The Doll's Storybook

Stories about dolls who live in our world. Although these stories are suitable for children, they should check with their parents before reading and always be careful online. Readers are invited to donate to a charity supporting pediatric cancer treatment and research. Images shown are taken by the author or from a free image website with attribution and appreciation. The author has no connection with Götz Puppenmanufaktur, but gives them credit for the amazing dolls they produce.

Friday, February 23, 2024

Winning the Game

Pam, Pauly and Nico were the last ones to arrive for the game party. That’s because the others lived with The Writer, and The Writer’s home was where the party was being held. They took off their jackets and gave them to Veronika to hang up.

It wasn’t exactly a party; it was more like a planned play session to which they had all been invited.

Pippa was just finishing up setting up the game board. She looked up when the other dolls came into the dining room. They were going to play a game for two to three players, so some of them would have to play with a partner.

“Hi, everyone!” Pippa said, as she moved over to stand on the dog-toy bucket and the other dolls took their places."

Then Veronika explained how to play the game.

“How are things going with Maryanne?” Pippa asked. She knew that Pam had been worried about the little girl she lived with.”

“A lot better, I think,” Pam replied. “I think she’s starting to hear me, because she talks to me about things I’ve said to her.”

The other dolls could tell Pam was very pleased. They knew that Pam was one of those dolls who took her job seriously. A doll’s job is to be there for a child, listen to their worries and the things they are excited about.

A doll gives a child someone to look after, because dolls need to have their clothes changed and their hair fixed, if it’s long. Dolls teach the children they live with how to care for others.

They need to pretend to eat, so they help children learn to keep others from going hungry.

They need to go on adventures the child makes up. It helps their child learn how to solve problems, but it’s also fun.

They need to be comforted when they are sad. This helps children learn how to help others.

They need to pretend to sleep when the child does. It teaches the child the importance of getting enough rest.

“I really admire the three of you,” Pippa said to the visitors. “You live with real children and help them every day.”

“Here, we just act out the stories Mariah writes,” Pippa continued.

“And we pose for the photos Billy takes,” she added.

“You three live with real children who need you,” Pippa added.

“Pam’s job is a bigger one than mine,” Pauly put in. “Jeffy has problems sometimes, but nothing like Maryanne’s.”

Pam’s job is bigger than mine, too” Nico put in. “Frankie and his family sometimes have things they worry about, but they all have their health without special help from doctors and science. I found out that health is very important for human people.”

“Well,” Pippa exclaimed, “I think Pam should get a medal!”

“How about ‘Doll of the Year!’” Pauly suggested. “She could have her photo on the cover of a magazine or something!”

Pam wanted to roll her eyes, but they are what they call ‘fixed.’ That means they don’t move. They don’t close when she lies down. That means she can look at the stars or the clouds, but she needs a sleep mask to cover her eyes at night. She couldn’t roll her eyes, so she just rolled her head in a circle. (Dolls can do that, but children should not try it.)

“It actually is getting easier,” Pam told them.

“Maryanne has a patch she wears on her arm now,” she said. “She gets her insulin (IN-suh-lin) from that.” (Maryanne had found out right before Christmas that she has a condition called diabetes (di-a-BEET-eez). Her body doesn’t make insulin, which is needed for her to use the food she eats.)

“I first found out about it from listening to Maryanne’s parents talking to her downstairs,” Pam continued. “They were talking about how she can get the insulin she needs all the time from the patch, and if she needs more, like when she’s eating, she can tell the patch to give it to her.”

“Wow!” Pauly exclaimed. “That must have taken a room full of scientists to work that out!”

“So you found out about the patch from Maryanne’s parents?” Veronika asked.

“Well,” Pam replied, “I did, but then Maryanne came and told me all about it herself, so I heard it from her, too! I think she was excited but also worried, and she wanted to tell someone. I’m glad it was me.”

“She still has to pay attention to what she eats,” Pam explained, “and her blood has to be checked often to see how much sugar is in it.”

“You’ve learned a lot about Maryanne’s treatment,” Veronika observed.

Pam thought for a moment. “It’s what you do,” she said, “when someone you love needs you.”

The other dolls couldn’t argue with that. They were all quiet for a while, thinking about it.

“Maryanne is very happy now,” Pam said. “She has gone back to dance class, and when summer comes, she can still be on the swim team. She can swim with the patch on, and everything!”

All the other dolls were happy for Pam, who looked at Veronika. The older doll nodded to her and smiled, remembering the talk they had had. Pam had come a long way from the new doll who didn’t know how to help the child she lived with.

“Well,” Pam said, “are we going to play a game, or not?”

“Pam, I want you on my team,” Pippa exclaimed. “You’re already a winner!”

For Idgy.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London

Pippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta

Pauly: Götz Little Kidz Paul

Nico: Götz Hannah-Zoé at the Ballet

Pam: Götz Little Kidz Springtime, from My Doll Best Friend

Photo of girl with insulin pump from From Doctor Visit.

