On Scaling

 Greetings friends and visitors, from Treesa.

I picked up this adorable, small plush manatee thinking that he might work well in doll scale. When I first bought him, I didn't have a clue how large a baby manatee was supposed to be, scale-wise. But thanks to the internet, I knew that I could figure it out. According to my online research, a newborn manatee calf is between 3 feet and 4 feet long at birth. (Like their land based 'cousins', elephants, manatees are large animals and their babies are born big.) This equates to 36 inches on the low end or 48 inches on the high end. To figure out how big a newborn manatee would be in doll scale, all I had to do was pick which scale to use and then do the math.

After seeing the real world measurements for newborn manatees, I was fairly sure that this plush would be too small to work with an 18 inch doll like American Girl. According to the label, this manatee plush is 7 inches long, though when I measured him myself to verify that, he actually seemed to measure up a little longer. Regardless, I started off my calculations using American Girl dolls as a reference point. American Girl, and similar 18 inch doll brands, are 1:3 scale. This means that something measuring 3 inches in our world should be 1 inch for them, although many mass-produced 18 inch doll accessories are notorious for being under-scaled. Anyway, a newborn manatee calf that's 36 inches long would be 12 inches in 1:3 scale, at the very least.

The next set of calculations that I did was for 16 inch dolls. This scale would include my Tonner doll, Tennille, and my Disney Store Singing Dolls. Dolls in this range are 1:4 scale, so a 36 inch newborn manatee would be 9 inches in their world. This measurement was closer to my target length, but still off scale-wise.

Finally we come to Barbie, and similar 11 1/2 inch fashion dolls. They are the primary focus of this blog anyway. Barbie dolls are 1:6 scale. Therefore, a 36 inch to 48 inch newborn manatee would be between 6 inches and 8 inches in Barbie scale. That's pretty much spot on with this plush.

So, here's Manny the manatee with Finnick, a Dreamtopia Rainbow Cove Merman. I thought that the name Finnick would work well for a merman, since he has a tail fin, or tail fluke? I'm not really sure of the terminology. Anyway, that'll wrap up this quick update post. I hope that all of you are doing well.

Signed, Treesa

Tennille's Story: An Update (unidentified brunette Tonner doll)

When I wrote my original post I was still grieving for my first owner. The loss and the loneliness that I felt came across in the tone of my words, and I ended the post with the seemingly impossible wish that Treesa would bring home another doll in my scale. I recently realized that I never shared what happened after that. I thought some of you might be interested to know that Treesa did later purchase two more dolls in my scale secondhand. They're not Tonner dolls, but I'll go into that later.

It was autumn of last year when Treesa came to me with the news. She told me that she'd 'rescued' a doll in my scale from an indoor flea market, a doll she'd named Ginny. Treesa let me know up front that Ginny wasn't a Tonner doll. Ginny is in fact a Disney Store Singing Anna doll, based on a character from the animated movie Frozen. But I think Treesa realized how out of place I felt in the collection with no other dolls in my scale to socialize with, because she told me that she'd thought I might like to meet Ginny anyway.

I'd met Disney dolls before. Treesa has a number of one sixth scale Disney dolls in her collection, and like any other group Treesa's Disney dolls have a wide range of personalities. I wondered what kind of personality this new doll, Ginny, would have. But mostly I was excited at the possibility of having a doll friend in my scale again. So I followed Treesa as she led the way towards the stair landing.

Ginny

I got my first look at Ginny from the top of the staircase. Her long, red hair was hanging down her back in waves, and she was wearing an ankle length red dress with black lace trim at the hem and long sleeves. Ginny's back was facing the staircase, and she seemed to be pointing at something on the floor in front of her with a long stick in her hand.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Ginny said as she raised her arm. I gave Treesa a puzzled look, hoping she would explain Ginny's odd behavior. Treesa somehow managed to look embarrassed and amused at the same time. She leaned towards me and murmured, "Don't mind her. I gave her a Harry Potter blind box wand for a photo shoot and she got really into it."

Treesa turned back towards the stair landing and then called down to Ginny. Ginny turned and looked up at us with a smile. "Hi, Treesa," she said. Then Ginny noticed me and asked curiously, "Who are you?"

