But the vintage doll never left Edith’s home and, in fact, it marked the accidental start of a 3000-strong doll collection that has turned the former teacher into a documentary star.
“I wasn’t looking for a doll, yet when I saw this one, who I’ve called Carley, I realised she was something special,” tells the quick-witted 82-year-old. “So I brought her home and got on the computer and identified her as a Mattel baby ‘Cheerful Tearful’. If you pull her arm down, she cries real tears and she’ll wet her pants, then when her arm goes up, she’s all happy again. I paid $8 for her, yet she’s worth $70.
“I was going to give her away but when I thought about the little girls I know, she would have ended up in a toybox with her hair not combed and totally neglected. So she stayed with me.”
Now Edith’s collection includes everything from antiquated porcelain creations to modern-day animatronics and the odd crochet doll she has made herself (“I’ve got a very cheeky one with pink hair in a pink bikini!”).
Edith’s particularly amused by the interactive dolls that sing, dance, stand on their heads or walk across the floor.
This story is from the February 7, 2022 edition of New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
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This story is from the February 7, 2022 edition of New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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