Teeny Friend

I've been a member of a ladies online group for several years now. It's a Christian group, we share our day to day lives with each other and we pray for each other. I'm one of the older ones, there are two of us - the others are still raising their families. Sometimes I wonder why I stay, I don't feel part of the conversation much of the time. One thing we do to keep conversation going is take turns asking the "question of the day". Today's question was did you have a favorite "lovey" when growing up and do you still have it? 


Well, I have kept many of my favorite things from my childhood but the one that would best fit the description of a "lovey" would be my baby doll, Teeny. I do not remember why I named her that, except I suppose, because she is so small. She's only 12" long, she has a cloth body and rooted hair which is slightly balding in one spot. 

I have always loved this picture of me holding Teeny, I must be about three years old and the dress I am wearing was red velvet. This was the early 60's when Thumbelina dolls were so popular. My mother said she couldn't afford one, so she found this doll instead. I remember when my baby brother was born - I was five years old at the time - my mother called from the hospital just after his birth and I asked her what he looked like and how big he was. She told me to go find Teeny and then she waited on the line for me to return. When I picked up the receiver, she told me that he was about the same size as Teeny and I would be able to hold him when they got home. I remember looking at her in my arms and being amazed that a real human being could be so small. 

I was always told she was a Thumbelina "knock-off", but in doing a little research for this QOTD, I found this: Vogue's Baby Dear Doll. 

18"  Vogue  Baby Dear - Early 60s 
Item Code:  D3-V-BD18    $235.00 
The larger early 60s version of Vogue's popular Baby Dear designed by Eloise Wilkin (popular children's book illustrator for many classic
Little Golden Books).
A loved doll, wears authentic Baby Dear p.j.s but these were actually for the later 60s redesigned doll.  Fit perfectly.

I loved Eloise Wilkin's stories when I was growing up (I've kept several of those as well), but I never made the connection between the cherubic faces in her artwork and my doll. Now that I know it was created to go with a story, I see the resemblance! When I found all this online this morning, I thought for sure I had found my Teeny, only now as I look more closely, Teeny has none of the markings they show here - so, I guess she really is a knock-off. :( Oh well, I don't love her any less. 

I took this picture of her today and she is spending

the day with me in the studio. One of my many projects this winter is to take pictures of all my "treasures", those items that have special meaning for one reason or another and add a description of where they came from and why I've saved them. Then I'll place them all on a flashdrive and save the file for when the day comes that my children have to sort through my belongings. They'll have some idea of what's valuable, either monetary or sentimental, and will better be equipped to make decisions about what to do with it all. Since I took her picture today, Teeny will be the first in the file. 

Now, don't you think she looks like the "Vogue Baby Dear"?