What Pearl’s dolls mean
Dec. 30th, 2009 01:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
emma_in_dreamShe has six, which is a ridiculous amount. I’m embarrassed but I can’t see which one to cull as they all have good points.
Jemimah, her Community Aid Abroad dolly** - This rag doll is about as politically correct as you could possibly get. They are made in Zimbabwe by mothers of handicapped children. When you buy one in Australia, a child in a HIV affected family in Zimbabwe gets one as well.
http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/products/3123569/81433
Pearl is pretty fond of hers, though this doll is currently eclipsed by her Christmas dolls.
** It was named Jemimah by Community Aid Abroad.
Her Creative Native dolly - She was given a beautiful plastic doll from Creative Native when she was born. It is a little Aboriginal girl, really well sculpted, with a pretty face. Not one of those nasty caricatures.
Pearl loves her a lot and gives her kisses (as is modelled for her). Also picks her up by her curly hair and makes her dance (behaviour she has never seen modelled).
Not so green, as she is made of plastic, but a very positive role model that not all dollies are Anglo.
Which leads me to her insanely politically incorrect doll. Well, actually golliwog. It was knitted by my grandmother, her great-grandmother when I was a kid, so I am reluctant to get rid of it because of its sentimental associations. Plus it is the greenest toy ever. The sum total of its environmental impact was that I ran it through the washing machine to get rid of the dust when I found it at my folks’ place.
Still, a golliwog.
In fact, to make it worse, it’s a golliwog with no face. The glued on eyes and mouth have come off some time in the past thirty years so it is a strange, faceless creature. Pearl does not like it at all, possibly because of the scary blank face. I might try gluing on fresh felt eyes and a mouth and see if that makes a difference. Otherwise this might be the one to go to the charity bin.
Christmas doll #1 - She was given a lovely plastic baby doll by her aunt. She was a second hand doll, beautifully dressed in a complete, pink, knitted layette.
Pearl really adores her. She has already removed and lost her bonnet and booties but the doll is still clad in her knickers and singlet and dress. The doll is recycled, which is green. Due to her age she has a tremula in one eye, with her eyelid going up and down frantically, but Pearl does not seem to notice. Plus, she is Pearl’s differently abled doll, so that’s a good role model too.
Christmas doll #2 - Pearl also scored a nice soft doll with plastic face from her Grandparents. This was also second hand, so that’s pretty green (as green as having multiple dolls can be).
It has a laugh mechanism inside it, which Pearl adores. I am not so keen on it, as Pearl cannot trigger the laugh on her own. This means that roughly every fifteen seconds she waves the doll at me and requests that I make it go again. Finding that a bit wearing, but it is probably her second favourite doll at the moment so I can’t find it in myself to put it in the back of the cupboard.
Christmas doll #3 - This is the one I bought her, and, alas, it is her least favourite. In fact she keeps calling it a ball and refusing to recognise it as a doll.
It is hand made by http://www.meemoh.net/ so points for supporting small business in Australia. Plus, I like it so I am not giving it away to charity.
Jemimah, her Community Aid Abroad dolly** - This rag doll is about as politically correct as you could possibly get. They are made in Zimbabwe by mothers of handicapped children. When you buy one in Australia, a child in a HIV affected family in Zimbabwe gets one as well.
http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/products/3123569/81433
Pearl is pretty fond of hers, though this doll is currently eclipsed by her Christmas dolls.
** It was named Jemimah by Community Aid Abroad.
Her Creative Native dolly - She was given a beautiful plastic doll from Creative Native when she was born. It is a little Aboriginal girl, really well sculpted, with a pretty face. Not one of those nasty caricatures.
Pearl loves her a lot and gives her kisses (as is modelled for her). Also picks her up by her curly hair and makes her dance (behaviour she has never seen modelled).
Not so green, as she is made of plastic, but a very positive role model that not all dollies are Anglo.
Which leads me to her insanely politically incorrect doll. Well, actually golliwog. It was knitted by my grandmother, her great-grandmother when I was a kid, so I am reluctant to get rid of it because of its sentimental associations. Plus it is the greenest toy ever. The sum total of its environmental impact was that I ran it through the washing machine to get rid of the dust when I found it at my folks’ place.
Still, a golliwog.
In fact, to make it worse, it’s a golliwog with no face. The glued on eyes and mouth have come off some time in the past thirty years so it is a strange, faceless creature. Pearl does not like it at all, possibly because of the scary blank face. I might try gluing on fresh felt eyes and a mouth and see if that makes a difference. Otherwise this might be the one to go to the charity bin.
Christmas doll #1 - She was given a lovely plastic baby doll by her aunt. She was a second hand doll, beautifully dressed in a complete, pink, knitted layette.
Pearl really adores her. She has already removed and lost her bonnet and booties but the doll is still clad in her knickers and singlet and dress. The doll is recycled, which is green. Due to her age she has a tremula in one eye, with her eyelid going up and down frantically, but Pearl does not seem to notice. Plus, she is Pearl’s differently abled doll, so that’s a good role model too.
Christmas doll #2 - Pearl also scored a nice soft doll with plastic face from her Grandparents. This was also second hand, so that’s pretty green (as green as having multiple dolls can be).
It has a laugh mechanism inside it, which Pearl adores. I am not so keen on it, as Pearl cannot trigger the laugh on her own. This means that roughly every fifteen seconds she waves the doll at me and requests that I make it go again. Finding that a bit wearing, but it is probably her second favourite doll at the moment so I can’t find it in myself to put it in the back of the cupboard.
Christmas doll #3 - This is the one I bought her, and, alas, it is her least favourite. In fact she keeps calling it a ball and refusing to recognise it as a doll.
It is hand made by http://www.meemoh.net/ so points for supporting small business in Australia. Plus, I like it so I am not giving it away to charity.
