Dolls with Books Exhibit Entry 1

Dolls with Books library exhibit

As I mentioned in my previous post, Saba's Sandals and New Temporary Home, Saba (the doll on the first shelf, far left) is now part of a Dolls with Books exhibit at a local library.

I created this exhibit initially in 2003 using existing dolls from my collection.  The dolls included in the exhibit were either manufactured with books or their creation (either mass produced or fashioned by me) was inspired by a storybook character or historical figure.   None of the dolls in this post were manufactured with a book.  Subsequent posts will feature dolls that were manufactured with books.

L-R:  Saba, Topsy, Annabelle, Bessie Coleman

This post features the other dolls that share the top left display shelf with Saba.  They are  Topsy, Annabelle by Robert Raikes, and Madame Alexander's Bessie Coleman. Below is a closer look at these three along with their featured books and the text from their object labels.

Topsy (1960s version), one of many dolls named after the character in the 1851 book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin or Life Among the Lowly, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.  Chapter 20 is devoted to Topsy, a dark-skinned slave girl with multiple braids.  The book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, describes the behaviors of several slaves, adults and children, with Uncle Tom and Topsy being among the most unforgettable.

 
Note:  Topsy was nude before I took her to the library exhibit.  I fashioned a romper for her using white stretch lace. 

Annabelle is a cherry wood doll from the Hitty doll line by Robert Raikes, 2004.  Annabelle is the African friend of Robert Raikes’ doll, Hitty.  In the book, Hitty Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field, 1929, Hitty tells of her travels throughout the world that span over 100 years beginning in the 1800s. Hitty meets several different people from different cultures.  One of the places she visits and meets friends is Africa.

Note:  Annabelle is Robert Raikes' interpretation of a dark-skinned friend of his doll Hitty .  His Hitty and Annabelle dolls were inspired by the book by Rachel Field, Hitty Her First Hundred Years.  An Annabelle character is not featured in this book; however, because Raikes created Annabelle and because in the book, Hitty travels to Africa where she meets new friends and learns about their culture, I combined the Raikes' doll with Field's book to include in my exhibit. 

The final exhibit doll in this post is Bessie Coleman manufactured in 2009.  This doll is a new edition to my Dolls with Books exhibit that I added because she represents a positive historical female. 

Bessie Coleman by Madame Alexander represents the first African American female pilot.  Bessie Coleman First Black Woman Pilot by Connie Plantz, 2001, tells how Bessie Coleman overcame racial bigotry and gender bias attempts to prevent her from entering flight training school to learn to fly airplanes in the 1920s.  Her dream eventually became a reality and she made aviation history in the process.  

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In a comment to my original post, Muff wanted to know:

• How the exhibit came to fruition?  This particular library was closed for several years until it recently reopened in April 2013.  I visit it frequently and have noticed only two different displays in the exhibit cases.  The first was perhaps an indigenous American display that caught my attention because of the American Girl Kaya doll it featured.  The second exhibit that remained in place for several months was a 1970s rhythm and blues album collection.  I distinctly remember always noticing Minnie Ripperton's Perfect Angel album cover each time I walked past. 
• Did the library contact you, did you contact them? After I returned a book I borrowed (Perfect Peace by Daniel Black, that I could not force myself to finish reading because the adult characters were so backward), I asked the librarian, "Who do I need to talk to about exhibiting some items in your display case?"  I was referred to the library manager who became quite excited after I asked about displaying dolls there.  (Incidentally, the 1970s R&B LPs belong to her father.)  I asked her if there was any particular type doll she preferred -- fashion dolls, artist dolls, historical dolls etc.  She said she would leave that up to me.  Before I reached my car to return home, the Dolls with Books exhibit came to mind. 
• Will the exhibit roam to other libraries?  At this time, I do not have any immediate plans to allow the exhibit to roam to other libraries, but if I am asked I will consider it. In the past, at other one-day exhibits, I have included a presentation for children where each doll is discussed.  I am open to an invitation to do that as well.

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Saba's Sandals and New Temporary Home

Saba is part of the Girls of Many Lands series, sculpted by Helen Kish for the Pleasant Company, 2003.

After I acquired her in 2003 or 2004, Girls of Many Lands, Saba has been featured in several one-day exhibits at local libraries, schools, and the African American Museum.  Her last exhibit experience, however, was several years ago.  Since that time, Saba and the other dolls with books, that are featured in an exhibit of the same name, have been stored in the largest piece of my rolling luggage set.

