The History of My Dolls

'Shadow' of Onyx Cissy: Onyx Cissette

Onyx Cissy

My mother always loved dolls.  It was only a few years ago that I discovered she loved baby dolls and was more indifferent to any one older.  Oddly enough, it is the same with human beings.  She loves babies but once a child begins to exhibit any signs of maturity, her interest and any genuine liking wanes considerably.  I do not slander her here.  She will be the first to admit it.  She told us again and again before we reached puberty that she could not stand the idea of her children as teenagers.  With what dread and misgiving did I approach that age!  Indeed, my dread was more than justified.  She did not wish for me to acquire any of the normal teenage qualities or interests.  Perhaps that was why she encouraged me to skip grades in school and to graduate at the age of 15.  It did not give ma any real opportunity to learn from my peers!

This is all beside the subject of dolls.  Although my mother loves baby dolls best, I love dolls of any age, but only if they are beautiful.  I am not keen on 'character dolls' that display their defects or less than perfect qualities openly.  I feel that life has ugliness enough to go round.  Why surround myself with it in my private sanctum?

To me, dolls are household gods and goddesses.  They have been my confidantes, my friends, my guardians and protectors.  They have witnessed the heartbreak and heartache and agony I show to no one else.  They have witnessed my little triumphs and silly joys as well.  In a word, they are the lares of my own personal space, however small and insecure that may be at times.

I may not have my first doll with me now but I do have a couple of my childhood dolls and I treasure them.  My own efforts at collecting dolls follows the pattern of my own childhood.  When we were children, the local doll and toy shop featured dolls by Madame Alexander and Vogue.  The characteristic blue box with pink tissue paper that was one of the hallmarks of Beatrice Alexander's creations filled me with joy as a child.  Curiously, I did not think to buy any dolls by Madame Alexander as an adult until I had my own daughter.  I then went to the local doll shop (thousands of miles distant to the shop we frequented as children) and discovered that the owner needed some one to manage her shop on Saturdays.  I took the job with delight and a serious interest in doll collecting was born.

At first, I worked there in order to obtain beautiful dolls for my daughter Freya.  At some point, I realised that there was more to it than that and it would be unfair to pretend that a doll I myself wanted was a gift for my daughter.  My mother did that all too often and it was neither fair nor emotionally satisfying.  I therefore separated the dolls I 'earned' or bought into two groups: Freya's dolls and my dolls.

'Gone with the Wind' was one of my favourite books and films as a child.  I cut my teeth on fairytales by Andrew Lang and the Brothers Grimm.  The first Alexander Dolls I bought for myself were rather naturally fairytale characters and portraits of Scarlett O'Hara.  I have a rather wonderful collection of Madame Alexander 'Gone with the Wind' dolls as well as dolls that represent characters from many of my favourite fairytales. 

Somewhere along the way, however, I was seduced by the return of the beautiful fashion doll Cissy to the doll scene.  Cissy was one of the larger Madame Alexander dolls in the 1950s.  She usually was 20" or 21" and jointed.  Her clothing and accessories were spectacular.  In the late 1990s, the Alexander Doll Company brought her out of retirement and began to make Cissy dolls.  The first 'new' Cissy dolls all were brunettes with brown eyes.  After a year or two, however, other hair and eye colours were included.  Famous fashion designers were given an opportunity to add to the Cissy mysique on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of Madame Alexander dolls. 

The Onyx Cissy shown above dates from the very first year of the reissue of Cissy.  Her hair was styled differently, more like her 'Shadow' but I thought she might look even more beautiful with her hair down and changed the style accordingly.  Many doll collectors who did not look twice at Onyx with her original hairstyle gushed over the revised 'look'.  I personally think she is one of the most stunning Cissy dolls of the 'turn of the century' now.