"This is Tennille," Treesa said, making the introductions. "She's a Tonner doll." Ginny tilted her head slightly to one side, looking puzzled. "What's a Tonner doll?" she asked.

"I'll let Tennille explain all that," Treesa said hurriedly before explaining that she needed to get the pictures from Ginny's photo shoot uploaded. Treesa headed down the staircase as she talked, carrying me along with her. When she reached the landing Treesa set me down beside Ginny before leaving us to ourselves.

For a few seconds Ginny and I just stared awkwardly at each other. I had wanted a friend in my scale so badly, but now that I was face to face with Ginny I couldn't think of anything to say. Ginny looked as unprepared as I felt. I can still remember the nervous smile on her face as we looked at each other. It was Ginny who broke the awkward silence.

"Hi, I'm Ginny," she said, holding out her hand to shake. Unfortunately the hand she held out was the same one that had the Harry Potter wand rubber-banded to her fingers. Ginny looked extremely embarrassed. She apologized and quickly switched hands, explaining how she'd kept dropping the wand during the photo shoot and making an awkward joke about how it was a good thing the wand wasn't real, or she might've accidentally turned me into a toad. After I shook Ginny's hand she quickly changed the subject back to her original question of what a Tonner doll was. I explained to her that the Tonner company made fashion dolls for adult collectors.

It was certainly an awkward first meeting. But even after that initial awkwardness had passed Ginny and I still had some trouble finding things to talk about. We seemed to have very little in common, partially because we'd come from such different backgrounds. In my first home I was a display piece in an adult's collection. Ginny had been a child's toy, and even though she talked about her first owner fondly I don't think it was always an easy life. I found out after I commented on the lovely color of her dress that Ginny had been nude when Treesa found her for sale at the flea market, after her first owner outgrew her.

Even though Ginny and I weren't close friends, we were friendly enough that I knew I could come to her on days when I longed to spend time with a doll my own scale. I think Ginny may have felt the same way I did, to some degree. She gets along well with many of Treesa's other Disney dolls, but every now and then she'd come looking for me with a certain expression on her face that I recognized.

Despite this sense of community we shared I could still feel a distance between Ginny and I whenever we spent time together. But then something happened that helped bridge the gap between us. I was paging through a book that Treesa had left out when I heard Ginny call for me. I looked up and saw her coming towards me with a smile on her face, and another doll in our scale that I didn't recognize following behind her. "Tennille, this is Noni," Ginny said when she reached me. "She's a Disney Store Tiana Singing doll."

Noni

Noni greeted me casually. I noticed that her dark hair was arranged in a curly updo that reminded me a little of my own hairstyle. We also seemed to have somewhat similar taste in clothes, since both of us were wearing knee length, sleeveless dresses. Even though the green, cottony fabric with a white floral print that Noni's dress was made from wasn't something I would wear myself, it did seem to suit her. When I complimented the dress Noni said it was a lot more practical and better made than the princess dress she'd originally come with, and that she was glad Treesa had gotten it for her.

Noni was also glad that Treesa decided to remove her one remaining shoe. Noni said it was a lot easier to walk around barefoot than to try to walk with one shoe. She then made a joke saying she had no idea how Cinderella managed it after the ball. Ever since I'd come to live with Treesa I'd been a little sad knowing that I'd probably never get a pair of shoes, since shoes for dolls in my scale can be expensive and difficult to find. But I had to admit that Noni made a good point.

Noni seemed to have an easier time connecting with Ginny than I did, possibly because Noni and Ginny were both Disney dolls whose first owners had been children. But Noni had also been a display piece in her previous owner's bedroom and hadn't really been played with, so she seemed to be able to see things from my perspective as well. Before Noni came I couldn't really relate to some of Ginny's experiences. But Noni was able to explain things in a way that helped me picture myself in Ginny's place. Once I could do that it was easier for me to understand why Ginny thought and believed certain things, and why she sometimes acted in certain ways. I even started to understand how Ginny could still love her first owner, even after that owner had lost Ginny's original clothes and had then sold Ginny at a flea market.

