A Story About a Story

Hi! It's me, Veronika! We've had a lot of people ask us how The Writer got started writing the blog for children and then the books. Maybe you wondered that, too, so we decided to tell you part of the story. (The whole thing would take pages and pages, if we had pages in the story blog!)

You know that we have two books out; one for Mariah and one for Emil. Well, even before this story blog started, there was this little book about my birthday.

The Writer wrote it for her grandchildren and then had it printed. You can't buy it in the bookstore or order it online, but I'm going to read it to you, because it's about my birthday, and I just had another one on Wednesday. (It was great.) This story, though, was about my first birthday.

Besides me, you will recognize two of the other dolls in the story, but there are some different ones you haven't met, at least not in the stories. Let me introduce them to you first.

Before any of us dolls from "The Doll's Storybook" arrived, The Writer already had Dolly and Gabi. Dolly has long hair and a soft body. She has eyes that close when she lies down.

Gabi has short hair, that color we call red, but is really sort of a rusty orange. (Gabi did appear in a story not too long ago, but that was what we call a cameo appearance.)

Anyway, The Writer was using Dolly and Gabi to help make clothes for her grandchildren's dolls, who were about the same size (the dolls, not the grandchildren, who are much bigger).

Of course, you know me, Veronika. I was the first doll from "The Doll's Storybook" to come to live with The Writer. Dolly and Gabi made me feel at home.

You also know Mandy, of course, who came to live with us later that same year.

Then, toward the end of the year, Charlotte joined us. 

Then two boys came. Matti arrived first. He would be living with us while The Writer made clothes for him. Then he would leave us to help raise money for a special organization that sends human people and their pets to visit people who are sick or very old. Sometimes these people and their dogs or cats go to schools and listen to children read to them.

Then Alister arrived. The Writer adopted him from a friend who lived where there was a flood. The Writer said she would give him a good home with her oldest grandson, Zachary, when he was old enough to look after him. He could live with us until then.

All these dolls were living in the house with us when my first birthday happened. My birthday falls on Groundhog Day. (That wasn't intended; it just happened.) February second was when I first arrived at The Writer's house after living with someone else for a couple of years, but my birthday is the day I came out of my box in my new home. I guess that makes me younger than I really am.

Every doll's birthday is the day they come out of their boxes, and in our house, it's a big deal for each doll. We always have some kind of party.

On my birthday four years ago, The Writer hadn't started writing the story blog yet, but she decided to write a story about the party we had and have it printed for her grandchildren, who live a long way away. When we had the party, she took photos and made notes about everything we dolls did. Then she wrote it all down as a story and put it together with the photos. The Writer acted as the narrator (NAH-ray-ter) of the story. That means she was the one telling the story, the way I'm telling this one. This was the little book she made.

Now I will read it to you.

Veronika's Birthday

First the book introduces all the characters. (Those are the dolls in the story.)

Now here is the story. The Writer is narrating. That means she's telling the story. You will have to imagine The Writer saying these words instead of me. We have used a different kind of type to make it easier for you to imaging The Writer speaking. Here goes.

Besides being Groundhog day, February second is also Veronika's birthday. The kids decided to have a party. The girls wanted to wear frilly dresses, but it's winter.

It makes me feel cold to look at them, so they wore warm sweaters instead.

Veronika came one year ago, so there's one candle. (Dolls don't get older, so she's always 11.) Matti baked the cake!

He really likes cake. Is that why his clothes are getting tight?

Before blowing out her candle, Veronika read her birthday card from me. She told everyone she felt so blessed....

....she didn't know what to wish for.

She decided she would wish for her friends and family to be happy and healthy.

Then she blew out the candle.

All the kids got together to give her one big card. They had picked it out together.

She asked them when they had been able to go out together without her.

They all laughed and said in unison, "While you were braiding your hair!"

Veronika laughed and told them she loved her card.

Veronika loves books, so she wanted to open the present from Matti first. It looked like a book, and it was.

"I know how much you love dogs," Matti said.

"I especially love puppies," Veronika added.

Dolly gave Veronika a big box of chocolates....

....and Veronika offered them to all her friends before taking one herself.

A gift from Charlotte was a pair of Götz sandals. "Where did you find them?" Veronika wanted to know. She knew they are hard to find in the United States.

