The Village Squire, 1981-05, Page 15Heritage
by Eileen Cade -Edwards
The Magic World of Dolls
1 watch them as they select outfits for
their Barbie dolls from stylish vinyl
carrying -trunks filled with clothes for
every occasion - two small girls already
concerned with the dictates of fashion -
and 1 feel a twinge of sadness for them.
Quite illogical perhaps, but sincere
none -the -less. For their dolls are stiff,
remote looking and sexy. with their
rounded bosoms and long, shapely legs
and their clothes, trendy and provocative.
When the girls talk matter-of-factly of
their doll's dates, dances and proms, it
seems all too fitting , fitting and sad, for
where has all the magic gone - the magi
of improvisation and simple home -spun
make-believe?
Where are the drills who were loyal and
loving, the dolls of my childhood who
lacked mechanical speech, who could not
stand unsupported, knew nothing of
dates, high heels and removable wigs,
but who would sit happily in wet sand,
mud or fresh -fallen snow and share the
joys of sweet, uncomplicated childhood?
The dolls my sister and 1 loved could
certainly ,boast dresses - or frocks, as we
called them - for all occasions, but they
were all made the same, from scraps
of leftover material from our own
homemade garments. Only our imagina-
tion dictated which were dress -up dresses
and which were play togs. They were
made simply of oblongs of folded cloth,
with half a circle cut from the folded edge
for the neck, and the sides sewn only
part way to allow for sleeves. Young doll
owners of today would frown on such
garments, perhaps even poke fun at
them, but to us they were attractive and
fun to make. Shoes they did not have;
and if they ever had at the beginning,
their loss was never really important.
Shoes weren't regarded as an essential
part of the doll's wardrobe; neither were
handbags, flight -bags, skis or skates.
And our dolls talked, oh, how they
talked! Their vocabularies weren't limit-
ed to single words or simple sentences
that would tit only certain occasions. Our
dolls knew hundreds and hundreds of
words - just as many as we knew
ourselves, in fact. They knew all our
secrets too, for they were, literally, an
extension of ourselves, a symbol of our
inner-most dreams and a sharer of our
secret frustrations.
On top of all this, our dolls were our
best playmates, our undemanding, un-
complicated and practically unbreakable
playmates. Our world was one of
make-believe, a world in which every
possibility was wrung out of common-
place things and events. But what a
happy world it was.
The two little girls see me watching
them. They smile self-consciously and 1
smile back. Then it occurs to me, will
there come a time when they too, will
watch tomorrow's children, and wonder,
just as 1 have, where all the magic has
gone? Li
Jk5ea%o547
Paintings, Watercolours, Drawings & Photographs
Originals & Limited Editions
�,.�. • 4414
410
hhi
1400
65 Montreal St. r'
GODERICH
A Division of R.J. Nephew Photography 524-2029 Closed Mondays
Custom Photography,
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May 3-17
an exhibition
of paintings
by
Donna Brunner
VILLAGE SQUIRE/MAY 1981 PG. 13