Doll-A-Day 2023 #128: That Kid, One More Time

   Okay. Maybe you've had enough of hearing me go on about That Kid. After all, I've done several posts on him. I mean, he was a doll I had wanted since I was five years old. So I ended up with two of them. Then I found one online that worked, and had his box! So I bought a third. Well, he was a dream come true. He was wearing all of his original clothes, had his box and instructions, and most of his talk switches actually worked. But then our house caught fire.

   One of the first things Emma rescued from the house, while I was still in the hospital, was my working That Kid. He was in his box, on top of a shelf in the room below the room that burned. That room got drenched with water that came through the ceiling. So she went down there and brought him out. His box was soaked, and when I got out of the hospital and came here to stay, Emma had his box spread out on the floor with something pressing it, so that it would dry flat. Unfortunately, all the layers of the cardboard had permanently separated and the box won't really stay folded together as a box any more. But that's okay, right? What's more important is the doll, because he still works...or does he? Let me explain. That Kid has several switches throughout his body. He has a switch in his neck, a switch in one arm, one leg, his bottom, and in his back. When Emma got him down, his leg came off! His body isn't tightly sealed any more. It's a bit open. So I tried to see if I could stick his leg back in the socket. But the leg that fell off was the leg that was attached to the talk switch. And to get it back in I would have to pull the body apart a bit and fit it in. I haven't, because I'm afraid that if I do, I'll cause the other switches in the body that might still work to come loose. He might still have some working switches. Even though he got wet, that wouldn't affect his electronics since he didn't have a battery in, and wasn't activated while he was wet. I haven't tried him out yet. I'm almost afraid to. In any case, he now only has one attached leg, and his box is pretty bad.

  So as you know, my sister and I went to a doll show recently. Before we even got in the sales room, we shopped the tables outside the room. That's where I saw a That Kid on a table. I looked at him, and we were talking about him. He was in pretty nice condition, as far as he had all his original clothes, shoes, socks and hat, all his eye lashes and hair. He had red marks on his cheeks and lip, like my boy who came with his box. Then the dealer said he had his slingshot. The slingshot is always missing. It's the hardest thing to find. He was only $55, and the dealer wasn't sure if he worked. She said he had at one point, but she couldn't get his battery door off. I made a rash decision. "I'll take him!" She said she'd let me have him for $50...after I said I'd take him! $55 was an amazing price for one so nice that night work. Then she says, "He's got his box,,."   He has his box too?! So even though I have been trying not to spend too much money, and not get any more big dolls, I brought him back with me. Emma said, "Why?" Uh, because mine got flooded and his box got ruined...and you pulled his leg off? Seems like those are some pretty good reasons.

  So here's my new boy. 

Complete with his box!

He's a happy boy!

Of course I love him. He has red hair, freckles, and teeth!

He does have that red stuff on his face though. It's a sign of a doll that's been kept in his box. They almost always have that.

It's from that red strip in the inside of the box lid. It rubs those points of the face and the ink stains the face. Emma said to try a Magic Eraser cloth very carefully. I haven't been brave enough yet.

 

He has all his original clothes. The shirt is no surprise. They almost always have the shirt because you can't get it off over their big giant heads! He also has his hat, and his original box insert that he was hooked to. My other box doesn't have that.

His original shoes aren't too bad, considering a lot of them have had all the toe rubber harden and chip off.

Original red socks and orange shoe laces too.

And the ever elusive slingshot is mine at last!

It is missing the rubber part. The dealer had it stuck in his pants. Actually there's a hole in the bottom of his pocket that it goes through, to fit in a slot in his bottom.

He doesn't have his instructions, but the other ones I have survived pretty unchanged. Emma dried them out for me when she brought him home.

He had a bit of a smoke and perfume odor. He smelled worse than the inside of my mom's purse. But he's airing out pretty well.

I haven't tried him out yet because we keep forgetting to buy batteries when we're out. And I almost never go out. I've been really sore and achy lately, and always have something to get done. So I hardly even want to go anywhere. I'm hoping we remember to get some batteries tomorrow.

If he does work, here's what he would say:

Right arm, activated when you lift it: Hey! That's my pitching arm!
Right leg, activated when you sit him down: Gee whiz, can't I come along?
Back (called the 'hug button'): Put me down. You're funny looking.
Neck,(activated when you tug his ear, thus tilting his head left or right):Let go of my ear!
Pocket (When the slingshot is removed):Put that back or the monster will get you.

  That Kid was made by Hasbro, and is considered the first interactive doll, since he said different things depending on what part of him was activated. He was only available in 1967, and he cost a whole $12. 

Or even $15.88!

That was nothing to be sneezed at back then. I saw him in the catalog and fell in love. Unaware that he was only available that year, I put him on every Christmas and birthday list for ages. I still have the picture of him I cut out of the catalog the year he was sold.

I think it must have been this one. The pose is the same, and the background is white. I cut around him and saved just him. I did get the Little Miss No Name I wanted that year. Luckily, since she was only sold that year too. From this picture I always imagined him to be about the same size as Little Miss No Name, but he's a big boy. He's the same size as Chatty Cathy, but comes off as much bigger, because he has a big head and a beefy body.

  So that's today's doll. Sorry for the repetition, but I have been very excited. And at least I haven't posted every Mrs. Beasley I've got separately!