Rowena's Story: Continued (Children's Collector Series, Barbie As Sleeping Beauty)

I was gradually settling in, trying to find my place, when Treesa decided to change my name from Charity Violet to Rowena. She told me she thought Rowena was a better fit. I didn't understand, but I didn't question Treesa. Then one day Halle came by.

"Rowena," she called. I was still getting used to my new name, so I didn't realize right away that Halle was calling me. Then she said, "the doll formerly known as Charity Violet." I turned my head then and saw Halle standing behind me. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "I guess I'm still getting used to Rowena."

"It's alright," Halle said. I sort of sighed and said, "I wish Treesa hadn't changed my name. I don't know why she did." Halle stared at me. "You don't know?" she said. She sounded surprised. I shook my head. "Do you?" I asked.

"Do me a favor," Halle said. "Tell Treesa you want to do a blog post. She'll set up her laptop and show you how to use it. When she leaves, go back to the main screen and click the box for Microsoft Word. Then open the file called 'Character Profiles'. It's all in there." I wondered why Halle wouldn't just tell me why Treesa changed my name, if she knew. But eventually my curiosity got the better of me and I did what Halle suggested.

When I opened 'Character Profiles', right near the top was the name Charity Violet. I kept reading and found out that 'Character Profiles' was exactly what the name suggested, a series of profiles, each with a different name at the top, each broken up into categories like 'Physical Appearance', 'Personality' and 'Background'. As I read the description for Charity Violet certain traits jumped out at me, phrases like 'somewhat wavey, golden blond hair' and 'eyes that appear blue at first glance, but are actually violet colored'. I was able to see glimpses of myself in this character, not a perfect mirror image, but close enough that I could see the resemblance. I realized then that Treesa had named me after the character, presumably a character she'd created for one of her writing projects.

Something else jumped out at me from the profile, something in the section marked 'Relationships'. Charity Violet was apparently the sister of 'Constance Daisy', and the wife of 'L'. I thought I had a pretty good idea who 'L' was supposed to be. And that's when I really understood why Treesa had changed my name. When she said in the store that I was 'perfect', she'd meant that I was the reflection of this character in her mind. Then, when she'd brought me home, I'd somehow failed to live up to her expectations. And I'd failed to make a good impression on Lawson. So Treesa changed my name to something that would be a 'better fit'.

I quickly scrolled through the character list, but I didn't see a listing for Rowena. I left the room in a daze and went to find Halle. "Why couldn't you just tell me why Treesa changed my name?" I asked when I found her.

"Would you have believed me?" Halle asked. I tried to think about the question, but my mind still felt dazed and fuzzy, like my head had been stuffed with cotton. "Humans don't get it," Halle continued. "They build you up, then knock you down again. That's why I don't trust them." I thought about asking Halle how Treesa had 'knocked her down', but from the tone of Halle's voice I thought the subject might be too painful.

I don't really know how to neatly wrap up this post. There's no real conclusion, and certainly no happily ever after. But then that's life. Movies and books may be able to end with a wedding, an evil vanquished, or some other celebration. But real life just keeps going. I've been reading the other dolls' posts, and I like what Lacey said about there not being any happy endings, because nothing ever ends. I guess that's a strange thing for a fairytale doll like me to say, but it gives me hope to know that things do change, that maybe someday I'll be able to define myself as something besides a Sleeping Beauty doll or a character in Treesa's mind. Maybe someday, I'll actually figure out how to be ME.

From The Thoughts Of, Rowena



Shade's Story (rebodied blue-haired Mattel fairy)

When Treesa started pitching her big blogging idea, I wasn't really interested. I hadn't planned on posting at all. So why am I here? It was Dandelion's idea. In her post she mentioned Treesa's other 'fantasy hair colors' dolls. Then a reader left a comment on Dandelion's post, asking to meet the rest of us. Dandelion wrote back that she'd try to talk more of us into posting. The minute she logged off she went looking for me. Why me? Well we are best friends. It's kinda like our brains run on the same wavelength or something. We don't agree on everything all the time, but Dandelion always seems to get where I'm coming from and vise versa. Everyone should have a best friend like that.

Dandelion didn't ask me about posting right away. First she told me she got a comment. Then she told me what the comment said. Then she asked how I felt about posting. I told her I wouldn't know what to write. She said, "Anything you want, that's what makes it fun."

I still didn't know where to start. So what did I do? I read Dandelion's post for inspiration. At first I was kinda ticked off that she hadn't even mentioned me. But she did spend most of her post talking about stuff that happened before we met, so I guess I'll let her off the hook.

