I’ve long liked making toys.
About 35 years ago I started making soft sculpture dolls. It was the beginning of the Cabbage Patch Kids craze, and I thought I could do a better job — so I bought a pattern for Miss Martha’s (?) “Little Sonshine Baby.” It was a 14″ doll.
Not being satisfied with that size only I graphed the pattern and enlarged it, first to 18″ and finally to a 24″ doll.
I took orders to make and sell these dolls. Friends, family, and strangers ordered dolls with varying skin, eye and hair colours, hair styles (or bald), freckles or not, some dressed, some not. These order sheets represent over 60 dolls that I made.
I made only two 24″ dolls, for my own kids.
I take great joy and satisfaction knowing that at least some of these dolls are still being played with by another generation.
