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I recently got reminded of Topsy Turvy dolls. I'm pretty sure I had one as a kid. I think mine was of the Caribbean woman type with a large colorful dress.
If you've not seen these dolls, they are reversible dolls with (at least) two heads. Flip the dress upside down and you've got a whole different character (or the same character in a different kind of outfit). I have some vague recollection that one of the big uses of these dolls were for little slave girls - one side was a white girl and one was a back girl. But I could be remembering that wrong. (Don't feel like looking it up, but I know I've seen that kind of reproduction rag doll out there.)
Anyway, I was thinking about the potential of these dolls as a storytelling prop. There are some mass-produced dolls out there that do this. One I kind of like is this Goldilocks and the 3 bears doll, though I'm not fond of the Baby Bear they've included. I would buy it anyway, since the price isn't bad (just missed a big sale, so I'm holding out). From the same company, I sort of like the Red Riding Hood doll but the wolf face is not as nice as the other two characters, and I wish there was a way to have the wolf in something other than Granny's dress for parts of the story. This design is a very common one, and it always looks like the wolf is an after thought.
What I really want is a handmade doll. It doesn't have to fit specific characters as long as it is an archetypical character doll. I've found two nice (and expensive) dolls on Etsy. The first is a knit Frog Princess doll, which is not a story I really tell yet. But it certainly could become one! The other is called a plain/fancy doll which would make an ideal Cinderella, and could likely fit plenty of other stories. An expensive prop, but boy do I love that doll. Tempting...tempting...
I've also found a cheaper topsy turvy doll that could be fun to buy for Raya (not for now but someday). It is more in the ragdoll style where one side is awake and the other asleep. I'm not posting that one, because I'm still mulling a purchase. :)
It's a shame that everything else I'm finding out there is either mass-produced or looks as cheaply made as they are. Or, you know...I'm just very picky about dolls. I really am for some reason.
It's tempting to learn to sew these myself. But I'm not convinced I could do any better with the faces.
Still, a nice new craft to think about... :)
If you've not seen these dolls, they are reversible dolls with (at least) two heads. Flip the dress upside down and you've got a whole different character (or the same character in a different kind of outfit). I have some vague recollection that one of the big uses of these dolls were for little slave girls - one side was a white girl and one was a back girl. But I could be remembering that wrong. (Don't feel like looking it up, but I know I've seen that kind of reproduction rag doll out there.)
Anyway, I was thinking about the potential of these dolls as a storytelling prop. There are some mass-produced dolls out there that do this. One I kind of like is this Goldilocks and the 3 bears doll, though I'm not fond of the Baby Bear they've included. I would buy it anyway, since the price isn't bad (just missed a big sale, so I'm holding out). From the same company, I sort of like the Red Riding Hood doll but the wolf face is not as nice as the other two characters, and I wish there was a way to have the wolf in something other than Granny's dress for parts of the story. This design is a very common one, and it always looks like the wolf is an after thought.
What I really want is a handmade doll. It doesn't have to fit specific characters as long as it is an archetypical character doll. I've found two nice (and expensive) dolls on Etsy. The first is a knit Frog Princess doll, which is not a story I really tell yet. But it certainly could become one! The other is called a plain/fancy doll which would make an ideal Cinderella, and could likely fit plenty of other stories. An expensive prop, but boy do I love that doll. Tempting...tempting...
I've also found a cheaper topsy turvy doll that could be fun to buy for Raya (not for now but someday). It is more in the ragdoll style where one side is awake and the other asleep. I'm not posting that one, because I'm still mulling a purchase. :)
It's a shame that everything else I'm finding out there is either mass-produced or looks as cheaply made as they are. Or, you know...I'm just very picky about dolls. I really am for some reason.
It's tempting to learn to sew these myself. But I'm not convinced I could do any better with the faces.
Still, a nice new craft to think about... :)