While I was at it I figured I might as well read what Treesa's other dolls had posted. When I read in Lacey's post that there were other doll bloggers out there, I thought it'd be a good idea to check out what they were posting too. Anyway I got so caught up in everybody else's stories that I kinda put off writing my own. And I'm STILL not sure where to start. I could start with how I met Treesa, but that's nothing you haven't heard before by now. Blah blah found at the thrift store, you get it. The first really important thing that happened after that was my body swap. Why did I need a body swap? Well I didn't exactly NEED it. I mean it wasn't 'medically necessary' or anything. Treesa wanted to redress me, like she'd redressed Dandelion. But my molded wings made that almost impossible, so Treesa body-swapped me.

After my 'recovery period' was over it was time to pick out clothes. I agree with Dandelion, piecing together a new outfit takes FOREVER. And Treesa STILL isn't completely happy with my new look.

Treesa's a bit of a perfectionist. She likes the dark purple 'pleather' top, but she thinks the silver skirt is a bit 'chintzy'. Treesa uses words like that a lot. I asked her what it meant and she said it's 'sort of a combination of tacky and flimsy'. And don't get her started on the shoes.

I still don't really get why Treesa named me Shade. She tried explaining it to me when I asked. She said my hair is 'a lovely shade of blue' and that 'when you stand in the shade it's cooler, and blue is one of the cooler colors in the spectrum'. I'm sure it made perfect sense to her.



Anyway the first doll Treesa officially introduced me to was Orlando.

 Orlando

Orlando is a redressed Lord Of The Rings Legolas doll by Mattel. He had to be redressed because Treesa bought him at the thrift store, and he didn't come with his original outfit. Treesa says his new outfit makes him look like a cast member from Rock Of Ages, but she likes the look. Why did she name him Orlando? I was kinda confused about that at first. I thought Treesa named him after the city in Florida for some reason. But it turned out Orlando was named after Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas in the Lord Of The Rings movies.

Me and Orlando both have pointed ears and pale skin tones, so I guess Treesa could've wanted us to be brother and sister all along. That's what we are now anyway. But I can't shake the feeling that wasn't Treesa's Plan A. There was just something about the way she introduced us, something that made me think she was hoping we'd fall in love. That never happened though. I mean we care about each other, but it's more in an older brother/younger sister kind of way. Orlando thinks I'm annoying but is still sort of protective of me, and I keep telling him he needs to get a life, and a girlfriend. Though I'm kinda glad he and Dandelion never hit it off that way. Why? Well for starters I think it'd make things all weird between us, if my best friend was dating my brother. That and I can't see it ending well for them. I just don't think Dandelion and Orlando have enough in common, personality-wise.

Dandelion told me she's not all that interested in having a boyfriend right now anyway. She likes being a single doll. As for me well like I told Dandelion, I wouldn't mind finding somebody. But I wasn't gonna spend all my time and energy looking for somebody. I did have a life after all. Then Treesa got Carlos.

 Carlos

Who's Carlos? He's a Mariposa Prince doll, and he's absolutely dreamy. He's so dignified and proud, which is hard to pull off when you're wearing a fairy prince outfit with dragonfly wings sewn to the back. (Treesa decided to leave him in his original outfit for now because she likes the colors on him.) Trust me if a guy doll wants to be taken seriously, fairy wings are usually not the way to go. But Carlos is so polite to everyone that nobody brings up his wardrobe, at least not to his face.

The problem is whenever I see Carlos across the room, I get so nervous my mouth goes dry. I'm never gonna get anywhere with him if I can't even talk to him. Dandelion's done her best to try and help me figure something out, but there's only so much she can do. I mean she'll stand there and listen to me gush, but she can't really give me any advice because she doesn't have much experience with love either. I thought about asking Orlando to be my go between, but I chickened out before I actually asked him. Why? Well for starters I'm not sure what Orlando thinks of Carlos. Like I said before, Orlando can be a little protective of me, and if he thinks Carlos isn't good enough for me he might try to keep us apart. Even if Orlando would help me out, it's still a lame plan. I mean how much more pathetic could I get, asking my brother to talk to the doll I like for me?

Well I guess that's enough about me, and my nonexistent love life. You've probably got other things to do today anyway, so I'd better log off before this post gets any longer. The last thing you want is 'Fifty Days Of Shade'. Yeah I thought it was a bad pun too, but Treesa thought it was funny.

