GINGER-DUKKERNE OG MIG
THE GINGER DOLLS AND ME
Jeg har altid været tosset med dukker. Som barn i 50'erne og 60'erne havde jeg mere eller mindre de samme dukker som alle mine veninder (måske bare lidt flere) - en glasdukke eller to, en gummidukke, vist også en af Magasin-dukkerne, et par franske Bella-dukker, såvidt jeg husker én Skildpadde-babydukke (Ønskedukke) og én Rosebud-baby og siden en stor teenage-dukke i stedet for Barbie. Men derudover havde jeg noget, vel næppe mange andre i Danmark havde: Et par Ginger-dukker, som min far havde haft med hjem fra Sverige. Jeg troede faktisk, det var svenske dukker, men det er det jo altså ikke, har jeg siden fundet ud af.
De der Ginger-dukker var på størrelse med Ønskedukkerne, med lidt god vilje kunne de passe tøj sammen, men de skulle forestille lidt ældre piger, og derfor var deres tøj og øvrige tilbehør langt mere interessant for mig end Ønskedukkernes. De havde også rigtige parykker! Jeg havde balletkjole, brudekjole, balkjole til dem, jeg havde flot hvidmalet seng og skab, og så havde de briller! Det var noget af det bedste, for jeg fik selv tidligt briller - og det var ikke sjovt dengang!
Man bliver jo større, det meste legetøj gives videre i kredsløbet - men på et tidspunkt fik jeg den ene Ginger tilbage efter 20-30 år! Der var ikke meget hår tilbage, heller ikke megen kulør i ansigtet, men hun var stadig dejlig. Det lykkedes mig at lave hende en paryk af en gammel valk, jeg havde liggende, tøj lånte jeg fra Ønskedukkerne, som jeg mærkværdigvis stadig havde i behold, men deres sko kunne hun ikke passe. Så en dag fik jeg den idé, at der jo var noget, der hed eBay, og måske jeg kunne finde sko til Ginger der?
Og det skal jeg love for, at jeg kunne! Og meget andet. Og flere dukker. Det var altså starten på min samling af små dukker fra 40'erne og 50'erne. Og her er hun så - min barndoms Ginger, yderst til højre.
I have been crazy about dolls most of my life, my childhood dolls were many: composite, rubber, celluloid, hard plastic and vinyl dolls. In the 1950'es and 1960'es, dolls were often still a domestic produce, so mine were mostly Danish dolls, but I also had the small English Rosebud Thumb Suck baby and the similar German small Schildkröt baby, one pale, the other dark, a French Bella doll and a large fashion doll also of foreign, now forgotten origin (but no Barbie). And then I had a couple of - for a Danish girl - unusual dolls: two Ginger dolls!
My father travelled a lot in those days, and he brought me these dolls from Sweden. In all Scandinavia they were only to be found in a single Swedish department store. They were not baby dolls, they had real wigs, their clothes were so beautiful, and all sorts of accessories were available, including furniture painted white with pink flowers and the name Ginger. I even had glasses for them - some consolation for a small girl having to wear glasses herself! At the time I thought these dolls were Swedish, but I became wiser later.
I grew up, most of my toys were given away, but after about 30 years one Ginger returned to me! In a pitiful state, but still charming. Her hair had almost completely gone, there was hardly any facial colour left, and she had neither clothes nor shoes. I was hooked once again and decided to restore her to her former beauty. I managed to make her a new wig from an old hair pad I had inherited, she borrowed some clothes from the old Schildkröt baby doll that I somehow still was in possession of, but the shoes were too small for her. Then I remembered hearing about eBay and figured I might find something there. I certainly did! Not only shoes, but clothes in abundance, and more dolls!
And this is my childhood Ginger, to the right above.
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