Wednesday, March 18, 2015

A Happy Reunion: One Woman's Search for Her Favourite Childhood Doll

  I received a message in my comments the other week that led to a story I have to share with you. The message was from a lady named Debbie,who had seen my post on  Doll-A-Day 94. 

The star of Doll-A-Day 94 was this red haired girl with freckles, wearing a pretty flowered raincoat.
  The doll was the same as her favourite doll from her childhood. Here's what she wrote:
"I have been looking for this doll for a bizillion years....it was my favourite doll when I was a little girl. Any chance you remember where you found it? Or would you be willing to part with it? Please let me know. Thanks so much!!!!"
  I asked the lady to send me her email address and we would discuss the matter in private. She did, and we have exchanged several emails. I have several dolls with similar faces and bright orange hair from my own childhood. That and the pretty rain coat are what attracted me to 'her' doll. I wondered if it was the face that was the same as her old doll,or did hers actually have the raincoat too. She was pretty sure this was the same as her doll, raincoat and all.:
  "It's funny you say that you have some other dolls very similar with bright orange hair. My old doll did have bright orange hair but the same or a similar face to this one.  I then thought maybe I remembered the hair wrong,  lol. I had named her Cindy but my Mom thought maybe she was already called Cindy when she got her for me.   I have been looking for her for many many years but am going by memory as I don't have any pictures of her.  :( "

  I had described the raincoat girl as having 'strawberry blonde' hair. I sent her some pictures of other dolls with a similar face and bright orange hair in case one was closer to her old doll. She was still pretty sure it was the same doll though.
 "I think I could be remembering Cindy's hair being brighter but in reality I think it's like the flowered raincoat doll. I got the doll when I was very wee so not sure what outfit she originally came in and then one day I decided in my youthful non-wisdom to sell her at a garage sale. I've been searching practically my whole adult life for her. And this is the closet I've been ever able to find!" (It's just as I always say: Beware all you teens who can't wait to sell your childhood loves for a dollar here and there! Someday you may regret it!)_
  I had another look at raincoat girl's hair, and it was a brighter orange than I thought. So yay! Even closer!

  I was curious as to how she finally managed to spot my pictures and find 'her' doll after all these years. Here's what she said:
 Basically I have been googling "red or orange hair dolls 1960s" and it brought up a bunch of pictures as well as sites.  I was looking through the pictures and came across the doll and then clicked and found your website. Very excited as it was the doll I remembered.  When I showed my brother the picture he immediately remembered my doll Cindy.  It was fantastic.  I have spent many years going antiquing and to doll shows and not finding anything close to what I remembered about my doll. Until now.

Wow! I am thrilled to be able to reunite her with her 'lost love'!  "Cindy's" new owner is pretty thrilled too.:
 "This is sooooo exciting.  I can't wait to see my pretty doll again in person!"
   Today I got an email from Debbie saying 'Cindy' had arrived home at last.

We got the doll today. Yay!!! I'm so happy to have her here. Thanks so very much again. I can't 

thank you enough for reuniting me with "Cindy".

She even sent me a picture of the two of them, together again:
   What a wonderful story! I'm so happy I got to be a part of it!

9 comments:

  1. what a great story. I too have begun a quest of all things, to connect with my old childhood Barbies that had been damaged in the midst of when I played with them.I am nearing the big 50 in a couple of months and the hardest on to find in mint condition is a brunette Quick curl Barbie Miss America (who is not a walk lively) and a sears Sweet sixteen with the extra pants and tank top that had the sweet smelling stickers. I could go on and on. They are not that hard to find, but that pic is so sweet of that lady's joy.

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    1. Good luck. I hope you get your dolls too. I still have most dolls I had as a kid, so I have mostly been getting dolls I always wanted, but never got as a kid, like Mrs. Beasley, That Kid, Drowsy, and Casper. Luckily Ken spoils me!

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  2. Aww, what a wonderful story! Congratulations to Debby and it was so kind of you to help :)

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  3. I've been following your blog for awhile and for some reason haven't found a way to post a comment, nothing seems to work -- one more try.

    I'm very curious about your lost doll, like you and Debbie, I, too, had a lost doll and searched for years... mine was pretty easy to find, an 8" Betsy McCall only for years she was either broken, bald or way too expensive for me to get. Long story short -- she's finally home.

    Now about your doll -- have you looked in the old Christmas Wish books, they're on-line, some of them and if you can remember the year you got the doll or at least within a year or two, she should be in one of those catalogs. Until today back int he 60's and early 70's there weren't a thousand dolls on the shelves and only big cities had actual toy stores. Most of us got our toys from the catalog stores; Sears, Pennys and Montgomery Wards.

    I would love to help if you could give me more info or refer me to one of your previous blog posts with the info.
    Zelda

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    1. The catalogs are a great idea.(I just wish the catalogs themselves were easier to find.) That's the way we did our Christmas shopping when I was a kid.I'm sure there are lots of people who can use your information to find their missing childhood friends. Thanks Zelda, and thanks for reading the blog!

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  4. I think I may have misunderstood and thought you, the blog writer, was looking for a specific doll from your past... I've searched your blogs and see you have a good many dolls and, again, it seems I misunderstood. Sorry... but, maybe my info will help someone else find their lost doll.
    Zelda

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    1. See my other reply. I think the catalogs are a great idea. Is there anywhere on line where you can view some of the old catalogs?

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  5. Here's a link for Sears... http://www.wishbookweb.com/ You just have to use google and search around. It's amazing what's available on-line. Don't give up just get more creative in your searches!
    Zelda

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    1. Thanks Zelda! I'm sure a lot of people, including me, will want to check that out. My sister and I spent many hours with the catalogs picking out what we wanted for Christmas.There weren't that many stores around, especially where we lived, so the catalogs were the way we shopped.We mainly picked from the Speigel's catalog.

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Thanks in advance for your comments.