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| Auction photo of Madame Alexander "Thank you" ensemble |
Doll collectors usually suffer from a chronic and incurable condition of want-itis. I-am-no-exception. After seeing a fellow collector's African American "Thank You" doll from 1997 by Madame Alexander, I wanted to purchase one. Initially, the doll was going to be a gift for a friend as a "thank you" for all she does. However, (or 'what had happened was')...
I saved an eBay search for "Madame Alexander Thank You Doll." The only notices received were for newly listed white versions of the doll. Finally, eBay sent an email announcing an auction for a near-complete "Thank You" outfit only. This was a buy it now or best offer auction. I made an offer that was countered by the seller. I countered the seller's offer, which was accepted.
As shown above, the outfit includes replaced shoes (the original shoes are pink). The doll's thank you card and flower bouquet were also not included. The seller sent along an unmarked purple bike with an attached cart described as being part of a Madame Alexander doll display.
With the outfit on its way, all I needed was a doll to wear it.
The person who owns the original African American "Thank You" doll sent me a link to an eBay auction for Madame Alexander's 1991 Welcome Home African American girl. She shared that these dolls show up often and usually have low beginning bids. I watched the auction until the last day of the listing when I found an identical doll in an auction with a lower beginning bid and less expensive shipping. Within a couple of days, the auction ended with me as the only bidder.
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| Auction photo of "Welcome Home" Wendy |
After undressing Wendy (the name by which most refer to the 8-inch dolls by Madame Alexander), I noticed her loose stringing. She visited the resident doll doctor for restringing before I dressed her in the "Thank You" fashion which had arrived a few days before.
As illustrated above, African American "Welcome Home" Wendy is now my creation of the elusive 1997 African American "Thank You" doll from the Occasions Collection. I changed her original hairstyle from one pulled back ponytail with curly ends to two side ponytails.
The missing thank you card was replaced with one I made using white card stock and pink construction paper. Wendy was given a little doll with a bear of her own to sit in the cart of the bike.
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| Wendy has been restrung and her one ponytail changed to two side ponytails. |
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| Redressed in the "Thank You" outfit, Wendy posed with the purple bike with cart the seller sent. |
As illustrated above, African American "Welcome Home" Wendy is now my creation of the elusive 1997 African American "Thank You" doll from the Occasions Collection. I changed her original hairstyle from one pulled back ponytail with curly ends to two side ponytails.
The missing thank you card was replaced with one I made using white card stock and pink construction paper. Wendy was given a little doll with a bear of her own to sit in the cart of the bike.
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| Wendy poses wearing her new clothes and her doll-and-bear-filled cart. The thank you card had not been made when the photo above was taken, but I wanted to share this cute pose. |
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| With her doll and the doll's bear in the cart, Wendy wears the "Thank You" ensemble and holds a thank you card. (By the time this photo was taken, Bear had fallen asleep.) |
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Shortly after I published this post, a doll friend recognized that the shoes the seller sent with my Thank You Wendy outfit were not the original pink shoes that the doll should wear. She kindly purchased the above pink faux suede Madame Alexander shoes for my doll.
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| Madame Alexander Thank you Wendy (formerly Welcome Home Wendy) models her new pink shoes and sends her love to her shoe donor. |
I will continue to watch for the authentic African American "Thank You" doll to carry out my original plan to purchase as a gift for a friend. (But this one is mine... all mine!)
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