This Jo is from the When I Read I Dream series of dolls.
You may have previously seen the When I Read I Dream Anne of Green Gables doll HERE,and of course, Tammy World is When I Read I Dream Fern from the series. You can see Tammy in her original clothes HERE.
I only just noticed when doing these pictures, that Jo's clothes are tagged 'Barbie Collectibles".
Jo is the main character in "Little Women", by Louisa May Alcott.
The doll is a bit inaccurate, since the character of Jo is 15 years old at the beginning of the first book,and this doll looks way younger than that. She also looks a bit girly compared to the idea of the tomboyish Jo in the books. The book also describes Jo as 'very tall,thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt,for she never knew what to do with her long limbs'. This doll that isn't!
"Little Women",with it's strong,working female character who,at first,spurns marriage, was unusual for it's time. It was first published in 1868,a time when women were expected to marry and become mothers,and little else. The book is loosely based on Alcott's own life, (and surprisingly, it is thought to be heavily based on the early life of Alcott's mother.),and the character 'Jo' was Alcott's version of herself. Louisa May Alcott actually answered letters written to 'Miss March', or 'Jo'.
In "Little Women" Jo wants to be a writer. Alcott earned money writing short stories, and was asked by a publisher to write a 'book about girls'. Alcott resisted at first, believing she couldn't successfully write about girls, and stated she didn't enjoy writing "Little Women". The book was a great success though. Originally the book only contained part of the story, and curious readers demanded to know what happened to the characters. Alcott wrote a sequel in 1869,and then two more,"Little Men" and "Jo's Boys". Today the first two books are published together as one volume, entitled "Little Women",only separated by being 'part 1',and 'part 2' of the same book.
Louisa May Alcott was born in 1832,in what is now part of Philadelphia. After moving to Boston in 1834, Louisa's father established an experimental school and became a member of the Transcendental Club, along with Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Thus, Alcott's education included being taught by Thoreau, Emerson,Nathaniel Hawthorne,(author of "The House of Seven Gables",and "The Scarlet Letter".),Margaret Fuller, (the first American female full time book reviewer in journalism,and the author of "Women in the Nineteenth Century",considered to be the first major American feminist work.), and Julia Ward Howe, (author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", and an abolitionist and social activist,particularly for women's suffrage.) These teachers, and the poverty that forced Louisa May Alcott to work as a young woman,were a huge influence on her views towards women's rights and marriage.Unlike the character of Jo, Louisa never married.
The doll has a one piece dress/apron,with a real pocket and removable lace trimmed handkerchief.
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| There is one stitch holding the hanky in the pocket. |
At least Jo's dress goes on and off easily. Anne of Green Gables' dress was almost impossible to remove. It seems practically sewn on.
She also has white tights and black Mary Jane shoes.
Her hair has little braids around her head, and...what would you call them? Hair blobs?...at the sides and back.
Jo's hair can actually be taken down and combed out,and she looks quite contemporary.
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| Like this Jo doll who doubles as Tammy World's sister Jo, when Jo wants to 'let her hair down', as she did in the photostory 'The World Kids Go Sledding', which you can see HERE. |
That's it for today's doll. See you again tomorrow.
