Hi, there! Eppie and I think and talk a lot about play and the importance of love in the form of button eyes and fabric bodies.
Recently we were discussing the interesting names that kids give to the precious stuffies and toys in their lives.
I had a doll named Baby. Baby was a rag doll based on a Raggedy Ann pattern complete with blue and white dress and fluffy, white apron. She was made for me by my baby sitter, Mrs. Smith. (She actually made me 3 of them over the course of my childhood, as I tended to love Baby to death... repeatedly.) I slept with this doll for many years, she went with me everywhere and was my best friend.
Eppie's mother made dolls for her and her sisters. Her's was a cute cotton rag doll named Hannah. Hannah had big, blue embroidered circle eyes and a sweet embroidered mouth. She was the perfect size for a 5 year old's hugs. Her mom also made her a few outfits for Hannah and the other sisters' dolls.
While Baby and Hannah are pretty standard names, children can come up with some very interesting ones. Dorian has Captain Funny Face, Army and Sandstorm. Silas' favorite is Bob the Banana (who is actually a monkey) and Pizza and Pizza, Jr. the Ploppets. Anyka has Squeaky the pterodactyl and Cloudy the little handmade cloud that Loreal Brown made. Amora's fave is a blanket named Kiki. We have a Scottish friend who had a opossum in his tree that he called Jennifa in his awesome accent and so when someone gave Mia a possum, she named it Jennifa.
There Once Was A Cow from Khol's
Buying a toy for a child is a tricky thing to do. Will they like it? Will they really play with it? Or is this just another of the many toys to be tossed to the bottom of the toy box? Children tend to become attached to some of the least suspecting of toys. In my life, I have grown up loving the strangest of ‘toys.’ When I was about eight years old I came to love a refrigerator box, which I went on to name Boxy. I practically lived in this box, until it began to decompose in my bedroom floor.Boxy was not the only object the small child version of myself held dear; I also had my action figures, Polly pockets, and most importantly, Cowey. Cowey was my baby. From the moment I saw her on the stand of $5 toys in Kohl’s, I knew I needed her. It took convincing, but after many seven year old puppy eyes, and whiny begging, my mother caved… She bought me a cow. This cow became my best friend. I had her with me when I got up in the mornings and with me when I went to sleep at night. Washing her was unacceptable. When my mother would finally sneak her into the washing machine to “give her a bath,” I almost instantly noticed the disappearance of my beloved toy.
Actually, Cowey was more than just a toy to me. She had life. She was alive. She was my child. I let her age change as mine did. When I was twelve, still madly in love with this cow, she was the ripe old age of five. She even had a birthday, and I sometimes gave her gifts. After officially a decade of love, this year… I still have her. She has suffered many battle scars, and has faded in "cowlor" (see what I did there?), but she is still going strong. At seventeen, I no longer feel the need to sleep with her. This may be sad for my mother, or other family and friends who knew "Baby Mia" to always have her trusty cow, but, as time passes, my three-year-old sister has shown interest in my cow baby. Though I don’t expect her love to run as deep, I believe Cowey will be loved and cherished for many more generations to come.
So, tell us, what was (or is) your favorite toy, stuffie or doll?
What is its name? Do you still have it?
AND we have some exciting news to share! We are taking a little growing step and moving into a studio space in Turnip Green Creative Reuse!! We will be joining the creative family of Turnip Green and Plateone Print Co-op in a very community oriented environment to do our art and design work and have a cool space to meet with clients. We can not wait to invite you in to see it! Stay tuned to info about our open studio grand opening in March...
~ XOXO~ Julie
WIN A WINNING FRIEND...
Hi All! We thought it would be fun to give away two softies attached to this blog topic! These bunnies are not for sale and are different from our shop bunnies, in that they have SPOTS! If you would like to have one of these cuties for your very own then simply post a few lines about what softies have meant to you, your siblings, your children, or anybody you know... (shoot, any little thought about a favorite doll or stuffed animal will do, whether a 'real' friend or one from fiction, such as The Velveteen Rabbit or Raggedy Ann!) Post to our blog or on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ProBohemia and we will enter you into the drawing that will take place at our new studio, Thursday, March 19th (more info coming).
Ok, so this is just two shots of the same guy... but there WILL be two! :)
We will draw two names and both bunnies will be given away that night, one to our online community and one to somebody that is at Turnip Green Creative Reuse, in person that evening, to visit with Josh Wagner (the artist of the night) and to help us celebrate the opening of our studio space. If you enter online, we will notify you if you are a winner! If you are present at the time of the drawing and win you will go home with your new friend! Hey, why not try and win BOTH! :) ...and Liz and Melanee, you are our first drawing names and are perfect examples of how to enter!!!-The Professional Bohemians
I happen to have a giant stuffed porcupine named Fred. The kids don't get to steal him - though they've tried. I've had him since college. He sits with me while I do laundry. He makes the garage less creepy at night.
ReplyDeleteOh, where to begin? I had about a trazillion dolls and stuffed animals. I was probably most fond of the stuffed animals. I don't really remember any of their names, except one doll with a plastic face and a yellow bean bag body. Her name was Cindy. All of these little friends would play with me...they became the patients in the waiting room, and I was the nurse. Otherwise, I would play with them separately, depending on which one I fancied at them moment. When I was at school, ALL of them lived on my made-up bed (you can imagine how long it took to set up and take down every day). I remember a couple of favorites: one was a blue-green adorable rubber ducky I stole from a church nursery (I was probably 2 or 3 and felt guilt about it for years, but I loved it so much I couldn't help myself). The other was a tiny little puppy with closed eyes that I bought in Gatlinburg years ago. I remember its name now...Muffin. I found it at my parents' home recently and was quite happy to be reunited with it and give it to my daughter.
ReplyDeleteHey, I recognize that monkey face belonging to Army :)
ReplyDelete-Bethany-
Army is one of Dorian's favorites, Bethany! And Silas' monkey by you, named Bob the Banana, is his favorite. They sleep with them every night!
DeleteYou guys!!! Seriously, we would love to see photos of these memories of awesomeness!!! I bought Jake a sock monkey book a few years ago, with photos of beloved sock monkeys and short stories from famous authors... Jake was a big one for softies. We left Blue Bunny and Monkey in Walmart when he was about five and it is still a tragic thing to talk about. (Walmart, the stealer of souls.) Arowyn and Logan always had one favorite at a time but Jake and Anyka had to carry armloads everywhere they went ('go' for Anyka, but Jake is almost 21 now and would look like a crazy person). -Epp
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ReplyDeleteNew space, so exciting!! Can't wait to see the place. (And yer faces.)
ReplyDeleteHey Luke! It would be so good to see you!!!
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