I have a bit of an obsessive compulsive personality. When I was little I thought the world would come crashing down if I stepped on a crack between cement tiles, and it made for very long travel times to the playground. So, it could be worse, I could be compulsively licking lamp posts and other random objects, and instead I cultivate the obsessive side of my personality.
I'm on the fence, between thinking it's creepy and unseemly for a woman my age, but then I think of all the old ladies who collect dolls, who,granted, I think are creepy, and it seems alright that I just want one little doll, mostly to practice my tiny doll sewing for.
Not just any dolls. What I wanted was a Magic Attic doll. Partially because I stumbled upon my little sister's American Girls catalogue, and Mr Snork informed me we could afford nothing in there. (Not even the stuffed raccoon that comes in a tiny tin trash can, for $40, to accompany the $300 camping trailer with a fold down bed).
And partially because after that I decided their dolls are dumb anyway. They all look the same. Poo on you, $95 doll with no personality and funny looking thighs. I don't care that you come with a book. Your outfits cost more than mine, and it's just not good for my self esteem.
My stepmother had dug out a no name but pretty doll for $3 at Goodwill, and long, methodical Saturday morning Google image search of every doll image available (on the worldwide web) turned out it is Megan, of the Magic Attic Club. An obsession was sparked.
This is my sister's Megan. (My sister is 11, so only one of us is creepy).
A quick Craigslist search turned up a couple Megan's in New York and Ohio, and a couple of her sisters a little closer to to home, but not quite. I also stalked Ebay, but it's hard to shell out $40 for a doll when my stepmother paid $3. It's not good for my psyche. AND, I'm almost 30, so my dolls would really need to be free, so I can tell people it was an accident.
"I don't know how I ended up with that.. I bought a car, and it was rolling around in the back seat..."
Fast forward to this last weekend, when a doll surfaced in Oceanside. After some mild haggling, for $20. With 'extras'. Extras, is doll speak for all the doll crap that should naturally come WITH the doll, because there's no other use for it, but instead, people will charge you $10-$30 per outfit, shoe, and anything that doll's ever touched and that originally probably came in the box with her. Not that I'm bitter.
But this Oceanside lady was very reasonable, and for $20, she set a trash bag of doll, and all her worldly belongings on her porch with an empty envelope for payment. Like every good Craigslist transaction should be.
Meet Alison:
I found that Mr Snork gets really creeped out when he finds the doll staring at him, so naturally, I've spent larger portion of the weekend staging the doll off to his side, or behind him, with an inquisitively tilted head aimed right at him. When he's watching football..washing dishes...stripping some furniture..googling Ebay rates for doll sales...
And, speaking of Ebay, ridiculously priced doll accessories, and American Girl phenomenon. Couple blocks down after we picked up the doll trashbag, was an estate sale, where I picked up a pink doll trunk, and a shoe box filled with doll crap. Mr Snork almost stopped talking to me, in a "are you seriously going to fill our house with doll shit in your old age" kind of way, but I was too busy mourning a doll bed someone swiped right from under me to pay him any attention.
Last night, I put some doll stuff on Ebay. 3 people have excersized the Buy it Now Option, and as of last night, Alison was officially free and paid for. The doll trunk and the shoe box of doll crap, also paid for. Couple other items have bids. I have a feeling our gas and lunch expenses that day will be paid for shortly as well. And, I have more doll crap to list. Woot.
Apparently, I arrived at the sale too late for a doll bed, and possibly a doll (I'm assuming there was one), but just in time for shoe box of "extras". It appears that AG 'extras' not only sell at stupid prices, but after they become discontinued and replaced by more ridiculous extras, they become "retired" and even more sought after. Score.
Needless to say, Mr Snork is talking to me again. Now I gotta go ship some stuff.
The AG is Molly, right? I'm kind of ashamed that I know that, but I was obsessed with AG (back when I was young enough for it not to be creepy) and pored over every inch of the catalog, since that's as close as I ever got to owning one.
ReplyDeleteOh, it's Molly! *Hi, Molly!* My daughter is just getting into the AG phenomenon (and by phenomenon I mean "brand name so cute and adorable that 7 year olds can be brainwashed into forgetting their frugal roots and will then beginning an incessant begging for said cute and adorable dolls") and asked for Lainie for Christmas. With the camper, of course. Luckily, she has a Grandma that was thrilled to buy her the doll, sans camper.
ReplyDeleteI love the Allison posing. Fabulous trick!
LOL @Fiona. I mean, at least you had catalogues! I didn't even know stuff like that existed until I was well in my twenties.
ReplyDeleteMM, I forgot my frugal and third world roots and wanted that camper! I mean, did you see that thing? Fold down bed and everything. And then Mr reminded me that for $300 you can get pretty close to owning a real person camper off of Craigslist. haha. I campaigned for the stuffed raccoon in a trashcan just to make a statement, but that didn't happen for me either. As for Sparkle, have you tried looking on Craigslist? Sadly, these things apparently hold their value better than my Toyota, but since the store never ever has sales, it's nice to get stuff a little cheaper, and may be a lot cheaper depending on your area? I saw a "lot" of AG stuff in my area for $900.. It included the camper!! (but no raccoon) let me know if you want me to put in an offer for you. LOL