(This post was originally published on February 16, 2011 here.)
Week 7: Toys. What was your favorite childhood toy? Is it still being made in some form today?
I so easily could have posted this blog under "Treasure Chest Thursday" because this toy will always be a dear treasure to me! My favorite toy was a doll that I called Marshmallow...Marshie for short. I still have her (obviously). She looks nothing like she did when I first got her. My father told me that he got her for me because he saw her in a store and said that she looked just like me. No giggling out there! I was a baby at the time and my eyes were never made of felt! :)
Apparently, Marshie had some wisps of blond hair for bangs where the hoodie starts (my hair isn't blond, but it was when I was little...now it's safely dyed red). I vaguely remember that her face was painted on pink/beige cloth and her body wasn't always made of terry-cloth. What you see now is the beautiful handiwork of my mom. That's no sarcasm. It's pure love for her daughter and understanding her daughter's love for her dolly.
My mom had to give Marshie several face-lifts and tummy tucks. It was either that or throw her out and that couldn't happen. I couldn't sleep if I lost Marshie! I remember one time she couldn't be found at bedtime and my parents tore the house apart until she was found! So, as a result, mom would give her a complete make-over time and again so I could continue to love the stuffing out of her!
I don't know what type of doll she was. I don't know what she was called or anything about her. All I know is she was bought around 1972 and that she has wires in her arms and legs so you could pose her. Nothing like posing a Barbie, but I thought it was neat. I'd love to find a version of her in her original state, but I wouldn't know how to begin. I'd never replace her. Just want to know what the original was like. Surprisingly there are no pictures of me holding my dolly when I was little. I may have to look harder. A sort of "Where's Waldo?" search through family photos!
There's no little girl to pass Marshie on to, but I'll be keeping her forever. I wonder if my husband would think it odd if I cuddled her tonight?....
It's been over 11 years since this post was published and it's amazing how our memories change. It's one reason I started this blog. To preserve memories. But memories sometimes change or in my case something knocks a new one loose. I was on eBay a month or so ago and I saw a picture of a dolly and it reminded me of Marshmallow (who is still safely tucked away in my closet). So I did some searches both on eBay and the internet and I may have found what Marshie originally looked like...
Not what my original memories held as far as her face goes. It's not cloth. Here's the thing though as soon as I saw this doll something clicked. I remembered using water and a cloth to clean dirt off her vinyl face. The scalloped edging on her bonnet and cuffs are familiar and so is the hair.
I found multiple images in my eBay and Google searches and even the stamped markings on the back of her head, under the bonnet were familiar. The doll is called "Baby Beans" and she was made by Matel. She came in pink as well and I placed a bid on this one just now on eBay. Who knows if I'll get it. I bid $10 on her (and another $10 in shipping). I could lose the sale, but I'm guessing that there aren't a lot of people out there looking for Baby Beans, so I'm fairly certain I'll win her. It's less than 24 hours until the auction closes and there were no bids.
I found her on another site still in her box through Google, but when I clicked on the link it took me to an old eBay auction that ended. Damn. I wish I could have had that one, but I'm happy with this. Maybe she doesn't have the posable wires in this one, but I'm confident she's at least close to my Marshie. Unfortunately my father has passed and my mom doesn't remember what she looked like when she was new. I can't blame her. It's been almost 50 years. Perhaps I'm convincing myself based on my searches. Perhaps not. I'll have to post side-by-side pictures if I win her.
Now if only I could find that hippo toy box I had as a little girl...
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