D is for Doll and I is for Image Intense

Volume D, World Book Encyclopedia, 1962 and 1987, respectively

"DOLL.  In almost every part of the world, children play with dolls.  They may be made of anything from cooky [sic] dough and candy to cloth and rubber.  They may be made in factories and bought in shops, or they may be made at home and cost nothing.  It makes little difference what they look like or how much money is paid for them.  Dolls are loved the world around."  (World Book Encyclopedia, 1962, Volume D, "Doll," page 234.)


Someone recently asked me if I could suggest ideas for no-sew dolls. I offered a few quick suggestions which included African Wrap Dolls and clothespin dolls.  These suggestions piqued my own interest which led to a Google.com search for "no-sew dolls."  Included in the search results was a blog on how to make acorn dolls.  The blogger recalled discovering instructions to make acorn dolls while reading the "Doll" entry in volume D of her mother's 1950s set of World Book Enclyclopedia (WBE).

Reading the blogger's experience conjured up memories of time spent using my first non-electronic search tool:  an A to Z set of encyclopedias.  As a child I could easily spend hours reading several entries in one volume, prompted by an initial desire to gain information on just one subject.  

I was compelled to grab volume D of my 1962 childhood set that I still own to read the "Doll" entry. I am sure I read the entry as a child; and as evidenced by my sister's first name scribbled on one of the pages, she had read it as well or at least looked at the pictures.  Re-reading it refreshed my memory. This was followed by reading the "Doll" entry in the same lettered volume of my children's 1987 WBE.  

I was not surprised by the scarcity of Black dolls in the 1962 entry.  A recognizable few Black dolls are included in the volume published 25 years later.  Both entries cover a variety of doll topics to include historical and modern dolls and dolls as collectibles.  A collector and her collection are featured in the 1987 entry.  Scans of both entries follow in their entirety with the exception that the collector's identity is concealed.

Doll entry scans, pages 234-244, from volume D, World Book Encyclopedia (1962)
Click/swipe images to enlarge.  Alternatively, on a computer, hold down Ctrl and + to zoom in; Ctrl and - to zoom out. 

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Doll entry scans, pages 234-243, from volume D, World Book Encyclopedia (1987)

 

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The "Doll" entry in the 1962 edition of WBE contains how-to instructions for making an acorn doll and several other doll types. See also the 8th and 9th scans above of the 1962 volume.

During recent grocery store and post office trips, where acorns are plentiful, I gathered several fallen acorns.  The plan is to make my own acorn doll or two like this blogger did, using the instructions from the "Doll" entry in volume D of my childhood WBE.  

Glitter Glam Is It... For a While

Glitter Glam doll by Madame Alexander (has an over sized head, but I like her anyway).

Glitter Glam (GG) is an 18-inch doll by Madame Alexander made exclusively for Dollie & Me.  I was inspired to purchase this doll after Travel Friends Kenya arrived.  Kenya and GG have similar facial features and I think Kenya will be the perfect doll for GG.

I took the following series of photos of GG in the box and post release.

Removed from box, still attached to box liner, almost free

Removing GG from the box liner was not difficult after each cord tie was untied.

Free at last and striking first pose.

The discount code inserted in the box liner was a pleasant surprise.

The back of GG's box illustrates other Dollie & Me dolls.

GG poses with her sisters, other 18-inch dolls by Madame Alexander.  The doll standing next to GG, Gabbi, was sold through Costco originally, but was a 2009 eBay purchase for me.  She is from the Alexander Girlz line.  The seated twins, Patience (Friends Boutique collection) and Passion (Friends 4 Life collection), were purchased from Walmart in 2011 and 2009, respectively.  Patience has poseable arms and legs.

A portion of GG's doll inventory entry is shared below:

Description

Price

Retail/Current Value

Other

From the higher-end line of 18-inch  dolls by Madame Alexander,  doll is vinyl with cloth torso, has black rooted hair styled in two side ponytails and brown sleep eyes.  Wears black shirt, pink shrug, pink skirt with black tutu, multicolored striped leggings, black high-top vinyl sneakers with pink laces.

Free

$39.99

Ordered from Zulily.com with  referral credits.

GG takes one final photo.

GG will be one of the last dolls to arrive in 2014.  I am expecting two more that were ordered some time ago.  Other than that, GG is it!  The plan is not to purchase another doll this year.  With 2015 right around the corner and my focus directed elsewhere for a while, this should be easy to accomplish.

