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Saturday, October 31, 2020

Grandma’s Porcelain Doll Sanctuary


My husband often jokes that I am spooky. Not in a way that make an X Files episode, but  more like a Marilyn Munster. I have a list of favorite cemeteries. Spooky might just run in my family.

If you don’t believe me, let me share of an excerpt from an interview I had with my grandmother. 

Q: How many porcelain dolls do you have?


A: .......


Q: Would you say that you have more than 30 porcelain dolls?


A: Yes. Definitely.


Q: Would you say that you have more than 50 porcelain dolls?


A: Right around there. 


Let me pause right here. I think I might have entered into my sister-in-laws nightmare land. More than 30 but possibly less than 50 porcelain dolls are hidden or on display around the house.  If anyone had a fear of dolls, I can attest that my grandmothers living room would drive someone into the mouth of madness. 


Q: What was your first porcelain doll?


A: I had two dolls from when I was child.  They weren’t porcelains, they were bisque dolls. They crack easily in a hot attic. 


I looked up bisque dolls or biscuit porcelain dolls. And as per Wikipedia “Bisque dolls are characterized by their realistic, skin-like matte finish.”  Now I am trying not to think about dolls with realistic skin and cracked faces. My grandmother has a way of letting your form your own images in your mind. 


Q: What was your first real porcelain doll?


A: The first real porcelain doll was of Trish (my aunt) when she was a child. 


I am not sure if this is where I admit that my first porcelain doll came from my grandmother when I was 8. The doll looked a little like me at the time and lives in my attic.  I am sure my aunt is thrilled about being immortalized in a child form in porcelain. There is zero chance our souls will end up in these dolls. 


Q: Why do you like them?


A: I always like dolls when I was a young girl. I wasn’t able to have them as a child. The first dolls I had were rubber dolls. They melted in the attic. I always wanted a doll with teeth. 


I decided to look up rubber doll on the internet to find out exactly what my grandmother meant by rubber doll.  Do not search for rubber dolls!! Search for Vintage Rubber Dolls.  There is a big results in the search results. 


Also try not to think too hard about a doll with teeth. Every mental image of dolls with teeth confirms that creepy runs in the family.


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