Dolls are only "Creepy" if you Lack Something to Love

Again, I say, "Free the Talega 11!" held hostage in San Clemente. By the way, has anyone wondered how SC's Finest "booked the dolls" into evidence? Did they have itty-bitty handcuffs? Were they careful not to get ink on lace dresses when they were trying to take little porcelain fingerprints? Surely, this has been a terrible misunderstanding. Perhaps we could hold a teaparty with sugar-water tea and tiny donuts with the C.O.P to discuss bail. I had thought of starting a fund on Kickstarter. So, again, this message to the good officer who "arrested" the dolls; if you don't want them, send them to our Museum. We'll do just fine with them. So, enough of this creepy doll garbage. Dolls, no matter how expensive, have evolved into children's toys. They were mant to be innocent companions of childhood, and were meant to be loved by children. Dolls are created to prevent nightmares, not cause them. Before I go on, the wonderful images are courtesy our friends at Theriault's, the Dollmasters! I know, there is no accounting for peoples' taste. Not everyone likes dolls. Not everyone likes Nascar. Not everyone likes marbles, or beer cans, or baseball cards, or Dungeons and Dragons. After all, some of us are a little bit country; some of us are a little bit rock n' roll.

To each his own, or, in the immortal words of Sly Stone, "different strokes for different folks." I'm on board with all of it. I'm not on board with people who have no passion for anything but make fun of those who do.

Virginia Woolf advocated finding a room of one's own, maybe not literally, but she cetainly meant in her long essay of the same name, that to stay sane, we needed something that encouraged us to be ourselves, to foster our creativity, to be our solace and shield from "the slings and arrows of fortune." Barbara Pym called this passion "something to love." It didn't have to be a man, or a woman, or anything tangible. It had to be a passion, a cause celebre, books, travel, gardens, or a beloved collection. People make fun of collectors because they've never had any interests. No, diddling around on an Iphone and taking selfies are not hobbies. They are not a passion that encourages learning and study. You don't learn to network with other like-minded people or hone your skills and knowledge to be an expert in your field. Collecting dolls teaches history, community, networking, creativity, and more. That passion for dolls inspires a love of people and their cultures everywhere, as Anne Rice has implied in her quote from "Taltos." I find the series "The Collector's Voice" enlightening on these topics, as I do the books of Marilyn Gelfman Karp and Mary Randolph Carter.

Moreover, dolls are images of ourselves. They are soul portraits, and reflect the artists who created them. The biographies of early doll makers are as intersting as those of composers and artists. What's creepy about that? I've met many people writing for about.com who find their dolls comfort them as they face terrible life challenges, including serious illness, the loss of loved ones, infirmities of all types, and despair. Writing about dolls is one of my strongest passions. When I sit and look at my dolls, or rearrange them, write about them, mend them, or make them, I forget all my other problems. They've kept me going in some very bad times, and the thought of sharing them in my writing and through a museum keeps me going. It's not for nothing that I say that when the going gets tough,the tough collect dolls. Like most collectors, I have many interests. I could tell the fine folks of Inside Edition didn't quite get that when they talked to me. They also knew nothing about dolls, and it strikes me how ignorant the general public is about them. Here are some of the other things I'm "following:" my family stamp and coin collections, music, especially singing and the piano, ballet, the geography of Strabo, ancient art, prehistory and anthropology, Anne Rice's work, mystery novels, Shakespeare, Tudor History, especailly Anne Boleyn, local highschool football, sustainability of water, plants, gardening, green living, the life of Erzebet Bathory, books of all types, gymnastics, The Olympics, writing poetry, blogging, my pets, my flowers . . . . You get it. I have hundreds of contacts and network in live settings and social media. I'm a school administrator who graduated from law school, with a Ph.D in literature, and I'm a wife, daughter, parent, friend, and cousin. My church and family are important to me, but I like to follow politics and listen to the news. I don't consider tabloid TV news, but I get a kick out of seeing it once in awhile. I like to write letters, and was a good student. I made several honor societies including Phi Beta Kappa, but my friends come from all walks of life. My mother taught me tolerance. My dad taught me courage. My grandmother, whose birthday would have been Friday, taught me compassion. Oh, and I don't type well and have arthritic fingers. So, I'll end my rant. I hear tiny hands applauding. Dolls are NOT creepy. They are not haunted. All objects bare traces of their owners' personalities; all have significance in their owners lives, whether they are kept or discarded. Doll collectors are historians, curators, artists, business people, teachers, clergy, and parents. There is nothing sinister about having dolls, just as there is nothing sinister about Lladro figurines, Depression glass, or Beardsley prints. We aren't hoarders, though space can often be at a premium for us. We are generous, and we share our knowledge and collections. To those who don't get it and think dolls are "creepy," well, get a hobby. Collect something, and learn a little history and some organizational skills. And, Grow up.