See Ya, Shade







Lacey's Story (Glam 'N Groom Barbie)

I have to say upfront, some dolls might find this story a little disturbing. It doesn't make Treesa look very good either. But I still think it needs to be told, so that humans can learn from it.

This is the story of how I met Holly and Ivy. Holly and Ivy are two little girl dolls that were originally part of a Holiday Sisters Gift Set. Holly is a Stacie doll and Ivy is a Kelly doll. There was a third doll in the set, a Barbie, and all three of them wore matching red coats with white fur trim.

Keep in mind this story happened years ago, before us dolls started talking to Treesa. One of the first rules of being a doll is don't show a human you're alive if they're not ready to handle it. Most humans, even doll collectors, don't REALLY think their dolls are alive. They might joke about us being alive. They might even talk to us. But if they ever got an answer they'd probably freak out. Remember that scene in Toy Story where the toys 'come to life' to scare Sid. Or how about all those movies about 'haunted' or 'possessed' dolls. I rest my case.

To get back to my original story, Treesa bought all three Holiday Sisters Gift Set dolls loose at a flea market one fall. They were tightly packed in a clear plastic bag, and because of the way the bag was sealed it was impossible to take the dolls out and really examine them. This turned out to be important later, but at the time Treesa didn't think anything of it. She bought the dolls and brought them home, then she put them aside and sort of forgot about them. She didn't even bother to take them out of the bag.

It wasn't until that winter, when the snow started falling, that Treesa got the 'brilliant' idea to do an outdoor photo shoot with the Holiday Sisters dolls. When she opened the bag and started handling the Barbie doll, the poor doll's head came off. It turned out the Barbie's head had been shoved back on over her broken neck. Treesa hadn't noticed because of the high collar on the Barbie doll's coat. Treesa was upset and disappointed, but she still really wanted to do that photo shoot. So she went upstairs and started looking for a blond Barbie doll to use as a stand in. She picked me. I was brought downstairs and dressed in the broken Barbie's outfit. Then Treesa threw the broken doll in the trash.

Sometimes I wonder if a body swap could've saved her. Unless the doll's head is damaged, when a doll breaks her neck the doll's consciousness goes into a coma like state because of the shock. Depending on how long the undamaged head is separated from a body, the doll might wake up with amnesia after a body swap. In some cases the doll can remain in a coma even after a successful swap. Treesa has performed several successful body swaps since that winter, but at the time it didn't even occur to her to try. I don't like to think about that poor, broken Barbie too often. I can't change the past, and I know me feeling guilty won't help her now.

The photo shoot was set up in Treesa's backyard.

After snapping a few pictures, Treesa ran back inside to get a sled prop she'd forgotten. I was left outside in the snow with a stuffed reindeer and two traumatized little girl dolls who had been stuck in a bag with their broken sister for over a month. The whole thing was completely surreal. I did my best to comfort Holly and Ivy, but I was so overwhelmed myself that I don't think I did a very good job. Treesa soon came back out with the sled and set up the next shot. "Smile," she said.

It's a good thing our smiles were painted on.

After that I sort of took Holly and Ivy under my wing. With everything they'd been through they needed someone. And since they hadn't met any of the other dolls in the collection yet, I thought they'd be more comfortable staying with me for a while. It was difficult at first. I did my best to help, but only one thing can heal broken hearts and that's time.

Several years passed, and I'm happy to say that Holly and Ivy have both blossomed into the wonderful dolls they were always meant to be. Honestly, I can't imagine my life without them anymore. Even though things worked out in the end, a part of me still wishes that it hadn't happened that way. I know toys don't last forever, but if Treesa had opened that bag as soon as she got home maybe things would've been a little easier for Holly and Ivy. They probably still would've had to say goodbye to their sister. But maybe they wouldn't have had to watch Treesa replace her so quickly and easily, like a burned out light bulb.

Lately, Treesa has been trying really hard to understand her dolls' better. Ever since she started reading blogs like Belle's Bulletins, and others that were written by dolls themselves, her perspective has changed. There's still some things I haven't completely forgiven her for, and I know I'm not the only doll who feels that way. But all us dolls know that she really is trying harder now to keep our needs and feelings in mind.

I guess that's the end of the story, for now. Someone once said that there are no happy endings, because nothing ends. All I can say is that my family's life is pretty happy overall, and I'm going to do everything I can to keep it that way for Holly and Ivy for as long as possible. All we need is a little luck, and lots of love.

Holly, Lacey and Ivy