My first (and only) Barbie Doll, circa 1960 (Kate, 6/18/10, MSN Paint)
Oh, Barbie...I wanted you so desperately that I said a Novena. My ninth birthday was coming up, and you were the only gift I asked for. (My mother later told me she'd heaved a huge sigh of relief when I told her about that Novena...Imagine if I'd had to learn at that young age that God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we'd like!)
By the time you were mine, a lot of my friends had already abandoned their dolls. Thank God I had younger sisters with whom I could continue to indulge my fantasies...
Oh, those wonderful outfits! Back then, each ensemble came with all the required accessories...Shoes, hats, bags, belts. And always, those little white nylon mittens that were supposed to be gloves...Apparenlty, no properly attired lady would have been without them in the 60's. Each outfit also came with a tiny little catalog depicting the other amazing fashions that could be purchased. Sigh.
Best of all, though, were the outfits my mother sewed...I still have the patterns. Circular skirts and sheath dresses with matching jackets. A cape with slits for the arms. Suits, sportswear (bathing suits and tennis outfits). And fabulous wedding dresses!
I never had a wedding dress for my Barbie, but that was the subject that set me off on this memory journey a few days ago...
One of my recently acquired facebook friends -- also one of my favorite childhood friends with whom I lost touch after her family moved away in high school -- asked if I remembered trading Barbie clothes.
Memories -- at least mine -- are funny. I did remember specifically wanting to trade for her wedding dress, but she couldn't give it up because her mother had made it. She remembers being in an upstairs bedroom...
Many times, a suggestion will become a memory for me. I think I remember that, too. But I remember being in a different house...Apparently we moved shortly after becoming friends.
I also remember playing with Barbie dolls in a wooded copse behind our house, but perhaps my friend wasn't there. That was always a favorite place for my sisters and I to play.
I'm sure my friend and I did trade Barbie outfits, although never the wedding dress I so coveted. Her mother had sewn her Barbie an entire wardrobe, and today she can't believe she ever parted with any of the pieces. And I can't believe that I have no recollection of what became of my treasured Barbie doll!
Oh, Barbie -- How could I have loved you so much that I would play with you into my teens, and then somehow just let you slip from my life with no fanfare; no memorial service? Where are you now, Barbie?
Hey -- Maybe we can become facebook friends...