Poor dolls.  I never bothered to inspect them for their condition at any time during the past several years.  Of course, I would have loved to reenter them into the doll population to display with their books.  Unfortunately, there is just no room there.  So they remained zipped up in the luggage until last week when I freed them for another exhibit. 

Saba survived the previous storage, but her faux leather sandals were in a state of deterioration, one more than the other. The soles of the sandals were okay, but the straps of the right one had almost disintegrated.  She needed new straps for that sandal, so I decided to make new straps for both.  I took a few pictures of the process. Those photos and the text below describe what was done to get her exhibit ready.

L-R:  New sole for Saba's right sandal, the sole of her original right sandal, and the left sandal with original but deteriorating straps

In the above photograph, I had already removed the straps from Saba's right sandal and created a new sole for it using caramel foam.  That new sole was later flipped over and traced to create a new sole for the other sandal.  I decided to use the original soles as the innersoles of her sandals.  To keep the material of the "now" innersoles from deteriorating, I applied a couple of layers of Mod Podge (as shown in the next image).

The straps have been removed from the other sandal and layers of Mod Podge applied to prevent the material from deteriorating.  The above photo was taken before the Mod Podge dried.

After the Mod Podge dried, I placed the innersoles on top of the newly created soles to ensure a proper fit before sandwiching the new straps between the soles and innersoles and gluing the parts together.

I used natural colored braiding cord to fashion straps for Saba's sandals.  The front piece of each strap was sandwiched between the soles and innersoles and glued in place.  The pieces had been premeasured to a length long enough to create a top strap that would knot in front, wrap around her ankles and tie in the back.  I used Aleene's tacky glue to glue everything in place.

The front strap appeared to be pulled farther away from the forefoot than I wanted.  I left the straps tied in place as they were and cut an extra piece of cord to use as a forefoot strap.  The ends of each extra piece were tied to the sides of the new strap.  The end result is shown below. 

The new straps of Saba's sandals are tied in the back just below the gold anklets she was already wearing.  The ends of the extra added piece across the forefoot are tied to the sides of the new strap and the knots trimmed snug.

As seen in the next picture, Saba is now in a Dolls with Books exhibit at a local library where she will remain until the first week of March. 

With 21 other dolls, Saba, (the first doll, top shelf, far left) is featured in my Dolls with Books exhibit at a local library through the first week in March.  Depicting fictional and nonfictional characters from the 1800s through the present, this exhibit encourages children to read.  It also provides a visual depiction of how African Americans have been portrayed through the written word and in doll form.  

Saba's object label reads: 

Saba represents a 12-year-old Ethiopian girl in the year 1846, from the Girls of Many Lands doll series, 2003.  Her book, Under the Hyena’s Foot, 2003, by Jane Kurtz, is about the kidnapping of Saba and her brother.  The children must devise a way to escape and return to their family.

Throughout the month of February, as time permits, I plan to feature the other dolls that are on exhibit with Saba in separate blog posts either individually or in group postings.



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Queens of Africa Dolls - Review

Queens of Africa dolls, Nneka, Wuraola, and Azeezah and issue one of Queens of Africa book

My three lovely Queens of Africa dolls arrived quickly from the United Kingdom by small packets delivery.

There is very little difference in Nneka and Wuraola's complexion, but Nneka is a shade lighter.

The dolls' lightweight boxes sustained crumpled-top and loose-cellophane damage during the small packets delivery, which did not include a protective box.  Bubble wrap and brown packaging paper were their only protection.  Reinforcement with a cardboard box or perhaps a cardboard liner could have cushioned some of the obvious bangs the dolls' boxes received during delivery. The dolls, however, withstood the turbulence.

I gingerly removed each from their boxes to give them a closer inspection.  Initially, I kept all attached to their inner liner. 

Each doll wears stud earrings that are not removable.  Nneka is the only one with a crown.  Their extra accessories include a doll stand, clutch, swimsuit, and hairbrush.  I was surprised by Nneka's extra dress (shown above wrapped in a plastic bag).

Nneka's extra shimmery red dress has a removable sash that reads:  Queen of Love.  Her red shoes and faux ruby studded crown will complement the dress.

Nneka's hair is styled in a low ponytail.  All have rooted hair, but it is not closely rooted.  Restyling the hair might be limited as a result.

Azeezah has the deepest complexion of the three.

Like Nneka, Azeezah has straight hair but the color and style are different.  Her black ponytail is worn high with a twisted top. It fishtails down as shown in the second image below.

