A Doll Collector’s Wish List: Grails Found, Lost and Still Out of Reach

Some collector wishes do come true. Others change shape, wait for the right find, or stay just beyond reach. My own doll list has a little of each: childhood favorites I eventually brought home, dolls rescued from smoke damage, and longed-for figures whose prices still put them out of range.

Before getting to the wish list, a quick life update explains the long gap between posts. The recent heat has sent Ken and me to my sister’s house to cool down. We don’t have air conditioning, and the drive is an hour and a half each way. After one late return, we nearly hit several animals on the road, including deer and a raccoon family. I’m tense for the whole drive home now.

Tammy World came along to my sister’s house, where she posed beside a rock collection and a colorful plant whose name I’ve forgotten.

Posting has also been slow because my computer barely holds a charge. With limited outlets and worries about leaving electronics charging unattended, Ken and I sometimes have to take turns using power. I have plenty of doll photos waiting, though, and reader Treesa’s question gave me a reason to finally tackle this draft: which dolls are still on my wish list, even if I may never own them?

Childhood wishes that found their way home

I’ve managed to find nearly all the dolls I wanted as a child but didn’t receive then. That Kid is one of them. The first one I owned was damaged by water during a fire, but I replaced him quickly and inexpensively.

This boy was damaged by water from the fire and replaced soon afterward.

Mrs. Beasley was another childhood favorite. My dream version came from a yard sale, but smoke from the fire left her sooty. Her glasses were on my bedroom vanity and melted slightly; they’re still recognizable, though misshapen. I haven’t tried cleaning her yet. A second Beasley, complete with glasses, may stay in my collection too. I can’t imagine parting with the dream doll, especially since I still sometimes see her original owner and can tell her the doll has a home with me.

My Mrs. Beasley with glasses was smoked in the fire; I still need to clean her.

Drowsy was on that same list, and I now have several versions, including the original kitty-cat pajama doll. Baby Colleen and Teachy Keen are still tempting because they use the Drowsy head sculpt. Baby Colleen is the redhead in the nightgown at the upper left; Teachy Keen wears the pink coat.

Baby Colleen is at the upper left, in the nightgown; Teachy Keen wears pink.

I also wanted a talking Baby Beans. I suspect I was considered too old for a baby doll by the time I might have received one. As an adult, I found a clean Talking Baby Beans in working order, but eventually sold her. The one I have now is less tidy and no longer talks, but she’s the one who stayed.

Betsy McCall went from a far-off wish to a small collection in different sizes. Doll shows supplied some memorable finds: one doll was inexpensive because a mark on her nose looked like a nick to the seller, but it was dirt; another needed an eye repair, and the dealer wasn’t familiar with dolls.

I found this Betsy McCall at a doll show.

This doll was inexpensive because the seller mistook dirt on her nose for a nick.

This doll was inexpensive because the seller knew little about dolls, and I had to repair her eye.

Some larger or less familiar names joined the collection too. Maru and Friends Savannah once seemed beyond what I’d usually spend, but I eventually found one, then added a big and a little Savannah from Emily at The Toybox Philosopher. Emily also offered me a good price on a Zwergnase doll I’d long admired. Agnes Dreary came home for $50 during a Tonner website clearance. And reader Dorothy generously sent me a Dianna Effner Little Darling, a doll I had assumed I’d never own.

My Patience story is more of a compromise. I always wanted Garden Patience, with red hair and a pretty dress, but settled for a less expensive, dark-haired Prom Patience. She has rooted hair rather than a wig, so changing her look isn’t simple, and replacement wigs cost more than I want to spend.

The wishes still waiting

One attainable-looking omission is the Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse Midge, which I think was the first Midge in that line. Her price rose after release and seems to have eased lately, but I still haven’t added her.

Mezco’s Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes remains a more difficult prospect. He used to be barely affordable; later, prices climbed, and even though he now sometimes appears for less, he’s still beyond my budget. Doll or action figure, I’d be delighted to have him.

For vintage dolls, I’d love a red-haired Brikette by Vogue. I’d happily settle for a Jinx by Kaysam or Jolly Toys, which looks very much like Brikette. A red-haired Klumpe girl with glasses and a suitcase is another specific wish; I don’t have a picture of that doll, so here’s my Roldan gardener girl as a nearby point of comparison.

A Brikette I admired at a doll show.

My Roldan gardener girl is the closest doll I can show to the Klumpe suitcase girl.

Kenner’s Hugo, Man of a Thousand Faces, is a childhood-era wish I’ve never shaken. He was a puppet supplied with disguise pieces, including wigs, scars, false chins and noses, plus sunglasses and an eye patch. He also appeared in the pre-Playhouse “Pee Wee Herman Show” HBO special. Today, he’s expensive enough that I’d likely need an unexpected thrift-store or yard-sale find.

Mattel’s Squishies witch has an even older memory attached: I saw her once at J.C. Penney when I was nine, shopping with my mother, and have wanted her ever since.

Some later dolls have joined the same unreachable corner of the list. Tonner’s Wilde Imagination Hamish has become very expensive. I’d especially like one of the red-haired Sad Sally dolls, either the first version or the later Sad Little Witch. Helen Kish’s Creamsicle Lark and Lark of the High Seas both appeal to me, as does Kish’s Raggedy Riley.

Hamish has become very expensive.

Lark of the High Seas.

Creamsicle Lark.

For a more recent wish, I’d like a full-size red-haired Ruby Red Fashion Friends doll. I have a Siblie, and I was willing to settle for Rock Star Stella, though her clothes aren’t my favorite. A special edition doll first caught my eye, but Stella would have been a welcome addition too.

I’m sure another name will come to mind as soon as this is posted. For now, the list is a reminder that collecting isn’t only about completing a set of long-held wants. A good surprise at a doll show, a generous gift, or a doll you thought you’d never see again can change the list entirely. I still have photos to share, and I hope to be back with them soon.