Hair Today, Curly Next Week: Part Two

When we last saw Mandy and Veronika, they were looking at their hair in the mirror in the bathroom.

Veronika's hair was the same as always. Mandy's hair was in little braids all over. Veronika thought it looked interesting. Mandy wasn't sure, but she hoped she would have curly hair when they took the braids out.

Veronika had brushed and combed and washed Mandy's hair for her. She had been very careful not to get water into Mandy's eyes.

Then they had gone back to the workroom, where Veronika got out the stretchy bands from the box with the hair things. Then Veronika braided the wet hair.

Then they had gone back to look in the mirror again and talked about Mandy's roots. They also talked about Veronika's roots, which are different, because Veronika was made to have two braids with a part in the middle. That's where we left off.

When Mandy and Veronika came back to the workroom again, the boys had come in and were relaxing on the new daybed. The Writer had put the daybed there so when company comes, there will be another place for real people to sleep.

Emil and Billy looked up when the girls came in. "What's that on top of your head, Mandy," Billy asked. "It looks like you're wearing an octopus!"

"I think it looks more like a spider," Emil countered. "A big one. Maybe a tarantula (tuh-RAN-cha-la). He had been reading about the spiders as big as a doll's head.

Mandy didn't bat an eye. She wouldn't have, even if her eyes could close. She was not surprised at the comments. She was not offended. She knew they were just being boys, and she thought it did sort of look as if she had some kind of many-legged creature on her head. "Too many legs." she pointed out. "A spider has eight legs. So does an octopus."

"Maybe this one is a mutant (MEW-tent)," Emil suggested. "Maybe it hatched with too many legs." Emil said it with a straight face. He always said everything with a straight face. It is how he was made.

Mandy had to keep her hair in braids for a week. It didn't stop her from doing things.

On Monday Mandy went bird-watching with Billy and Emil. They took turns carrying the bird book, because it is heavy, even though there are only birds inside it.

On Tuesday Mandy sat with Veronika and listened to Charlotte play her violin. Charlotte was going to have to play at something called a recital (ree-SYE-tul). She was going to perform with other dolls who took music lessons from the same music teacher. She wanted practice playing in front of an audience, so she wouldn't be nervous.

On Wednesday Mandy walked with Pippa to the lake. Pippa had to carry her own towel and her pail. Mandy carried her towel and a basket with water, a snack and her knitting.

On Thursday Mandy and Mariah rode the bicycles to the library. They wore their backpacks, because they needed to take some books back and planned to check out some others to read. Mandy told Mariah she planned to look for a book about tarantulas. Mariah said that she sensed a story there.

On Friday Mandy helped Jolena make a corn salad for supper.

On Saturday Mandy helped Emil learn to balance his checkbook. Being able to balance your checkbook is an important life skill! While she was helping him he did not mention tarantulas.

Whatever she had to do, Mandy went on about her life as a busy doll. Everywhere she went, her braided hair went with her. Everything she did, she did wearing her hair in braids.

When it had been a week, Mandy asked Veronika to help her undo the braids and brush her hair.

Veronika was very happy to do that. She was interested to see what it would look like. 

When all the braids were taken out and the hair brushed, they tried to style Mandy's hair. 

"What do you think?" Mandy asked Veronika when it was all combed out. The hair was now so thick and curly, that it was difficult to manage.

"It looks interesting," Veronika said, "but what do you think?"

Mandy was more concerned about being able to see her knitting.

They finally got it into a style they thought looked nice. Then the girls went to look in the mirror again. 

They looked for a long time. Then Mandy finally said, "That was fun, but it was a lot of trouble. I'll put on a nice dress. Let's get Billy to take some photos, so I can remember." 

"Good idea," Veronika agreed.

Here's the photo Billy took.

After they were done with the photo shoot, the girls went back to look in the mirror again. Emil helped Billy put the camera equipment away and then went back to the bathroom to eavesdrop on the girls. That means they planned to listen to what the girls were saying, even though they were not part of it. 

"That was fun," Mandy said, looking at herself in the mirror, "but it's a lot of trouble for everyday hair."

"Now let's wash it out," Veronika said. "Let's get our bathing suits back on!"

