Yes, I know I asked you last week if I was perhaps a Crazy Cat Lady. Now I'd like to know if I'm a Crazy Doll Lady too? Anyone that's ever stumbled upon my blog know that doll collecting and "playing" is another passion of mine.
I mostly collect the dolls I grew up playing with in the 1950's...the Vogue Company Dolls that were originally made in Medford, MA. This is my childhood Vogue Ginny doll. She's the only one that survived my childhood and she's a 1954 painted lash walker. She's wearing one of the outfits from my childhood too. She originally had a flip style hairdo which I cut as a child. I was able to find a replacement wig on eBay and now she has braids.
There are all kinds of collectors. Many collect what's called the "mint in box" dolls and they can run anywhere from the hundreds to the thousands. That's not me. I don't want a doll that has to stay in a box and sit on a shelf. I'm glad that there are collectors that preserve these dolls, but I want to "play" with my dolls and not be afraid to touch them.
I buy what a friend calls "the previously loved" dolls. Over the years I've learned to restring them...
and wash and set their hair.
I also collect other Vogue Dolls and some of their friends. I have quite a few reproduction Vogue Company Dolls that were made up until 2011 or so.
What I really enjoy is setting them up in scenes. It's fun finding or creating all the accessories for the scenes. I recently worked on a couple of school scenes.
Recently I was asked how many dolls I owned. I had never counted and assumed around 100. I started counting and stopped at 260. I'm now assuming I have around 300 dolls. I was a little shocked and probably won't be buying many more. I do try and keep my dolls set up permanently in scenes or on shelves. I'm fortunate to have a room just for my dolls.
If you do a google search for "doll hoarding" you'll find this...
I do think there's a fine line between collecting something and hoarding it. I like to think I haven't crossed that line yet. This is probably true of most hobbies whether it's baseball cards, comics, etc.
Besides, my love of dolls goes back many years. I started at a very young age.
That love grew throughout my childhood.
I'm 71 now. What do you think? Have I crossed the line yet?
Thanks for visiting. Please go to ABC Wednesday to visit more alphabet posts.
:-) Some people call others 'crazy' about something like this... Those people just don't know that certain feeling, do they?
ReplyDeleteI've collected music-items for many years... so I know the feeling ;-) I consider myself crazy... you know, crazy people are fun people, the non-craxy ones are boring :-) ;-)
Have a wonderful ABC-wednesday / - week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-w-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/21-d
Whatever your passion is, you have to follow it:):) Thanks for your comment, Betty!
ReplyDeleteI agree ~ I love your dolls and great to have a passion ~ be true to you ^_^ ~ If it gives you pleasure and fun ~ do it and no need to apologize ~ You are wonderful just the way you are ~ xox
ReplyDeleteI love that you play with your dolls, Betty, creating scenes for them to interact in. I find myself doing that with plants these days. I'm about to put in spider plants at the base of the tree in the front yard. We gotta have our fun. :-)
ReplyDeleteIf you didn't do D for dolls I would think you were sick! You are not a hoarder that is not what hoarding looks like. However, it looks like a lot of dolls that you love and that is good with me. It is something good - makes you reel good - you are hurting no one and it keeps you busy and happy, I love your dolls. sandie
ReplyDeleteYou have a great passion for dolls! It's not hoarding!
ReplyDeleteI have my 1957 Bride Doll I got for Christmas and I cherish it. My sissy collected quite a few in her lifetime.
ReplyDeleteAnn
I love a diorama, like the detail in yours, and of course the dolls.
ReplyDeleteI am a cat collector (as you probably know) but my mother was a doll collector ! She had a real beautiful collection. But when she died nobody wanted them, I had a boy and finally I gave them to the church ! I thought they will find somebody who will enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteAw, Betty, you know what I think! LOL! I think you are the best kind of "nutty". It isn't really nutty, but my own family thinks I'm cracked. Ha...ha...I would like to downsize a few of my larger dolls, so I can fit more mini dolls in. Tee hee....I like to shift them around a bit. I think I have 200 small dolls and maybe 60 large ones. They are filling up the closet so I'm eyeing the ones that will have to go. I just LOVED this post. Your doll scenes are adorable.
ReplyDeleteBetty, I too would have worrisome thoughts had you not had "Dolls for 'D'" today. I like the scenes that you make, you are very creative.
ReplyDeleteThanks for peeking on me. Seems that you have a lot of the old Thursday bunch on this meme. We have some and Gattina does both.
I seldom tell my age here. I doubt I would tell even if I were younger. I'm OBE as the Aussies say.
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Betty, I too would have worrisome thoughts had you not had "Dolls for 'D'" today. I like the scenes that you make, you are very creative.
ReplyDeleteThanks for peeking on me. Seems that you have a lot of the old Thursday bunch on this meme. We have some and Gattina does both.
I seldom tell my age here. I doubt I would tell even if I were younger. I'm OBE as the Aussies say.
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I LOVE your dolls - don't change a thing
ReplyDeleteROG, ABCW
Very cool dolls. They look real.
ReplyDelete