More Cool Thrift Store Finds: Miss Ginger and Mattel Modern Furniture

  Happy Halloween!

  It's that time of year again. I'm once more locked in that struggle with the yard waste guys. I have been really good about getting my leaves raked this year. Since my shoulder has been so bad I knew I could never rake them all at once, so I have been raking them a little at a time. That means I have only spent about half an hour every Tuesday while I'm here alone because Ken's at work and Ivy's at play practice and stage crew, instead of a whole day spent breaking my back, (and my shoulder). So of course, I fill three cans with leaves and the branches Ken and I cut this week, and the yard waste guys don't come.I think they only come when they feel like it. I can't have my trash can tied up all winter, plus I still have two more piles of leaves in my yard. (I didn't dare load up all my leaves and fill all my trash cans, because the chance of the yard waste guys not coming was too great.) I didn't want to put all my leaves in the tree line, like they actually tell you you can do, because there have been too many years they never came and sucked them up. Then all my grass there dies, and the rotted leaves make the ground all lumpy and hard to mow with my little non-motorized mower.

  I am still pretty proud of the two Fall/Halloween photo stories I did a couple of years ago, so if you haven't seen them yet you can check them out
HERE

"The  World Family at the Pumpkin Patch"

and HERE

"The Halloween Party"

  I found some cool things at Salvation Army the other day. First was this Miss Ginger doll.

Miss Ginger was made by Cosmopolitan. There were other incarnations of Ginger,including a childlike doll that competed with Vogue's Ginny, a taller version of my doll that competed with Miss Revlon,and an 8" version called Little Miss Ginger, similar to Little Miss Nancy Ann. This version is 10 1/2" tall and premiered in 1957.  She's in pretty nice condition.She could do with restringing because she's a little loose, but at least she's still together.I'm not sure exactly what to do with her hair.Is it supposed to be one of those bun things?

Anybody know? I know there were Miss Ginger's with ponytails. But this isn't supposed to be a ponytail, is it? One thing's for sure: it's not meant to be worn down!

That's not a case of empty plugs. It's rooted that way. By the way, she's marked 'Ginger' on the back of her head, just below her hair.

Her dress is too big for her. I'm not sure if it's homemade.I love the belt. It's sewn on in the front, which is why it didn't get lost.I think these are her original shoes though.When I bought her she was only wearing one shoe. I'll tell you where the other shoe came from in a minute.

I also got a bag containing this Mattel Modern Furniture!

There is supposed to be a cushion in the chair.

This other unidentified piece was in the bag too.

The Mattel Modern Furniture is really hard to find and really expensive.

It was actually made a year before Barbie, in 1958.

It's hard to see, but that's a Mattel logo.

The boxes it originally came in said it was for dolls 10" to 10 1/2" tall, like Miss Ginger and Little Miss Revlon.

Miss Ginger and the Little Miss Revlon I found at Goodwill recently.

And it is perfectly sized for them. People still use it for Barbie though, and it works well for her too. It's popular with collectors, especially now that Mid Century design is having a resurgence.

The other Modern Furniture included a couple of different styles of couch, lamps, a stereo cabinet/credenza, dining table and chairs,a bedroom set with bed, clothes rack,and dresser with mirror.

And where did I get the other shoe for Miss Ginger? It was in the middle drawer of this piece of furniture!

 Along with the little plastic guy, who was obviously originally driving something.

His steering wheel was in the drawer too. Must have been some accident.

  So this must have been Miss Ginger's furniture. I went back yesterday to see if any more of the furniture had shown up. If it had it had sold the day before,when I didn't go back. I'm wondering if the Little Miss Revlon and Barbie and Midge I found at Goodwill the last couple of weeks are another case of someone donating half their stuff to Goodwill and half to Salvation Army. That has very obviously happened before. (Like with the zillion Crissy dolls both had at the same time.)

52 in this Goodwill batch. Salvation Army had 42.

You can read the posts about that HERE and HERE.

  I hope everybody has a safe and fun Halloween.This is the first year I have been in the position of handing out candy on Halloween, with no kids Trick or Treating, and I totally didn't think about it until the Trick or Treaters went by! Now I feel guilty! Next year I'll be ready. It's hard getting out of the idea, 'I won't be home on Halloween. I'll be out taking the kids Trick or Treating.' Sniff!

The World Family at the Pumpkin Patch: A Photostory

     The World family
has gone to the pumpkin patch to pick out their Halloween
pumpkins.

Rosie: I want down Daddy.

   Todd and Gareth have their wagons to haul the pumpkins home.

Gareth: Too small...

Jo: You like this one, Betsy? It's kind of big.

  Simon may have spotted his perfect pumpkin, and Rosie is wasting no time finding hers.

Rosie (grunting): This one Daddy!

Dolly: Oh, I like that one Betsy.

  Todd's found his pumpkin, and Betsy has found a smaller one, thank goodness.

Dolly:Have you decided if you're going to paint your pumpkin or carve it?

Tammy: I can't make up my mind. I don't want to waste it, so you can make pie out of it. But I really want to make a Jack O'Lantern.

Gareth: Can I have this one Daddy?

Wally: Don't you think that one's a little big for you,bud?

Gareth: But I loooove it!

Gareth struggles to move his pumpkin.

Gareth: Help me Daddy. Wally: You really have to have this one, huh? Gareth: Pleeease? Wally: Ok, let's get it in the wagon.

  Anne and Simon load their pumpkins into the wagon.

Jo: Sit down Betsy. We're going to roll.

  Finally everybody has picked a pumpkin and they're all loaded in the wagon. Rosie and Betsy hitch a ride.

Dolly: Everybody push to get Todd started.

Dolly: Heave ho!

Gareth : Ugh! Ugh!

                                                         Gareth is having a little trouble!

Wally: Are you sure you don't want some help with that? Gareth: No. I (ugh!) want to do it myself.(ugh!)

                                                                Finally on the way.

                                                        And the Worlds head home.


  Behind the scenes...

  What were they thinking, wearing their best white shoes to go to the pumpkin patch?!
  Probably the same thing I was thinking, not bringing out something to kneel on. Good thing I wore old pants.

  I'm still planning a post about the doll show, but I have to help Ivy with her costume. Maybe later.