Mumsnet users share their memories of playing with dolls with Baby Annabell

[LucyBMumsnet]

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Most people have some fond memories of playing with dolls in their childhood, from sweetly changing their nappy and rocking them to sleep, to taking them everywhere or ‘customising’ what they look like. Baby Annabell would like to find out more about your memories of playing with dolls, as well as how your children play with their dolls.

What was your doll’s name, and do you still like it now? Did your doll cry real tears, drink real water, burp after feeding, or need its nappy changing? Or did you have to make pretend because the technology wasn’t available yet? What were your favourite games to play with your doll? How does your child play with dolls now? How does it differ from how you played with dolls?

Share your memories on this thread and you will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £300 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

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I remember cutting all the hair off my Barbie to turn her into Ripley and kill off my brother's Alien toys. Fun times.

I’m really enjoying this thread. Lovely to see the familiar doll names I had forgotten.

Pippa...was great for pocket money clothes. I have great memories of those.
Sindy...I had the ballerina Sindy doll.
Barbie
I also had Dusty (I think) an air hostess doll with a lovely smile and bobbed hair. ..a Barbie/Sindy size.

Tippy Tumbles remains my favourite dolly not least because she was so much fun and my younger sister was so jealous.

Ah such lovely memories.

And my son fed his Baby Annabelle dolly for years until he hit Y6 and became “too cool”.

I remember being about 5 and had a fave doll that I could not go any where without! I would pretend to feed her and put her to sleep! No idea when i stopped needing her but I know I wasn't playing with dolls by 8/9.

I liked dolls before I was about 5yo.
I viewed dolls with horror from age 5-10. Profound dislike.
We used to play with Barbie dolls on (Breyer) horses age 10-12.
Still don't warm to dolls!!

I was a child in the 70s and had a much loved ‘Tiny Tears’ doll. I remember that her eyes would close when I put her to bed in her toy cot. She came with a set of clothes and my mum knitted her extra cardigans and bonnets too. I made the mistake of cutting her hair one day and she was never quite the same again...

My next doll was a walkie-talkie doll with blonde hair. She had a button in her tummy that made her talk when you pressed it and a strange marching action when she walked. A bit like a USSR soldier!

We weren’t very well off so both dolls were very special to me.

I had an anatomically correct boy baby doll that wee'd. He was called bimbo, which I always thought odd, but Google translate tells me it is Itallian for baby.

I loved playing with dolls - myself and my sister, and 2 friends from 2 doors up used to play 'mums and dads' and we always had dolls as babies in the families. Also have memories of playing with Barbie and Sindy - and my sister cutting the hair! I have still not forgiven her 30 years later!

I was in the Sindy camp. Loved the pink wardrobe where I could hang all the clothes neatly.

I had one of the first Sindy dolls. I enjoyed playing with her, dressing and undressing her, but then my cousin got Tressy and I was jealous. (Tressy had hair that grew, then you wound it back with a key). Earlier, I also had a rosebud doll and a black doll. (I'm afraid the weeing, crying, burping models were way after my time). Rosebud had eyes that opened and closed and she said mama when you put her on her back. All my dolls had names. My favourite was a teenage doll that I got when I was about 11. She was big and wore stockings and a beautiful dress and high heels. She had beautiful long hair too. I called her Polyanna and still have her in a box in the loft!

I loved playing with my dolls and remember asking for a new one when I was nearly 12, I'm sure now kids are more likely to get tablets or phones than dolls now! I had knitted clothes for them that my mum's friends made and I loved dressing them up and taking them to the park. I learnt to walk pushing a toy pram. I remember being jealous of my friends baby-all-gone who ate cherries off a spoon the food smelt amazing! My fave doll was my tiny tears she had such grown up hair for a baby doll! And I loved making her cry or wee!

I was a child in the 70s and loved my doll. No technology but I changed her nappy, fed her and cuddled her as if she was a real baby - so many happy memories. I can still remember going to the shops to choose clothes for her and my mum also made new clothes. I can't remember the name of the doll but she was joined through the middle with thick elastic to make her joints mobile.

I had a "Sweet April" doll, she had her own plastic swing. When things were tough at home, I'd take her outside and swing her in her swing and confide in her. I also had a Pippa doll who I used to dress up. I felt like these two dolls were my friends 🙂

Well I have two doll stories to share. I had a Tracey Tea Party which used to pour 'tea' (water) from a teapot into cups. I was about 3 when I was crazy about this toy. Battery operated. Tracey looked about like Alice in Wonderland blonde with a blue hairband - and she was very good at tea pouring & I had many tea parties with all of my other toys with Tracey as host.
And when I was about 8 I had a baby doll that I made my dad put a tube through her mouth & make a hole in her bottom end - I actually fed her Farley's Rusks which went through the tube into a nappy. And bottles of water too. Then unfortunately she started to smell a bit & we realised that the food had not allbeen passing through the tube & was going a bit 'off'. So we replaced the tube & flushed her out properly as she had a slight internal leak. Ingenious stuff!

My fav doll as a wee girl was my Cricket Doll, she wasn't like a baby doll she was like a wee girl. You put a tape cassette in her and she spoke. She went everywhere with my even to family wedding 😂. I was gutted when she stopped working although still kept her for years! My two girls are both loving playing with dolls. Their favourite are the Annabelle's because they make noises like a really baby. They don't like these reborn dolls say they give them the creeps. Their bedroom is over run with prams, we just revamped the dolls clothes in an Asda sale rail last night with loads of bits and pieces for £1 an item, they got dresses, packs of 3 leggings and tops all first size. They've played for hours last night trying everything on!

I had a baby "first love", that was my first dolly then I had another which was a boy called Bobby and my mum crocheted lots of boy clothes for it 😆.

I remember playing with sindys for hours with a friend when we were 12 then when we went out with our friends we'd keep it secret.

I had a Tiny Tears doll, but remember I never much liked changing nappies, even when I was 5. Also had an amazing Jem doll from Jem and the Holograms, complete with light up star earrings. Hope I discover her in my parents loft at some point as loved playing with her.

I had a baby doll ( tiny tears I think) called Victoria and a stand up doll called Lucy. In the late sixties. Both went in pram. Pram later repainted and given to my wee cousin from Santa! Then a Sindy, some Pippa dolls and a Silky whose hair grew! Was so thrilled with her, can still remember how I felt on Christmas morning.

I remember the day I got my first proper doll. I used to put my mums lipstick on its cheeks. The doll went everywhere with me and I still have it now!

I had (and still have 40 odd years later) Tiny Tears. Had a dummy and bottle for her. I loved her and was always changing her clothes and remember having real baby sleepsuits rather than dolls clothes and rolling up the sleeves. Also my mum knitted cardigans for her.

apparently i did what my daughter does now, so my mum tells me......take all the doll's clothes off and push them round in the pram.

I remember my auntie sending me a doll from America when she worked there, early 60's. The doll was called Marilyn, that was the name on the box. She seemed so sophisticated compared to my baby dolls. She had a wonderful big bun on top of her head. Imagine my horror when I took it out to find she only had hair around the side of her head. The top of her head was completely bald! I never did manage to put it back into a perfect bun again.

I loved my doll Jessica. I used to tell her all my thoughts and feelings, even when her hair was matted and her arms were barely holding on she was still me favourite.

I really wanted a teeny tiny tears but never got one. Loved my penny puppy walker though. I had most fun and imaginative play with Pippa dolls when older

I had a tiny tears doll when I was young which I loved, I remember having a cardboard box as her bed and a bottle which the liquid disappears when you turn it upside down