"Aren't you glad we have wigs and short hair?" Billy asked Emil.

"Yeah," Emil agreed. "I would hate to have to wear a mutant tarantula on my head for a week!"

Cast--

Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia

Pippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta

Learn to braid your dolls' hair. You can start with grass. Here's how.

Important note to "followers" of The Doll's Storybook: If you are following The Doll's Storybook want to continue following, I recommend you go here and sign up to follow.

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 is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from Barnes & Noble,  BookBaby and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment.

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Copyright © 2021 by Peggy Stuart

Hair Today, Curly Next Week? Part One

Veronika and Mandy were changing into their bathing suits. They were not going to the beach. They helped each other by fastening the tape of the bathing suit at the back of the neck. Neither of them can reach that spot, because their elbows don't bend enough. It's nice to have a friend who can help.

Mandy had asked Veronika to help her with a new hairstyle. She had read about a new way to make your hair curly. the nice thing about curling your hair was, if you didn't like it or got tired of it, all you had to do was wash it again and let it dry straight. 

Mandy told Veronika what she wanted her to do, and of course Veronika would help!

First Veronika brushed Mandy's hair. Brushing takes out the small tangles and shows you where each big section of hair belongs.

Then Veronika used the comb. She started at the very bottom of each section of hair, because if you start at the top, you collect the tangles, one after another as you bring the comb down, and it ends up making one very big tangle you can't comb through. When Veronika had a section of hair tidy at the bottom, she moved the comb higher up, then higher, until that section was free of tangles.

When Mandy's hair was all combed out, the girls went down the hall to the bathroom. They climbed up on the bathroom vanity, so they could get to the sink. Veronika was going to have to climb into the sink, so she took her sandals off. Mandy took off her necklace, so it wouldn't be in the way.

Mandy put a towel down on the edge of the sink, so she could be more comfortable. While Veronika ran the water to get it warm enough, Mandy held the shampoo ready.

Veronika put the water all over Mandy's hair. She was very careful not to let any water get into Mandy's eyes. Mandy can't close her eyes, so she can't keep water and shampoo out of them. Veronika didn't have to be careful about Mandy's ears, though. Mandy's ears don't have holes, so no water can go into her head through her ears. Dolls' ears are just decorative. They have pretend ears on the inside of their heads so they can hear.

When all of Mandy's hair was wet, Mandy handed the shampoo to Veronika, who applied it to the wet hair and then gave the bottle back to Mandy. They used a shampoo that had something called conditioner (con-DIH-shun-er) in it. That will make Mandy's hair soft and easy to comb. 

Veronika worked the shampoo into all of the hair. Next Mandy scooted back again so Veronika could rinse the shampoo out. Veronika was careful to rinse every bit of shampoo out of Mandy's hair. Again she was careful not to get any water in Mandy's eyes. Mandy had to look at the ceiling the whole time, so the water would run down her head away from her eyes. Mandy knows that water runs down, not up. As long as Veronika keeps the water below Mandy's eyes, they will stay dry.

When all of Mandy's hair had been thoroughly rinsed, Veronika climbed out of the sink, and Mandy sat up. Mandy dried her hair with the towel, and Veronika dried her legs, and anywhere else she had gotten wet. Neither one of them had gotten water in their eyes. Real human children can get water in their eyes, but not dolls!

The dolls went back to the work room. Veronika gently combed out all of Mandy's hair. Then she began to braid it. For each braid, she started at the bottom and worked up. She used a large clip to pin the upper hair away from the area where she was working. She took a small section of hair in her hand and divided it into three parts. Then she began braiding the hair. 

She continued braiding until there was very little hair left in her hands. Then she took a stretchy band from Mandy and fastened it around the end of the braid.

Mandy sat very still and tried not to move her head except when Veronika asked her to. Mandy is good at sitting still. She is a doll. Dolls can sit for hours without moving when they want to. Mandy handed Veronika another stretchy band each time Veronika asked her to.It took a long time to get all of Mandy's hair braided, but finally Veronika asked for a stretchy band for the last braid. There were still plenty of stretchy bands in the package.

The next step was to wait for Mandy's hair to dry. This would take a long time, but Mandy didn't have to sit still while her hair dried. 

