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 my sister and I having loads of sindy and barbie dolls and we sometimes made new outfits for them. Once I even knotted a wedding dress for one, probably what put me off knitting as it took a long time and was very complicated! We played house, and romance storylines then later on I got a barbie office and we made up stories about work and career. My mafourite was when they went on holiday, usually camping using a sheet over a table to make the forest canopy!

I had 2 dolls. A manky old hard bodied one that I took absolutely everywhere. She still lives on top of my wardrobe. I cut all her hair off when I was about 6 thinking it would grow back. It never did!
I also had a baby Becky when I was about 8 who made burping and sucking noises. I've just replaced the potentially 23 year old batteries in her and given her to my son. I hope she's still loved in another 23 years!

I had a boy doll that I called Johnny, He went everywhere with me, my mum had my brother at a similar time I got "Johnny", so I used to copy her. I loved it.

My first doll was Rebecca. I loved her but was so jealous of my friend’s doll which wet her nappy when you gave it water. She let me borrow it one night and I gave it so much water, it soaked through the carpet and leaked through the ceiling downstairs!

I loved my dolls as a child they were my most favourite toy I remember I had two favourites who i called Bonnie and Tina and I was desperate for a double dolls pram and mad do by strapping the two singles i had together with a dog lead😝. One of them would cry if you fed it water and the otger one would wee. I would have loved the dolls you can get today that can make noises and movement and look like they are breathing. They have come on so much but still have the magical quality of loving and caring for a baby of your own.

I remember me & my sister were given 2 dolls for Xmas, one was white the other black. I really wanted them both but settled on the beautiful baby black doll. I called her Hannah and was given a dolls pram buy a next door neighbour. It was a bit battered but took Hannah in her pram around with my mum to do the shopping. I loved this doll.

I had a life-size soft-bodied, but very hard-headed baby doll. When I picked it up it would drop forward and headbut me so hard it would bring tears to my eyes. The nan who gave it to me would say confusing and twisted things, e.g. about me needing to visit her more as though I was free to visit her as a young child, but then not visiting us or inviting us around. It was as if the doll was taking on my nan's personality of looking friendly but then being hurtful. I bought much more 'cuddlier' dolls for my DD!

I did not like dolls

Getting really weird looks...

Me and my sister made a dolls hospital in our bedroom. We would invent all sorts of illnesses and stick screwed up blobs of tissue paper on their faces to make big spots. We had charts at the end of their cots. My sister had a doll that wet itself and cried but I liked the basic dolls just as much.

My first doll was a “boy dolly” who was anatomically correct, much to the horror of my grandma. I still have him and had some repairs done to him and he now belongs to my daughter.

Forgot to add he was a doll you could feed water to from a bottle and it went down a tube to wet his nappy.

Used to play with polly pockets as my brother ended up cutting all my barbies hair off!

My childhood doll ‘Lucy’ was a simple soft bodies, plastic limbed doll and I think most of my friends had similar. There were crying / wetting dolls in the shops but I was loyal to Lucy and don’t think my Dad liked the idea of me walking round with a doll that wet itself.

She had two knitted dresses that a family friend must have made for her and no hair.

I found her in my parents loft a couple of years ago but time has not been kind to her and she looks a little sorry for herself next to my DDs modern doll. Poor Lucy!

I have many memories of playing with dolls, I had a Pippa doll and also a teenie tiny tears, which I loved :)

Child of the 70's .....

Tiny Tears - I remember the leg falling off (don't remember how) and her being sent away to get repaired - or was it replaced???

And it was Sindy not Barbie. Have vague recollections of a shower, a tent, and a kitchen.

Happy days

I never really liked dolls if I am totally honest. I much preferred my teddy bears and had 100's of them. I loved having tea parties with my stuffed animals and tucking each and every one into bed at night.

When I was very small I went to Rainbows. All I remember from that time is that they had a "guess the name of the doll" competition and you could win a beautiful Cabbage Patch doll. I wanted it so much! Luckily, I guessed that the doll was named "Rosie" and ... I won! To this day it's still the only time I've won a competition, and I still have Rosie. I have my own baby daughter now and I can't wait to pass Rosie on to her, once she's old enough to appreciate her properly of course

I don't recall playing with dolls as such. I did, however, play with my brothers' GI Joes all the time!

Favourite doll was caled Lulu. I enjoyed the dressing and undressing, cleaning her clothes, ironing he clothes and accessories and the like. She had a nice wardrobe and my mother helped me make clothes for her.

Then my brother got action man, left him around. Lulu served in the Parachute Regiment, the Royal Navy, was a stormrooper and escaped from Colditz. I realed wanted her to get the Argyll and Sutherland uniform or the Mountie uniform complete with Alsatian but sadly not.

Then I grew up.

I can't remember the doll but I used to love pushing the doll's pram around! My GM knitted me a blanket and pillow to go in it for Christmas one year and it was the best present ever!

Awww I had baby annabelle! I had the pram and my auntie even got me the cot for the doll for Christmas!! I miss those days!! My dolls never cried real tears but they did make noises.

We had a doll where you pushed the stomach under water to make her fill up so she could cry and wee! I remember she was naked for about a year (she wet all her clothes), I kept hounding my mum until she went and bought my precious doll a nappy! Looking back nappies are so expensive and I can't believe my little doll had them (I guess it shows how good I was at hounding my mum as a child).

I remember having dolls and a pushchair. I had a brother so I sort of went between playing with dolls then playing with cars!

Teaching them in “schools “ with lots of taking the register!