A few days after Christmas my Grandma Roy took me and Chatty Cathy, now tucked back in her big box, to the Sears department store downtown, down the marble stairs and down, down into the cold basement Toy Department to exchange Chatty Cathy … and gasp … ALL of the Chatty Cathys were gone! My Grandma, seeing heartbreak on the horizon, exhibited the skills of a snake oil salesman and suavely talked me into holding a Chatty Baby just to “see”.
I picked one from the display and held her. She was small like me and fit exactly in the crook of my arm. She looked like me with her dark hair and brown skin. Chatty Cathy with her freckles and Amazon frame sure didn’t. Plus Chatty Baby’s Chatty-Ring worked! The moment I pulled her string she said “I love you” and I fell for her (and thereby started a life long pattern I think). Fickle 5-year old that I was, I was instantly sold and ready to take her home that minute … but Grandma’s hand on my shoulder said no. What! I was indignant and put up a short 5-yr old fuss before realizing Grandma was not budging. Not this time. That was not the baby doll I was taking home. That was that. Then with the diligence of a 49er searching for gold, she dug through the display finally producing the “right” doll. It was a brunette with white skin. Ooooooooh. Well that Chatty Baby and I went home together and enjoyed a long and happy relationship (despite the holocaust-like haircut I would give her a few years later as a cover for a big lie) … the message was not lost on me though and I can’t help but wonder what Grandma would think today of my Chatty Freddie who says a lot more than “oneofeleven” different things even without a string. Seriously though???
I think she’d have liked him.
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1 comment:
$20 is still expensive for a toy in today's market. (to me at least) lol... If you wanted a Chatty Cathy today, you can have my daughter. She will talk your ears off. :-)
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