were the oldest toys as well as
symbols of magic and religious
rituals, protection, wealth, and
messengers of gods and ancestors.
They were made from clay, stone,
wood, leather, and bone.
I remember my first doll from
the fifties. Patsy had rubber
extremities, a wooden head, and a
stuffed cloth body. I drooled over
the Barbara Ann Scott doll and the
bride dolls in the Simpsons-Sears
and Eaton’s Christmas catalogues.
Today, we have American Girl
dolls who become whatever ‘being’
you want by allowing a choice of
hair, skin, eye colour, and size.
Cabbage Patch dolls were in high
demand for a few years, and
everyone knows Barbie, GI Joe,
and all the Action Figures.
Some time ago, I spotted a
Minuk doll made by American
Girl. Minuk is my maiden name,
so you can imagine my surprise at
seeing this tiny (nine inch) parka-
clad doll on a stand being sold as
a display doll. The company said
the name meant ‘frozen dew’ in
Yup’ik. There was a trademark
symbol near the name, and that
put up my hackles. I wrote to
American Girl and asked if their
trademark prevented me from
using my own name. They said
no; I could still use my own name.
Generous of them!
Joyce says, “Doll collections
present a tangible window into
another place and time, which
compels one to further research
their context within that history.”
Whoever thought of using dolls
as a teaching tool? Although
doll collection is no longer
prominent in Joyce’s life,
she says her dolls are
always present in
her heart.
When Joyce and
her sister moved
from a large family
home in Calgary
to a smaller
apartment in BC,
she had to decide
which dolls she
could take with her
into limited space.
She took very few.
Those dolls’ siblings
now reside in a storage
facility in Calgary. She says
she felt sad and regretted
relegating the dolls she loved to
such a meagre existence. But she
knows that they are comfortable
and are waiting patiently for her
return, when she will gather them
up and make them part of the
landscape of her life once again. ●
Janet Wees, a retired CBE
teacher in Calgary, admires doll
collections but doesn’t have one
of her own. She has written for
news&views before, including
an article about the making of
dolls in the autumn issue. She is
the writer of a young adult novel
Top: Dolls of fine quality available for
published this last April.
sale at an antique collection store.
Bottom: A ‘Doctor Zhivago’ doll, and
others beautifully dressed.
news&views SPRING 2019 | 43