Charlotte replied that she had brought the shoes with her when she came from Europe to live with us.

You bought me a present before we ever met?" Veronika asked, clearly touched.

"I knew I would love you, Charlotte explained.

The present from Gabi was a lovely necklace with a crystal heart.

Gabi explained that she knows every girl likes jewelry.

"It's perfect," Veronika cried. 

She held it up so everyone could see.

Veronika had to get up to give Gabi a hug.

She told Gabi she would always treasure her necklace.

The present from me was next: a new outfit.

I had made her a sweater and some slacks to go with it.

She held it up so I could see how it would look on her. Mandy said that she had helped me.

I used her for fittings, because they are the same size. (Mandy tells me that she would like a new outfit, too.)

Mandy's present for the birthday girl was a drop spindle. "Now you can teach me to spin!" Veronika exclaimed.

It already has some yarn on it, because Mandy tried it out first. This will give Veronika a head start.

The present from Alister was a walking sheep. He wound it up for her. Veronika was so surprised and excited, she threw her hands up.

"Clothes, shoes, books and candy are fine," Alister said, "but every kid needs a new toy."

While the others were putting on "The Secret Life of Pets" to watch, Veronika and I went into the bedroom, so she could change into her new clothes.

Veronika looked in the mirror and noticed she didn't have the right color hair ribbons. She could change them later.

Then she asked me to remove the tag from her shoes.

"Let me get the scissors," I said. 

After the movie was over, Charlotte, Mandy and Veronika cleaned up the mess.

When they moved the boxes and paper, they found a bunch of popcorn on the floor, right under Matti's chair.

They called Charlotte's puppy, Pierre, to clean it up.

"Boys!" the girls cried out. "But Matti bakes good cakes."

That was the end of the little book, but just the beginning of "The Doll's Storybook." 

In June of that year, The Writer started the story blog, and the stories have been appearing once a week ever since. Jolena, who was new, appeared in the first one, "Little Miss Crocket and the Spider."

The Writer wanted to call the story blog "Veronika's Storybook," but I told her she should just call me a doll. Then it could be any doll...even yours! That's how it became "The Doll's Storybook."

After a few months, some human people asked The Writer for a book they could hold in their hands and read to their children or grandchildren, and so she thought about publishing the little book, because it was all ready to print. Unfortunately, the companies that make the other dolls––those not like Mandy, Charlotte and me––did not give their permission for their dolls to appear in print, so this little book could not be printed for sale. We have lots of other stories, though, so The Writer just picked some that Mariah was in for the first book. 

Matti went to live with a human child and got a puppy to take with him. 

Alister stayed with us for a while. He helped behind the scenes, along with Dolly and Gabi. Sometimes we hung out together.

Then, after a couple of years, The Writer made Alister some nice clothes, and he went to live with Zachary. He has lots of other dolls there to keep him company.

Dolly and Gabi are still part of the family, although right now they are working in the yarn shop a couple of miles away. They are professional models! They stay there at night, too. They are wearing the knitted clothes that are in the books, so customers can see what they look like. There is another doll who models a sweater in Pippa's size.

We can get on the bicycles and go visit them, if we want, and we often talk to them on the phone or send them texts.

You may have noticed that Mandy wears a necklace just like the one I have. It's the one Gabi gave her on her birthday, so we could have matching necklaces. 

We have had a fun time making the books and making up more stories about what we do. Besides this story, there are now 190 stories you can read here in The Doll's Storybook. That should take you a while!

By the way, the groundhog didn't see his shadow at our house this year on my birthday, unless he came out between 2:15 and 2:30 in the afternoon. How about at your place?

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Dolly: Madame Alexander play doll, "Let it Snow"

Gabi: Tonner My Imagination redhead

Matti: My Sibling/My Pal Matty

Alister: Kidz 'n' Cats Alister

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen

Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Chosen Mariah from My Doll Best Friend

Doll Pippa's size in yarn shop: Glitter Girls by Battat Serinia

Groundhog photo: Barry Reeger/AP via NPR

Many thanks to Fancywork Yarn Shop for displaying our books and patterns, and for allowing us to take the photo.

You can follow The Doll's Storybook here.

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook and Emil: Stories from the Doll's Storybook are available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from Barnes & Noble,  BookBaby and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to St. Jude.

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Copyright © 2022 by Peggy Stuart