The fact that my doll buying has temporarily ceased will not keep me away from this blog.  I have several projects that I am in the midst of completing and will share the results of those in future blog posts.

dbg

Dolls That Inspire Girls to Dream

Prodigyrls Janelle and Nicole photograph courtesy of Dr. Daniela Wiggins

Today's post was originally published at the DOLLS magazine website, written when I was one of their "Voices of the Industry" bloggers.  During a several-week period in 2009, my blog posts were featured, usually weekly, under the heading:  Dolls in Black:  Chronicles and Perspectives.

This week as I prepared to share what inspired me to purchase Prodigyrls, Janelle and Nicole, for a "Doll a Day" activity, I discovered my interview of the founder of the Prodigyrls dolls is no longer accessible at the DOLLS website.   In fact, all blog posts written by the "Voices of the Industry" have been removed. 

Because others might enjoy the dolls' story and because they remain available to purchase, this post is a re-blog of my 2009 interview of Dr. Daniela Wiggins.

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Dolls That Inspire Girls to Dream
written November 1, 2009

I recently discovered the Prodigyrls after reading a fellow doll enthusiast’s blog about them (http://whosthemamahere.blogspot.com/2009/10/prodigyrls-now-available-for-pre-order.html).  She noted that two of the planned dolls are available for preorder and urged readers to vote for their favorite doll.

At the website, I voted for the doll I plan to preorder and followed the link to “Design a Prodigyrl.”  I designed a doll collector that would come with her own doll or two.  During my website visit, I inquired via the “contact us” link, why the dolls were not being released simultaneously.  I received a prompt reply from the dolls’ creator, Daniela Wiggins, MD, who wrote, “Releasing our dolls in phases helps with our research and product development.”

Intrigued about the dolls and their concept, I wanted to know more about them and asked a series of questions, which Dr. Wiggins again readily answered.  I believe doll enthusiasts (collectors and parents who desire to expose their daughters to wholesome dolls with a purpose) will delight in learning about the inspiration behind the dolls’ creation. 

http://www.prodigyrls.com/

Dr. Wiggins shared the following:

“The idea for Prodigyrls (named by combining prodigy + girls) came to me about two years ago. Two completely separate thoughts came together to form our doll company. The first idea came as a result of my frustration with the lack of black dolls on the market. The second idea was to write a series of children's books about health and nutrition based on the millions of questions my children asked me about medicine.  At the time, my daughter was 7 years old and I had NEVER purchased a doll for her.  She had been given dolls as gifts, but I had never seen a doll I felt compelled to buy.  When I asked around about black dolls, I was referred to a doll which was a freed slave.  Although slavery is an important time in our nation’s history to learn about, we have been and are so much more than former slaves.  I was also disappointed by the fashion dolls with heavy makeup and sometimes inappropriate clothes.  Every mother I spoke with wanted the same thing I did, dolls that actually looked like our children and that were positive and inspirational.  

“One morning, as I sat on the edge of my bed, the two ideas merged.  I would create a collection of African-American dolls, each with a special talent or passion, and I would use each doll's story to teach age appropriate health information to children, Prodigyrls was born.  Since then we have created many dolls with varying talents and interests, the first 5 of which appear on our website.  We are still in our research and development phase and are now selling Nicole (the doctor doll) and Janelle (the chef doll). 

“Our target market is African-American girls 5-8 years old.

“We have put a lot of time and energy into creating our dolls with features that represent the beauty and diversity of the African-American community.  This has not been easy. Manufacturers have historically not paid attention to such details.  Our dolls are 18 inches tall with vinyl head, neck, arms, and legs.  The torso is cloth, dyed to match the vinyl skin color.  Our dolls have varying skin tones and hair textures.  The hair is rooted on all of our dolls with Sienna being the only exception.  Sienna has locs and those will likely be wigged.  There will be extra clothing for the dolls and accessories.  Nicole has a doctor set and Janelle has a cooking set. Each doll will also have a picture book which will tell the story of her special talent or what she is passionate about.”

Prodigyrls retail for only $69.99, but the first 300 dolls are being presold, before the official national rollout for only $49.99. The first 300 will be individually numbered and signed by the company’s founder.  

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While several dolls were planned at the time of the above interview, to date the only two Prodigyrls that have been produced are the two I own.  At the Prodigyrils website Janelle and Nicole are now reduced from $69.99 to 56.99.  Parents:  Think Christmas.  Collectors of 18-inch dolls:  You'll love them.

See photos of actual dolls here, here, and read more about Dr. Wiggins here. 

 dbg