Doll-A-Day 2023 #252: Tommy Tucker

Yesterday was our 34th anniversary, and Ken and I took a day trip to a different part of Ohio. I had originally picked an area called 'the Switzerland of Ohio', where they were known for cheese, and where there was a restaurant that had great fondue. The night before I found out that that restaurant was 'permanently closed'. So I told Ken he could pick somewhere else. But we went there anyway. We got sidetracked in a town called Berlin, (Is this Switzerland or Germany?), where we went to a bakery and tourist attraction, (horse wagon rides around the farm, etc.). The bakery was known for it's Amish baked goods, and we partook of some. We ate the lunch I had packed for a 'car picnic', while we sat looking at the green fields and barns and watch the horse drawn wagon and carriage go by. Then we ate our bakery stuff, and Ken managed to cover himself with powdered sugar. We went to some shops, (How can a Christmas shop in a touristy town, not have an ornament of the town?), and antique places. The stores with the 'one of a kind arts and crafts' were all filled with crap, and it was the same crap. So much for one of a kind. The sun was getting low in the sky, and we hadn't yet come across the famous 'world's largest cuckoo clock' that I kept reading about when researching the area. I said, "I've come all this way. I'm going to see that clock!" So we found it, in the next town farther on. We hadn't actually gone quite far enough. The town with the clock was, oddly enough, NOT touristy at all. The clock was pretty much the only thing there. We arrived just as the clock was doing it's thing, the polka band figures came out, the music was playing, and the little people were moving around, which happens every half hour.  These pictures were taken after it had stopped, because I had to park first.

   After we saw the clock we had to find a place to have dinner. I still wasn't hungry, but Ken, who is always hungry, was starving. We found the only place that was still open and had something that sounded semi interesting, and Ken managed to get his favourite: prime rib. I still wasn't really hungry, so I ate the bread and butter and had a milk shake. I was so full that we didn't even order dessert, and there were loads of awesome looking Amish pies there! 

  And now for today's doll.

  Today's doll is Tommy Tucker.

Tommy is somewhere around 15 inches tall.

   "Little Tommy Tucker" is a nursery rhyme from the 1700's. It was in the Mother Goose books that were still a thing when I was a kid, but not much known these days.

Rather disturbing looking child.

Tommy was made by Effanbee in the early 1940's, which means this little guy is about 80 years old.

    Effanbee used the same mold for Tommy Tucker, Mickey, and girls Sweetie Pie and Janie. Some of the other dolls had actual hair, but Tommy just has sculpted, painted hair.

  His head and hands are composition, and his body and limbs are stuffed cloth.

   His little head has molded curls and painted hair.

  His composition isn't in as terrible a condition as it could be, but he has some cracks, and a chunk of compo missing on the top of his head.

He has sleep eyes, with real hair lashes. From what I can tell, Tommy came with either brown or blue eyes, and with or without a wig.

  Supposedly his eyes are flirty eyes, which means they can move from side to side. I didn't notice them doing that when he was being photographed though, so maybe his don't 'flirt' any more.

He has painted lower lashes. You can also see the remnants of his detailed brows, which are made up of individual strokes, rather than a single line.

This is his original outfit and shoes, but he's missing a cap.

Ribbed cotton overalls, and a striped stretchy shirt. Apparently the pants and shirt came in various colours. I think the stitches on the front of his overall bib are where there used to be a Scotty dog applique.

 

Buttons on the sides and the back, as well as the front.

Crossed shoulder straps.

He appears to have a swollen foot. I can relate.

    He had a piece of paper stuffed down the back of his pants that had his name on it, and $495, 2005. The handwriting looks like it was written by a very old person. 

  I wonder if it was written by his original owner, who had had him all his life, and was trying to keep track of the value of their things for the sake of who would inherit them. I think his value was overestimated, (It definitely was, considering his condition.), or the price of Tommys  was much higher in 2005. These days he doesn't seem to sell for nearly that much, even in excellent condition. My guy isn't in anything near excellent condition, but then, he was FREE! 

  Yes, free. Here's what happened there. I kept coming back to consider the Sigikid doll, Lilly, and kill some time while I waited on something. (You find out about that soon.) Tommy was at her table. When I finally bought Lilly, as the dealers were packing up their tables, one dealer, who was putting the dolls in a tub, said, "And here. You get this one free. Take her with you." He tried to hand me a Bradley doll. "No thanks, I don't need her."  "Sure you do. Take her. You have to take her." "No, I don't want her." (She wasn't that great, and I really don't need her.) Then he said, "Okay. Take this guy then. He has to go!" "Why?!" "Because he does."  Now Tommy I was willing to take!

  He's really cute. Of course, he needs a clean up. He needs his face and eyes cleaned, and his clothes washed. If I can find out a safe way to clean a compo face, I will eventually do it. His clothes will need hand washed of course. My real concern is the cracks in his compo, especially the chunk missing on the top of his head, and where that hole is starting to curl at the edges. If anybody has any advice, let me know. In the meantime, I'll be Googling it.

  See you tomorrow for another doll.