Spending time with Noni also helped me to see that while it's ok to be disappointed when things aren't the way you want them to be, you shouldn't dwell on your disappointment. Noni has a way of seeing the practical side of things, like what she said about going barefoot for example. Rather than getting upset about losing her shoes Noni focused on the fact that she could walk better without her remaining shoe. Hearing Noni talk helped me to realize that some things that seemed like serious problems really weren't that important.

I'm glad that Noni and Ginny are here. They've shown me different ways of seeing the world, and I've learned a lot from both of them. It's my hope that I've contributed as many positive things to their lives as they have to mine.

Tennille

Tennille's Story (unidentified brunette Tonner doll)

 

I've lived here with Treesa for quite a while now, yet I've never told her my original factory name. The truth is that I don't want Treesa to ever call me by my factory name. Too many of my memories are tied to that name, and if I ever did hear Treesa use it I can't honestly say how I would react. But I think Treesa understands.

When Treesa first purchased me from the thrift store, her intuition told her that my previous owner may have died. In this age of online auction sites, Tonner dolls do not turn up at second-hand venues every day, and I was not the only Tonner doll on the shelves when Treesa came in. This suggested to Treesa that someone's entire collection had been donated, and that whoever made the donation either wasn't aware how much Tonner dolls are worth or just didn't care. Treesa was right. My previous owner did pass away, and her surviving family did get rid of her entire collection.

I have very fond memories of my previous owner. She was very selective in her collecting, so consequently each of us dolls meant something special to her. She began collecting late in life, but I'll always remember what a vibrant woman she was, even when her health began to decline. For a while she was in and out of the hospital, but when nothing more could be done for her she opted to receive care at home. I like to think that looking at us dolls, neatly arranged on the shelves in her room, gave her some pleasure in her last days.

I don't think my previous owner's family ever really understood her hobby. They indulged her whenever she talked about us dolls, but they always seemed bemused by her enthusiasm for the subject. After she was laid to rest they set to work cleaning out her house for sale. Her possessions were divided among them, and anything that wasn't claimed was either donated or thrown away. I arrived at the thrift store with the rest of my Tonner doll friends, and we were priced and put out for sale.

I was still grieving for my previous owner, so much so that I didn't really give much thought to my own future. Then Treesa came into the store. She carefully picked up each of us one by one, studying our markings and the details of our clothing, looking at us as if she'd never seen a Tonner doll up close before. I discovered later that before that day at the thrift store Treesa had only ever seen pictures of Tonner dolls, and that she'd never actually held one in her hands. I also found out later on that, even at thrift store prices, Treesa couldn't afford to buy all of us, and that she chose me because I seemed in her eyes to be the most versatile. My clothing and hairstyle were simple enough that Treesa felt she could redress me in other outfits someday without feeling guilty that it might lower my monetary value.

At first, Treesa tried to discover my original factory name through online research. However she had very little to go on, since Tonner has manufactured a wide variety of doll lines and I wasn't inclined to point her in the right direction. For some reason the thought of anyone besides my previous owner calling me by my factory name upset me. Treesa eventually decided that I couldn't stay unnamed any longer. After all, she had to call me something. The brand name Tonner made her think of the name Toni, but Treesa didn't think that Toni suited me. However the name Toni made her think of singer Toni Tennille, and so Treesa decided to call me Tennille.

Adjusting to life in Treesa's collection has been difficult, for several reasons. I've had to deal with the loss of my previous owner and my Tonner doll friends of course, but I've also had to adjust to the size discrepancy between me and Treesa's other fashion dolls. As far as I'm aware, Treesa doesn't own any other dolls in my scale. Of Treesa's fashion dolls, the one closest to me in height would probably be Shana, from Hasbro's Jem doll line. But Shana is still noticeably shorter than I am. Despite how welcoming Treesa's other fashion dolls have been, I feel awkward trying to carry on a conversation with them.

Treesa also has a collection of 18 inch dolls, but because of how they're molded 18 inch dolls usually have the physical appearance and the mindset of children. There are certain topics that are just easier, and more appropriate to discuss, with a more mature doll. While it would be nice to have friends in my own scale again, I know that the likelihood of Treesa buying another Tonner doll is quite small, given the high cost. Still she found me at the thrift store. There's no harm in wishing that she'll find another Tonner doll there at a price she can afford.

Tennille