"How does it look?" Mandy asked.

"It looks...interesting," Veronika said. Of course, it didn't matter how it looked with all the braids. The point of putting your hair in curlers all over your head isn't because it will look beautiful in curlers. It's the same if you use braiding to curl your hair.

"Let's go look in the mirror," Mandy suggested.

The girls went back down the hall to the bathroom where they had washed Mandy's hair. They looked in the mirror.

"You're right," Mandy agreed. "It does look interesting." 

It was like looking at a different doll.

"You know, Mandy," Veronika said then, "I can see your scalp and the roots where your hair comes out of your head." 

"I wonder if mine looks like that underneath my hair," Veronika added, taking a closer look.

"Yes," Mandy said, "your scalp is full of roots, too, only the they're arranged a bit differently." Mandy had seen Veronika's roots, but she couldn't see her own. Not without another mirror to hold up, so she could see one mirror in the other.

"Do I have two rows of roots running down the center of my head?" Mandy asked.

Veronika told Mandy she did not. The roots were just scattered around.

"Well," Mandy said, "I think I know why you do. It's because you're supposed to have braids. The back of your head looks very tidy when you have your hair in two braids."

The two girls walked back down the hall to the workroom again. They needed to put the hair things away. 

What do you think Mandy's hair will look like when it dries? How long do you think it will take to dry? What will Mandy do while she's waiting? Do you know how to braid hair yet? Do you have roots for your hair all over your head, or do you have two rows running down the back? 

Read the conclusion to "Hair Today, Curly Next Week?" next week!

To be continued....

Learn to braid your dolls' hair. You can start with grass. Here's how.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015

Important note to "followers" of The Doll's Storybook: If you are following The Doll's Storybook want to continue following, I recommend you go here and sign up to follow.

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 is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from Barnes & Noble,  BookBaby and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment.

Image on Mariah's yellow T-shirt used with permission with thanks, from Free To Be Kids, where human-size shirts with this image are available.

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Copyright © 2021 by Peggy Stuart

The Boy Doll Who Cried "Wolf!"

Once upon a time there was a boy doll who lived out in the country. He didn't like to go to school, and dolls were not required to go, so he didn't.

He had to do something, though, because not all dolls can stand around on a shelf and look beautiful, so he decided to tend the toy sheep that had come to the backyard and were pretending to graze.

The boy doll had to lead the toy sheep to the pasture each day, so they could pretend to eat the green grass. Then it was his job to keep them safe, because he was their shepherd (SHEH-perd).

Day after day, the boy doll watched the toy sheep. Each day was just like any other. Nothing interesting ever happened.

No one came to play with him. The toy sheep never did anything interesting. The boy doll was very bored.

One day, the boy doll had an idea. He decided he would have some fun with the two dolls who lived in the house with him. 

He left the toy sheep in the pasture and went into the house. "Wolf!" he cried, trying to sound upset and frightened. "There's a wolf after the toy sheep!"

The other dolls heard him and came running. They followed him back out to the pasture, where the toy sheep were peacefully pretending to graze on the green grass. 

"Where's the wolf?" smaller of the two dolls asked.

"I don't see a wolf," the bigger one said.

The boy began to laugh. "Ha-ha!" he exclaimed. "I played a trick on you, and you fell for it!"

The other dolls did not think that was very funny, and they told him so. They left him there and went back into the house.

The next day, the boy became bored again. "That was so much fun yesterday," he said to himself. "Their faces looked so surprised, or they would have, if they weren't made of vinyl."

He decided to try the same trick again. He left the toy sheep and went back into the house. 

"Wolf!" he yelled, using his upset voice. "There's a wolf after the sheep!"

Again the dolls in the house came running. They followed him back out to the pasture, where the toy sheep were still pretending to eat the green grass. 

"I don't see a wolf," the little doll exclaimed in exasperation.

"I don't see a wolf, either," the larger one said.

Then they heard the boy doll laughing. "I fooled you again!" the boy doll laughed.

The other dolls turned around and stomped back to the house, clearly displeased.

"That wasn't nice!" they both yelled at him. "That was a mean trick!"