The clear spot on Azeezah's hairline and face is glue that held her headwrap in place.  The use of glue was not necessary in my opinion.

Azeezah's top-rolled ponytail  that fish tails down is more visible in this picture.

Wuraola's curlier, auburn hair is in an upswept style underneath her headwrap.

Other Attributes
Proportions:  Head and body are proportional.  Someone asked if they suffer from BHS (big head syndrome).  No, they do not.
Height:  11-1/2 inches (but shorter than Artsy Fashionista -- see photo below).
Material:  Soft vinyl faces; rigid plastic body and arms, firm vinyl legs
Articulation:  The arms and legs move at the sockets; the knees click-bend; the waist twists and turns.
Feet:  Smaller than Artsy Fashionista's and probably smaller than most other Barbie feet.  In fact, Nneka's red shoes are too long for her, but they do not slip off.

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I removed Nneka from her inner liner, undressed her (she has on white undies), and did a quick comparison with Artsy Fashionista.

Artsy's higher arch is responsible for her slightly taller height.

Artsy's feet are larger than Nneka's.  

Note the extra flap of vinyl on the sole of Nneka's foot that should not be there.

Nneka's breast area is larger, almost 6 inches, whereas Artsy measures 5-2/8 inches.

Clothing

 Nneka's dress is made of a cotton fabric.  The inner edges are not stitched under, otherwise it is well made.  Azeezha's dress and headwrap are made of a heavy African-print, cotton-type material.  Wuraola's emerald green dress has a matching headwrap. Her dress and headwrap are made of a heavyweight, synthetic silk-like material.

Queens of Africa Issue One

Written and illustrated in the style of a comic book, the reader is introduced to younger versions of the girls who are best friends.  They attend Dreamland International School, "a unique school... that is the envy of all other schools in Lagos... The students of Dreamland International are taught to dream big and make their dreams come true.

"Wuraola Oluwadamilola is the third child of Mr and Mrs Oluwadamilola.  She is very brilliant, smart, and patient.

"Nneka Chukwuemeka is the only child of her parents... she is loving, cheerful, and caring... loves travelling and making friends.

"Azeezah Musa is the daughter of Dr and Dr (Mrs) Musa.  She is a very humble, respectful and peace loving girl.  She is also hardworking.

"They share their joyful and sad moments.  They are always together at school and spend their weekends and holidays in each others company.

By the end of the book, the girls are transformed into "the most beautiful and powerful queens."  As noted by her red shimmery dress with sash, Nneka becomes the Queen of Love.  The book informs that Azeezah becomes the Queen of Peace, and Wuraola, the Queen of Endurance. 

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Overall, I am pleased with my regal-looking Queens of Africa Dolls and their book, which tells their delightful story as well as shares informative facts about the continent of Africa and specifically Nigeria.

Except for the raw edged stitching, the clothing is well made.  The swimsuit edges are stitched under.


I would have preferred reinforced small packet shipping to protect the dolls' boxes (even though it might have driven up the already high price of shipping from the UK to the US).  Stricter quality control on the China end where the dolls are manufactured needs to be enforced to eliminate vinyl nubs and other quality issues that originate there.


Closely rooted hair fibers, particularly for the dolls with straight hair will increase ways of styling and increase the customer base of those who prefer closely rooted hair.

For those interested in non-straight hairstyles, I was recently notified that braided hairstyles are available but at a higher price.

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Additional Information from Back of Box
The following text is on the back of each doll's box:

WURAOLA:  means "Precious wealth"
Can be shortened to "WURA" or "RAOLA."
This is a "YORUBA" name from southern part of Nigeria.

AZEEZAH:  means "Esteemed"; this can be shortened to 'ZEZA."
This is a Muslim name and used commonly in the northern part of Nigeria
[amongst] the "HAUSA" who are predominantly Muslim dwellers.

NNEKA:  The meaning of this name is "Mother is superior," which is
"IBO" [Igbo] a language from the eastern area of Nigeria, where most of
the names are symbolic.

NIGERIA:  The largest and most populated black country in Africa and the world, situated at the tail end of the west African coast.
NIGERIA:  gained her independence from Britain on October 1st 1960.
NIGERIA:  is known for her rich culture and history.  Her women are also known for their beauty and high [sense] of fashion.

There are three main tribes in Nigeria.  They are Yoruba, Hausa and Ibo.
Wuraola represents Yoruba.
Azeezah represents Hausa.
Nneka represents Ibo.

Queens of Africa:  Facebook
Queens of Africa:  Website

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