LVII: Mother's Day and Birthday Doll Loot

For the past dozen or more years, my dearest doll friend and confidante, Debra R. has remembered my birthday with gift packages that always include dolls or doll-related items. She remembers me on other holidays, too.  I reciprocate by sending her gifts for these special occasions as well.  Debra gets a double hit during the month of May when Mother's Day and my birthday occur a few days apart. 

This year for Mother's Day, along with other non-doll related items, Debra sent me a doll that I had seen on eBay and thought seriously about bidding on.  For a now obvious reason, I just continued to watch the auction that was relisted at least twice before someone eventually purchased it.  Who knew that someone was Debra R. and that the doll was purchased for me?

Maypole Dance Wendy (aka Wendy's Maypole Dance) by Madame Alexander for Shirley's Dollhouse, 1994

Maypole Dance Wendy, part of my Mother's Day gift from Debra R., is a 1994 Shirley's Dollhouse exclusive made to commemorate the shop's 20th anniversary.  Shirley's Dollhouse, formerly located in Wheeling, IL., specialized in collectors dolls by Madame Alexander, Effanbee, Vogue and other prominent doll makers.  The store offered several shop exclusives made by these and other manufacturers.  One of the Caucasian versions of Maypole Dance Wendy is featured on page 164 of Linda Crowsey's book, Madame Alexander Store Exclusives and Limited Editions Identifications and Values (Collector Books 2000). According to Crowsey, "The doll was produced in three hair colors plus an African American version."  

All God's Children dolls, Anika III and School Girl Ann

For my birthday, Debra sent not one, but two dolls (not figurines) by Miss Martha Originals All God's Children:  Anika III with rocking chair and Ann, shown above.   According to this Worthpoint entry, Anika III came with a small book of praise.  The Worthpoint entry also shares Anika III's cute story.   Ann, a school girl complete with leather-string wrapped books and chalk board, is stamped 1998 on her back.  I have not determined Anika III's year of issue.

 AGC figurines, which date back to 1985, were hot collectibles well into the 2000s.  Not a figurine collector, I never purchased any.  It was not until 2008 that I discovered the brand included jointed, 9-1/2 to 11-inch dolls made of resin with removable clothing and some with yarn hair.  This was the year Debra purchased my first AGC doll, Skating Anika.  In 2010, I purchased Blossom.  Issued in 1987, Blossom is said to be AGC's first doll.  With the two latest editions, thanks to Debra, I now own a total of four AGC's dolls. 

AGC figurines and dolls are very realistic looking and capture the essence and personality of many children that I either grew up with or with whom I have come in contact throughout my life.  It was not until I received Skating Anika and read her accompanying booklet that I realized my assumption about the artist's ethnicity was incorrect.  Miss Martha's story can be read here.  Additional (but not all) dolls can be linked to here.

Lizette became speechless after seeing the new fashions she received for "my" birthday.

In addition to the AGC dolls, my birthday loot from Debra included three Ellowyne Wilde-tagged dresses and a faux fur stole for her.  These lovely items were enclosed in a decorative, purse-shaped storage box. Lizette is looking forward to being redressed in her new separates.

My birthday card from Debra reads exactly how I felt on the day I opened the package she sent in honor of birthday LVII:

Special
Blessed
Loved
Celebrated

dbg

Follow my Dolls for Sale blog