically) manufactured black dolls sooner than US doll manufacturers. Typically Europeans have been inclusive in doll manufacturer dating back as far as the 1800s. America has had to catch up. Just like people, everyone is not blonde with blue eyes. Accordingly, dolls should reflect the human race.

    dbg

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  10. I grew up with my favorites but honestly never realized how much interesting trivia there is about dolls. Great site.

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  11. Thanks for jogging by Chelle.

    Dolls are play things that, when owned by children, help create joyful memories of that time in their lives.

    Dolls are far more than that for those of us who still enjoy their "company." Spending time with dolls for many adult collectors/enthusiasts is a "Calgon take us away" experience.

    dbg

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  12. Still jogging today. So stopping by your site to say hello.

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  13. Thanks for stopping by Anne. I jogged by and browsed your DIY blog yesterday for a bit. Didn't realize until this morning that you author additional blogs. Will visit those soon.

    dbg

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