G is for. Girly things!

Auntie Dot and Uncle Moss were the first people I knew who travelled abroad for a holiday. It was the 1960's and a local coach company began tours to Ostend, Netherlands. It became an annual event and I would look forward to the presents Auntie dot would pack in her suitcase. On one such occasion she brought me a Traditional Dutched Doll. Along with lots of my friends we started collecting these dolls. My dutch doll really inspired me as the tiny cloggs were genuine wooden ones and I loved the detail of the costume. I think it must have been 1965 when mum and I went on our very first excursion with the bus company, again to Ostende. The shops wre fascinating and amongst the glamour of the traditional souvineers I came across a toy section. A tiny doll, no bigger than my hand caught my eye. It was simple and inexpensive. I bought it, naming it Ginette. On my return home I would play for hours with my new doll, nobody else had one. I made furniture out of boxes and clothes out of scrap material. At this age I really enjoyed making my own creations, inspired by Blue Peter. Anything I made was for Ginette. I was a very content child, enjoying playing at home always creating, something which never went away. In 1964 I remember getting my first Sindy Doll. It was Christmas and mum took me to see Father Christmas in the prestigious Binns Store in Middlesbrough. Mum bought me my Sindy Doll, and when I opened the box the smell of the new plastic really had an impression. To this day I can still picture Sindy when I come across the smell of new plastic dolls.

The Sindy doll was launched in September 1962 by the Pedigree Doll Company. Pedigree had a long history of making dolls and wanted to branch out with a teenage doll. Sindy was one of many teenage fashion dolls reflecting wider popular culture and was nicknamed ‘the girl you love to dress’. She had a girlish figure and flat shoes at first, with a head of big, curly blonde hair. She also had a promotional gramophone record, featuring The Dolly Beats – no doubt gaining inspiration from the iconic youth band of the era, The Beatles. And with fashion influenced by the likes of Mary Quant, and models such as Twiggy, it’s no surprise that Sindy became Britain’s top teenage doll.

Sindy had everything a teenager of the 1960s could wish for, including a handsome boyfriend, Paul. Although as a keen follower of fashion she had a huge wardrobe of designer clothes and accessories, I enjoyed making her clothes and remember making her a bed out of a shoe box. I loved to colour and draw, creating lots of written material for my dolls. I guess it was the beginning of the creative road I would follow later! To see more posts, visit the ABC Blog here