Her name was Ling, and she rescued a small family business that was on the brink of collapse.
A few months later came Cutie Pie, with her bright sunny smile, and her bright red dress, and we were off to the races.
Why else would a portly fifty something gentleman love little girl’s dolls?
Even today, years later, I have to chuckle at the image. Here I am, big old fat me, madly in love with all these little cloth and plastic dolls that have helped me create my doll stores, feed my family and launch me into a field I would have never expected. Rag dolls, Baby dolls, Dress up dolls. Sesame Street Dolls and Cat in the Hat dolls. African American dolls and Asian baby dolls. Madame Alexander dolls and Precious Moments Dolls.
So now it’s time to give back. My blog about dolls. I’ve learned a lot about dolls since those early days: Collecting Dolls. Toy safety. The History of the Teddy Bear and The History of the Doll. Ethnic dolls, Dollhouse dolls, Paper dolls. Character dolls. Art dolls and Antique dolls. Kokeshi Dolls and Kachina Dolls. But the one thing I’ve learned most about dolls, is that they are loved. And it doesn’t seem to matter if you are a two year old playing with a tattered Raggedy Ann doll, or a Seventy year old collector with a hundred thousand dollar collection. It’s a passion, a love , a devotion. People love their dolls.
And hey, a blog about love can’t be a bad thing, can it?