Insulin pumps are small devices that deliver a continuous supply of insulin through a tiny tube (cannula) inserted under the skin, typically in the upper thigh, abdomen, lower back, or tricep. The pump itself is worn outside the body and is programmed to deliver basal (long-acting) insulin continuously, mimicking the normal background insulin secretion of a healthy pancreas. Additionally, it allows the user to deliver bolus (short-acting) doses of insulin during meals. (From JDRF.)

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Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

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. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"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, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Author's page on Amazon.

Royalties (net proceeds) 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 charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

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

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Friday, February 16, 2024

Keeping Up With Jonesy

Billy was looking for Veronika. He found her reading a book on the windowsill. She looked up when he came into the room.

"Veronika," Billy said, "I need your advice.

Veronika put her book down and was ready to listen. Billy could tell that Veronika was paying attention, so he explained his problem.

"I have this friend at the playground," Billy began. "His name is Jonesy. He's fun and very popular."

"It's good to have friends," Veronika said, nodding.

"The problem is," Billy went on, "today Jonesy reached into his pocket and brought out a package of little stick-like things. He said they were called cigarettes (SIG-ah-rets)."

Veronika's tried to make her eyes widen even more than usual, which is a lot, because her eyes don't close, but they also don't move, so she gave up. "Does Jonesy smoke?" she asked.

"I guess," Billy said. "I think that's what he said he does with them. He said it was really cool to use them. He offered me one, but I wasn't sure, so I said no thanks. I wanted to talk to you about it first."

"That was wise of you, Billy," Veronika said.

"I'm not sure it was wise, exactly," Billy said. "I just had sort of a bad feeling about how careful he was not to let anyone see what he had. If he didn't want any of the grownup dolls at the playground to see what he had, maybe it wasn't really a good thing."

"It's good you noticed that, and that it made you wary," Veronika insisted. "I'll tell you why Jonesy was so careful to hide the cigarettes from the grownups."

Billy listened intently, because he really wanted to know.

"Grownup dolls know that cigarettes are made from something called tobacco (tuh-BAK-oh). Smoking them, or using tobacco in any form, can make a human person addicted (ah-DIK-ted). That means they can't stop doing it, even if it makes them sick, which it often does, but maybe not right away. Then they want to stop, but they can't."

"But I'm a doll," Billy said. "Jonesy said it couldn't hurt me."

"Maybe it can't make YOU sick," Veronika agreed, "but the smoke can get into your vinyl, inside and out, and you will smell like old tobacco smoke. You will smell like that forever unless someone cleans you inside and out, and that isn't easy. It can take a long time; days or even months. That's why people who sell their dolls online say if they come from what they call a 'smoke-free home.'"

"You can't play during the time you're having the stink removed," Veronika continued, "because they have to take you apart to get to your insides. Your parts have to sit in one place in a box for the whole time filled with and covered with cat litter."

"Ewww!" Billy said, turning up his nose in disgust.

"Not USED cat litter, Billy," Veronika laughed. "New cat litter, or something else to get the smell out." Then she looked serious again. "The point is," she went on, "no one will come to play with you. After all that, your vinyl may still smell so bad no one wants to be around you. Some dolls that smell like old tobacco smoke end up in the trash can, because it's so much trouble to get rid of the smell."
"I don't think I would like that," Billy said, "but I want to be cool, like Jonesy."

"You ARE cool, Billy," Veronika assured him. "You don't need to do dangerous or silly things just to seem cool to others."

"I'm cool?" Billy asked.

"Yes," Veronika said, "and you're too cool to do what someone else does, just because that person wants you to think it's cool."

"What if," Veronika went on thoughtfully, "what if Jonesy said it makes you cool to go to school wearing a sock over your head?"

Billy thought about that. "Maybe not cool," he said.

"What if Jonesy eats his lunch standing on his head?" Veronika asked. "Would you do that, too?"
Billy pictured that in his mind. "That would take a lot of pretending," he said.

Veronika thought for a moment. Then she came up with another example. "If Jonesy said it was cool to throw rocks at a building," she asked, "would you do that?"

Billy didn't have to think about that one. "No!" he exclaimed. "We might break something! Breaking something that doesn't belong to you is wrong!"

"Or suppose," Veronika went on, "Jonesy wore his long-sleeved shirt under his short-sleeved shirt and his shorts over his jeans. Would you do that just because he did?"

Billy shook his head. "That would look silly! So why," he asked then, "would Jonesy want me to smoke, if it isn't really cool?"

"I don't know for sure," Veronika admitted, "but some children like to see if they can get others to do things they wouldn't normally do. Maybe they secretly want to get that child or doll in trouble, or it makes them feel powerful to control others. Maybe they just want you to think THEY are cool."

"That doesn't sound cool," Billy said.

"No, Billy," Veronika agreed. "Not cool at all!"

"Maybe Jonesy isn't all that cool after all," Billy said.

"You can still be his friend, Billy," Veronika said. "You can set a good example for him, the way you do for real children. Now let's have lunch."

"But let's not stand on our heads," Billy said, and they both laughed.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London