Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Scary Babies

Our church has an Advent Giving Tree in the foyer. The tree is decorated with paper ornaments listing the gift requests of those in need. I don't have any grandkids (this is a good thing since none of my daughters are married yet) and all the nieces and nephews are quite grown up--so I always look for a tag that lists an unwrapped toy. Buying a toy for a needy child gives me an excuse to cruise the aisles of Toy R Us--not that I'm looking for any other toy than a baby doll. I have fond memories of baby dolls and I want to spread the joy.

Today I headed straight to the doll section of Toy R Us and started to poke and prod the baby dolls. Hubby came, too, but he mostly looks at prices. It did not take me long to notice that baby dolls have changed. Some of them are really scary. I poked one in the tummy and as it made gurgling noises its lips moved and its eyes opened and closed--slowly. It reminded me of something from a horror film.

Then there were the baby dolls that looked overfed--sort of like Sumo wrestlers. On the other hand, there were other dolls that were supposed to be cuddly but when I prodded their bellies they were so squishy they seemed to have no substance.

I finally found one doll that I liked. It had eyes that opened when in a vertical position and closed when placed in a horizontal position. It had nice pajamas and a little cap. When I squeezed its hand it had a limited repetoire--mama, dada, and some giggles. It was soft in the middle but not too soft. It had a nice expression on its face. I think it is the sort of doll a little girl could love.

Happy Advent.

1 comment:

Live, Love, Laugh said...

I haven't been in Toys R Us in so long, I can't even remember, but this post is interesting, I haven't look at dolls in a long time either, perhaps I will go look and see what is on the shelves!