Good morning, Ann Margret fans and others! Huh? Keep reading.
First, I'd like to announce the winner of the Mae West paper doll giveaway. Please put your hands together for...DAMO!
Damo, please email me your contact information (peterlappinnyc at gmail dot com) and I'll get Mae over to you ASAP. Congratulations!
Moving right along, friends, there's something about the holidays that makes us want to buy stuff. Actually, everything about the the holidays makes us want to buy stuff, and that's just the way Madison Avenue likes it. I pride myself on being highly resistant to most impulse purchases (Who just snorted -- did that come from Australia?), but the other day I happened to pop into the Housing Works Thrift Store on 17th Street -- never a good idea at holiday time -- and I was overtaken with the spirit of giving. To myself.
Readers, I don't consider myself a true doll collector. OK, I own a dozen Ken dolls, but I consider them decor, like ashtrays or commemorative Elvis plates. I don't obsess over them or try to collect all their outfits and I hardly ever play with them. But when I saw this very unusual doll, I simply couldn't resist.
Meet Patti Playpal! (Yes, she came with her original tag).
One thing you need to know right off the bat about Patti, is that she is big. BIG.
Some might say grotesquely large.
Patti is so big, in fact, that you were instructed to sew real 3 year old-size clothes for her. Friends, if I ever talk about doing that, please organize an intervention. But honestly, isn't this vintage McCall's outfit cute?
I know some of you will find Patti -- and her outsized presence in my living room -- the stuff of nightmares, but I hope you'll come around eventually. Michael did, or he will any day now. He's still a little freaked out.
Now, if I told you Patti was only $15, surely you would understand why I couldn't resist her charms. To be clear, Patti has a little crack on her upper thigh, but hey, she's nearly 50 years old! I trust some of you doll aficionados will instruct me how to mend it (something having to do with acrylic nail powder, perhaps?).
And here's the Ann Margret bit. Don't you think she resembles Ann Margret...just a little?
In closing, I hope I haven't set a bad example for those of you desperate for any excuse to indulge your most outrageous holiday shopping whims. If you keep it under $20, I think it's OK. I can't translate that into Euros, but we're basically talking the cost of lunch for two at McDonalds.
Readers, do any of you remember Patti Playpal? Did any of you actually own one, or envy a childhood friend who did? Would you display her 1) on the floor, 2) atop a credenza 3) in the back of a closet -- waaaay back.
You can watch the original Patti Playpal TV commercial here.
Have a great day, everybody!
(More Patti pics here.)
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