I wanted to go to town. I had been saving my money, a nickel from Grandpa at Christmas, and another one from a Sunday afternoon visit, and a dime from an uncle. With the twenty five cents I already had, this made forty five cents and now I could buy something at the Ben Franklin store. New store-bought paper dolls would be nice, but I had lots of dolls cut from catalogs. Jigsaw puzzles were better put together in the wintertime. My jacks weren't bent and the ball stilled bounced straight, so I didn't need those either. Wanda suggested that I get new barrettes for my hair, but since Mama had cut my hair short, I didn't need them.
I went around the ends of the shelves at the store, and there it was: a camera! It was perfect! When I asked Mama how much it cost, she said the tag had forty nine cents written on it; four more cents than I had, so Mama said she would pay the extra pennies and the sales tax for me, but did I understand that the camera wasn't real? I didn't care; it looked real, and what fun I could have with it, because whenever the button was pressed, a silly little face popped out! I wouldn't tell anyone it wasn't real, and when I "took" pictures it would be a surprise.
I took pictures of everyone I saw, and each time the ugly little face popped out on its spring and wobbled around in people's faces. After a while, Wanda got tired of it and asked Mama to make me put it away, saying she couldn't believe I used my money to buy the thing! Maybe it was foolish, but it was my camera, and it always went to the play house along with the dolls and dishes, and when school started, Mama let me take it to school where I had a whole new bunch of people who didn't know about the silly face.And then one day, the spring that popped the little face out of the camera broke. It couldn't surprise anyone anymore, but it still looked like a real camera. So I took the ugly little face and the camera and put them inside my trunk in the smokehouse with the rest of my special things.
Do you have a special toy you remember?
Charlotte
I had a family of tiny dolls that
ReplyDeletecame with a beautiful doll house
that my uncle had made just for
me. Though the dolls were small
they had movable heads, arms, and
legs. The furniture in the house
also had movable parts. It was all
so wonderful and I played with the
house and dolls daily. When we made
the big move from the country farm
into the city the house and dolls
were somehow lost. I still think
about them to this day.
This is such a good post. I only got two dolls as a child and those dolls are still around. They were so special to me. It's the little things that mean the most..Susie
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable post! Jacks, barrettes, and paper dolls...pretty much says it all for those times! And, I can't think of a thing kids have today that I would trade these play things for.
ReplyDeleteThis was sweet, Charlotte. I smiled when I read that you bought your camera at Ben Franklin: my ex-husband and I owned the Ben Franklin in our little town!
ReplyDeleteI remember my Barbie dolls fondly and all the hours spent playing with them. Sadly, I gave them to my niece when I "outgrew" them, and they're gone forever. NEVER give away your toys!
This made me laugh. I had a sister who was 5 years older than me and she often complained about me and my stuff to our mother. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a precious story, Charlotte...
ReplyDeleteI remember having a doll that my mother made all kinds of pretty clothes for... every Sunday I would dress her up in her "church clothes"! (Of course I had to leave her at home, but she was still dressed up! haha)
What a sweet story! First of all, I remember Ben Franklins! It closed in Colorado City TX. a very long time ago. I loved jacks.....and when I was 10, my mother started buying the printed doilies and scarves for me to embroider on. She would let me pick out the design and then the thread! Have a great weekend. blessings,Kathleen
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet story! First of all, I remember Ben Franklins! It closed in Colorado City TX. a very long time ago. I loved jacks.....and when I was 10, my mother started buying the printed doilies and scarves for me to embroider on. She would let me pick out the design and then the thread! Have a great weekend. blessings,Kathleen
ReplyDeleteThats for dropping by my Blog... You know I can't think of a special toy. I still have some car's and trucks from when I was little (I was the 4th girl so I was daddy's 'sunny' :) Hmm I remember the doll crib my dad made me..that was so special. I used it for our first baby when she was new born...
ReplyDeleteI loved my dolls most of all-but something about your memories made me think of the times I used Granny's ironing board as a counter-I sold flowers, food, whatever I wanted to whoever would stop at my counter and pretend to buy : )
ReplyDelete