The next day, while the boy doll was out in the pasture with the sheep a real wolf came along. At least, the boy doll thought it was a wolf. The creature had sharp, pointed teeth and a taste for stuffed toys, so it must be a wolf.

The boy doll ran into the house. "Help!" he cried. "There's a wolf after the sheep!"

"Right!" the larger doll said, turning a page in her book.

"Very funny, smaller doll said, not moving from her seat.

Neither one of the dolls would come and help him protect the toy sheep. No amount of pleading did any good. They would not budge.

The boy doll was really worried about the toy sheep, because no one would help him. He ran back to the pasture, where he expected to see all the toy sheep with their stuffing pulled out, but the wolf was nowhere to be seen. The sheep were still pretending to eat grass.

The boy ran down to the pasture to check to see if each sheep was OK. 

"You're very lucky this time," a voice behind the boy doll said.

The boy turned and saw the biggest toy sheep standing there.

"The unthinkable could have happened," the biggest toy sheep said. (He meant that it could have been so horrible, you couldn't even bear to think about it!) "You could have come back out and found nothing but bits of fluff all over the grass," he explained, clearly having thought about it, in spite of the horror.

"Where is the wolf?" the boy asked. 

"Someone––one of the human people from the house––threw a ball," the biggest toy sheep replied. "After that, the wolf forgot all about us. You were lucky this time, but next time might be different.

"But I was bored," the boy doll said. "Sitting around watching toy sheep is very boring."

"Pretending to eat grass," the biggest toy sheep pointed out, "isn't exactly fun. You should try it."

The boy doll sat down thought about that. "Trying to get other dolls to help chase a wolf away isn't fun, either," he said, "especially when they wouldn't come."

The boy doll was relieved that the toy sheep hadn't been eaten by the wolf, but he was very sad that the other dolls might never trust him again. "Maybe I'm not meant to be a shepherd," he said to the big sheep. "Maybe school isn't so bad after all!"

Just then, the bigger girl doll came out of the house. "There's a doll at the door," she called. "She's asking for you! It's about the sheep!"

The boy doll left the flock of toy sheep and ran through the house to the front door. There was a girl doll there, standing in the front hall. 

"Hi!" said the girl doll. "I got a text from Rambo. He says that he and the other sheep are all here at your house, pretending to eat your lawn."

"I've left them alone long enough," the girl doll explained, "but now it's time for them to come home, wagging their tails behind them."

The boy doll went out and brought all the toy sheep from the backyard, leading them to the front door. There was a lot of tail-wagging. The girl doll handed the boy doll her shepherd's crook*, so she could take the toy sheep with the floppy legs.

"Thank you," the girl doll said. "They are very afraid of wolves, but I'm sure they felt safe here. You must have taken very good care of them, or Rambo would have texted me sooner."

When all the sheep who could walk were out the door, and the girl doll had the sheep with the floppy legs comfortably in her arms, the boy doll gave her shepherd's crook back.

Then the boy doll opened the door again, because the girl doll had her hands full, carrying the sheep with the floppy legs and her crook, and the door knob was very high up.

After the girl and all of her toy sheep were gone, the boy turned and looked at the other two dolls. "I think that girl doll is in my class," he told them. "I think her name is Bo. I've decided that I want to start going to school again."

"Yes," agreed the larger girl doll. "You still have a lot to learn."

*Shepherd's crook: A tool used by shepherds to guide and catch sheep, to look for sheep in deep bushes and for balance on steep slopes.

Cast--

The Boy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London (Billy, who would never tell a lie or play mean tricks but is good at acting)
Bo Peep: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen (Jolena)
The Other Dolls: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris (Charlotte) and Götz Little Kidz Lotta (Pippa)

The Sheep: Themselves

The Wolf: Dusty Stuart (not a real wolf, but related to wolves, and a real, live creature, not a toy)

Apologies to Aesop's Fables and the unknown original writer of "Little Bo Peep," now part of our collective oral tradition, for changing the details of their stories.

If you want to follow The Doll's Storybook, go here and sign up to follow.

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 is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from Barnes & Noble,  BookBaby and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment.

Like our Facebook page: The Doll's Storybook

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Copyright © 2021 by Peggy Stuart